That Guy: When reality is getting the right shot

Opinion

I am in New York at the moment filming a new series of Moon TV. This is my second instalment from the Big Apple, but you may not recall the first one as I failed to file.

A funny thing happened down in Harlem last night. Our small crew ventured into that colourful neck of the woods to film an episode of the hit reality TV series Speedo Cops.

As usual, we were wearing a hybrid of the New Zealand police uniform, one that features the Speedo tog, and primed on Kodak courage we approached a couple of young "hoodlum type" locals and asked them whether they wanted to be extras in a very minor, dialogue-based scene.

The idea was to get out of central Manhattan to get some grittier coverage, coverage that showcases New York's rich tapestry of cultures and races.

Negotiations went well initially and it looked like we were going to get our much-needed scene in a "darker" part of New York, complete with authentic graffiti backdrop.

Then, DRAMA! Just 30 seconds or so into the carefully scripted scene, one of the extras decided to commandeer the camera from Terry Teasdale, our strawberry blond cameraman.

This certainly seemed to change the whole filming perspective, and for the first time, I suspect, in reality TV history the shoe was on the other foot, or the camera was on the other shoulder, so to speak. We had what we call in the business a real situation on our hands. Here

we were trying to film a fictitious reality TV scene in Harlem and our $10,000 camera was facing back at us and being held ransom by three hoodlums for 100 bucks.

What made the situation all the more surreal was the fact that I was aware that the camera was still rolling, so I wasn't sure whether I should stay in character or not.

The situation escalated slightly more when Matt, better known as Constable Taylor in spoof reality TV circles, attempted to give the hostage takers 100 New Zealand dollars in exchange for the camera and our lives.

As uneducated as they appeared to be first-hand, they certainly weren't buying my feeble attempts at trying to convince them that the NZ dollar was currently running at two to one to the US and that technically speaking they should give us 50 bucks US change.

They then suggested in no uncertain terms that Matt go and withdraw some cash from a nearby A™ machine.

He returned a few minutes later saying that his card had been declined, further explaining that it was probably something to do with his wife having recently been on a bit of a shopping spree in Parnell, all detail that only served to infuriate them more.
Then it was my turn to go to the machine. I returned a few minutes later with just $60, which was all I was able to withdraw as I had already spent my daily limit by paying for the crew's dinner at Mustang Sally's steak house, and purchasing a new pair of slip-on boots, which incidentally seem to be all the rage over here at the moment.

When I suggested giving them a combination of US$60 and the $100, the largest of the three home boys pulled out a gun and waved it enthusiastically in our direction.

To the best of my knowledge I have never actually had an unregistered hand gun pointed at me before, but I can say with a fair amount of confidence that this is one occasion that you wish you weren't wearing Speedos, especially when a lot of the banter seems to be along the lines of "putting a cap in your ass!".

Terry, our cameraman - who up until this point had been a reluctant bystander - managed to get the outstanding balance in US dollars from his wallet, and rapidly gave it to the gun-wielding punks/hoods. This seemed to resolve the situation as quickly as it had begun.

The gun was returned to the confines of the baggy pants whence it came, the camera was returned to us undamaged, and they even gave us the number of a taxi firm who would get us back safely to Brooklyn.

The most ironic part of the experience is that after being in New York for over a week this is by far the best footage we have shot, and it took place while coming close to actually being shot. One thing I have learned about TV is you never stop learning.