| Media diving
Hello Richard
The term "Media" covers a great deal. In my case, I write articles about diving - mainly shipwrecks. If I were to join the NUJ I will then have to insist on being paid their published rates. This will mean that ordinary diving magazines will no longer be able to afford me. If I then produce something for the nationals (weekend travel supplements etc) they will tell me one of their reporters once saw a scuba diver on a film back in the 1960's and has remained their resident diving expert ever since. In short, they send their own staff on scuba diving assignments – whether they can dive or not. Sadly, one such person recently died because he was given a diving assignment where he was simply not up to the task.
My point being, that if you want to write about what you do, you will find the doors are either closed or the income is derisory.
If, you want to work on film sets or TV productions, then you have to get your foot into the door of those companies which are already doing this. A few years ago I wrote a series where a certain TV star went diving around the world. He had a free-lance safety diver with him at all times. That safety diver was well paid – but hasn’t worked on anything similar since.
The BBC Natural History Unit at Bristol does maintain an interest in what goes on underwater (except for shipwrecks which they refuse to look at!). Whenever they do anything underwater, I can only assume they require safety and support divers. But I would also think that any work would be limited to a short time spent filming an actual project. I know nothing about their overall modus operandi but they are in the book and based in Bristol.
Incidentally. I attended a meeting in Bristol once and met a number of the cameramen who had produced such excellent footage as seen on the many “Life” series fronted by David Attenborough. Their main complaint was hat they had to travel around the world, dice with death and get anything from a poisonous snake to spit directly at them or wade through infested waters to photographs a leech – and they got paid a great deal less than those cameramen found in static TV studios…
Trying to be a little more helpful, why not contact my old friend Terry Dwyer in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Tell him I sent you and ask all the questions you want.
He is a great guy and provided all the technical and lighting support for the “Titanic” film a few years ago, his team also taught Kevin Spacie to dive before supporting him in an underwater role (to mention but 2!).
I will send you Terry’s e-mail privately.
Hope this has been of some use.
Ned Middleton  |