Over the weekend, Scott Wampler of the Comedy Examiner reported that he contacted someone on the production crew involved in the June 25th “light-fry” episode, which involved a confrontation with a pro-life group protesting outside of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.
There’s much of interest here, starting with the fact that this crewmember won’t reveal his of her identity. But also, from the way Wampler describes it, the film crew in question is directly employed by Jimmy Kimmel Live:
Well, it just so happens that we’re pals with someone on that very crew of Jimmy Kimmel Live employees (who wishes to remain nameless, by the way, but I can assure you– they work for the show), so I contacted the worker and asked for a statement.
“[O]n that very crew of Jimmy Kimmel Live employees” appears to contradict what NewsBusters was told July 2nd.
Kimmel’s producers said the lighting people were not part of their team; the company was hired just for the day on June 25. Producers promised not to hire the company again.
Last week I wrote that the Kimmel Show producers agreeing not to hire this same company again was, to be fair, all anyone could ask of them. But Wampler’s story starts us back at zero. Were these bullies employees of the show, or not?
Anyway, here’s the full statement from an individual we’re assured was a part of that crew:
What happened that day was we were shooting a bit where Tom Cruise ziplines over Hollywood blvd from the Kimmel building to the sidewalk by Grauman’s. The protestors say we were shooting across the street, which was true, but we were ALSO shooting on the OTHER side of the street as well, where one of the oodles of protestors were, which was not a “peaceful” protest.We obviously had a permit to put lights there and light the shoot location. Since the protestors however want to make it all about themselves, they thought (or figured they’d turn it into a story by thinking this) we were pointing the lights at them instead of what we were rehearsing/shooting, so a protestor took it upon himself to try and pull the light down. If the protestors were bothered by our lights, they could’ve moved away and the lights would not at all have followed them. We’re a professional crew, so to think we would bully them is absolutely outlandish.
Long story short, it’s pretty simple. We were lighting the action, the protestors wanted to stand in the light and say we were pointing it at them. Pretty stupid.
As always, let’s take Anonymous Crewmember (AC) at his or her word. But let’s also take another look at the videotape:
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So according to AC, an over-zealous pro-life protester (Ryan Bueler) looking for attention, intentionally walked into the spot where a hot light(s) were already shining (from the video it looks as though two were involved.) Again, taking AC’s word for it, I agree that’s a jerky move on the protester’s part. No doubt about it. This crew was trying to do a job and through no fault of their own, found themselves in the middle of unwanted drama.
However, who had the power in this situation? The over-zealous protester or the crew in charge of the hot light?
Yes, Bueler could’ve walked out of the light. But AC’s crew could’ve also shut the light off, or — if they needed to warm it up — pointed it towards the sky. At best, both sides behaved poorly, but the actual videotape tells us a lot about the thuggish mindset of AC’s crew.
1. At the :06 mark, the protesters ask the film crew to move spotlight off Bueler. Choosing instead to enter into an unprofessional war of wills, the crew refuses. AC’s statement that they were “rehearsing/shooting” has already collapsed. This confrontation obviously makes that impossible. At this point, there’s no reason why the light(s) can’t be pointed upwards.
2. If you look at the :34 mark, you’ll see what looks like a second light aimed in the same general direction as Bueler. And it’s turned on. But if you look at the 1:20 mark, you’ll see a third light not aimed Bueler that’s not turned on. Why? If the crew was rehearsing/shooting, why is that light off — the only one not shining on Bueler? Coincidence?
3. Things get real interesting at the 1:24 mark. One of the protesters grabs the light (which he shouldn’t have done) and moves it off Bueler. The film crew then shoves this protester away from their property, which is fair enough….
But then what does the crew do…?
4. At the 1:58 mark, they turn the spotlight right back on Bueler. (And this is where I see them revealing themselves as bullying thugs.)
What’s the point of blasting this hot light on Bueler now? Obviously, there’s only one reason: the crew is determined to bully Bueler off that spot. Sure, Bueler could move. But he already was out of the light and the crew just went ahead and intentionally put it right back on him.
5. At the 2:26 mark, after the police arrive, what happens? The crew points the lights towards the sky and shuts them off. Why did the police have to arrive before they did what they should’ve done as soon as this confrontation started?
Over the weekend, some interested sources sent along production safety regulations that makes clear how potentially dangerous and harmful these lights can can be and what the necessary safety precautions are to remain within compliance when using them:
I.A.T.S.E. Local 728
Studio Electrical Lighting Technicians
SAFETY & TRAINING PROGRAM
LIGHTING CONSOLE PROGRAMMING STUDY GUIDE
SAFETYOne of the most overlooked aspects of being a motion picture console programmer is perhaps the most important. This is the issue of Safety. The programmer is responsible for safety in several ways:
• Injury prevention – Electric shock, blindness, burns, and epileptic fits can be attributed to an unskilled programmer.
• Fire prevention – Lights make great fire starters and a programmer who is not paying attention or does not know which lights are on can cause combustion by allowing lights that may be too close to movable scenery or in a public area to remain on without the lights being checked to confirm they are safe.
The duties of the LCP go far beyond pushing buttons and drinking coffee.
• The programmer also has a much larger impact on the health of the entire shooting company than often realized. Lights generate a large amount of heat and the programmer needs keep in mind the temperature in the perms (particularly if crew is working there) as well as on the stage and save the lights between takes as necessary. Lights that may blind the cast must also be saved between takes.
AC’s crew might not be a member of IATSE but these guidelines seem pretty reasonable to me, and what’s helpful about the video is that we need not take anyone’s word to know that most every safety reg listed above was violated.
Which leaves us with three questions:
1. Who is this AC and the others in the crew?
2. Are they members of IATSE?
3. Was this crew sub-contracted or do they work for the Kimmel show?
Finally, I want to address those commenters who accuse me of a double standard with respect to this story. The accusation being that if this was a Fox News crew light-frying a bunch of dirty, filthy hippies I wouldn’t report on it.
First off, in that situation I wouldn’t have to report on it. You take the exact same dynamic and replace Ryan Bueler with a member of any precious, left-wing, protected group and not only would the media make this a real story, I would agree that it deserves to be one.
The reason we’re following this story is because that’s a large part of Andrew Breitbart’s mission statement for all the BIGS. We are here to report on stories the corrupt media won’t, and to call attention to the fact that corrupt media would be all over this if Ryan Bueler were either a lesbian vegetarian, Osama bin Laden, or anyone other than a pro-life Christian.
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