Media Divers

[Richard Greenwood]

Apologies if this has been posted before, but has anyone any experience of media diving ie film & TV support diving?

Sure you've heard it all before, but am having a bit of a "mid-career crisis" and thought this might be something I could do.

Was wondering where my Advanced Diver/Advanced Instructor/Trimix quals could take me? What extra training would I need? Any ideas of pay (which will be the clincher!!)

Thanks in advance,

Richard

[dry suit diver]

Originally Posted by Richard Greenwood

Apologies if this has been posted before, but has anyone any experience of media diving ie film & TV support diving?

Sure you've heard it all before, but am having a bit of a "mid-career crisis" and thought this might be something I could do.

Was wondering where my Advanced Diver/Advanced Instructor/Trimix quals could take me? What extra training would I need? Any ideas of pay (which will be the clincher!!)

Thanks in advance,

Richard

you are going to need to do HSE scuba as a bare minimum, Andy the commie will be best placed to answer I think.

[Andy the Coastie]

Originally Posted by Richard Greenwood

Apologies if this has been posted before, but has anyone any experience of media diving ie film & TV support diving?Yes

Sure you've heard it all before, but am having a bit of a "mid-career crisis" and thought this might be something I could do.

Was wondering where my Advanced Diver/Advanced Instructor/Trimix quals could take me? Not Media diving, unless it's done on the VERY QUIETWhat extra training would I need? HSE SCUBA
Any ideas of pay (which will be the clincher!!)[/b]SH!TE,,, probably about £ 65 all in , if ya lucky [/b]

Thanks in advance,

Richard

I would try something completely different

[Richard Greenwood]

Originally Posted by Andy the Commie

I would try something completely different

Thanks, Andy. Your forthright opinion is, as always, valued.

Richard

[Pen Simon]

The HSE3 divers I know have all said they make much more money from conventional surface media work than any underwater work - "its not worth the paperwork and hassle" said one...

[VTR]

I considered this a few years ago, did the HSE scuba (part 4) which was huge fun I'd recommend anyone doing it just for the experience, if a bit pricey
As far as getting work in the media business is concerned, I think it's very much a case of "who you know, not what you know", if you get my drift???
As appears to be the case with the media, it's only the stars that get paid well, everyone else seems to do it for expenses or in the hope that it'll lead to bigger & better things. Or in some cases, to get close to the stars!!!
Interestingly, I once had a conversation with a cameraman who said that he earned very little from underwater work & that most of his work came from corporate promo videos.

Cheers

Giles

[Ned Middleton]

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

[Angus]

Richard,

As you're only in Ilkley pop into Freedom Divers on Kirkstall Road the next time you're in Leeds and have a chat with them. They do quite a bit of work for Yorkshire Television so can give you a first hand account of that side of it.

Speak to Hamish and give him my regards.

HTH

[milldog]

Richard Stevens from deep blue does the diving for G3 media my best mate is one of the film crew, for them.
the support divers don't get to much basic rate as most of the work is done on re-breathers and all support divers are on open circuit, but that might have changed since the last time i did it, my mate has been offered a job photographing all wrecks for the national geographic. now thats good pay and conditions
one good perk is that all there kit is sponsored