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Hollywood film crews (warning: semi-rant!)



Not that I want to slow down the discussion on Nicky Baker or
anything, but I feel a rant about film crews coming on.  I know we've
discussed this in the past, but just now, over in the Middle East
Library (which is on this floor, on the other side of the building)
there's a Hollywood film crew shooting scenes for some revision of
FIRESTARTER, the Stephen King book/movie.  How in earth they
decided to use the Middle East library at the University of Utah I
can't imagine.  Actually I can; TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL is filmed
here, so there must be some connection.

Anyway, TBAA is a royal pain in the community butt, and so are
these guys.  The other day, TBAA was filming by the Federal
Building downtown, which meant of course that they blocked off
two whole blocks of downtown, right in the middle of the day; then
they set off some charge to simulate a bomb going off, which given
the anniversary of the Oklahoma City thing, scared a bunch of
people out of their wits, and the final indignity was this was two
days before taxes were due.  So citizens and taxpayers couldn't
get to the FedBldg to get forms or assistance or whatever.  I've
heard nothing but horror stories from people who have lived in areas
where TBAA is filming, or even one woman in the library who let
them use her house.  Absolutely never again, she said; they broke
things, sprayed some nasty cobwebby stuff all over and didn't
clean it up, and on and on.  She starts twitching whenever the
subject is brought up.

So anyway, we heard about this crew coming up here about two
weeks ago in a division heads meeting, and I said I''ve been around
a lot of film crews on river trips, and what I've learned through
painful experience is that the first thing they teach in film school,
before you even learn how to turn on the camera, is how to lie with
a straight face.  Sorry to offend any filmmaker archivists, and I hate
to sound harsh and judgemental; but if it hadn't worked out that
way on each and every film trip I've ever been on, I wouldn't say it.
They must figure that what they are doing is so important that
anything, literally anything, is justified.  For instance: they
promised us that our security--this is a special collections, closed
stacks area; the most valuable building owned by the entire state,
we're told, because of the rare books, photos, maps, and so on,
and the security of the collections is a major priority--would not be
compromised, oh no!  So I get here this morning and find out I have
to take some of my time today to guard the door that they
removed, after promising not to, because it got in the way of their
shot.  It's over between the Western Americana Collection and the
Middle East Library, on the other side of the building; but now our
collection is open and vulnerable, just so they can get their
furlushinger shot.  Yikes!  If they had tried to take down my door, I
would have kicked their cameras over and chained myself to the
post.  I can imagine what the rare books curator would have done
(we share a door).  Someone else told me she rode up the elevator
with some of them and they were rude and insulting to some poor
students, and on and on.  I can't wait to hear what other damage
they've done over there.  I can only hope the University is making
them pay through their self-important, stuck-up noses for the
privelege.

So anyway, excuse the rant; it's just that it's so predictable!  Like it
should be in the contract: "Party of the First Part (hereinafter
known as Film Crew), promises to smile while they lie through their
teeth to the Party of the Second Part (hereinafter known as the
Library)..."

Back to work and my apologies again...

Roy


Roy Webb, C.A.
Multimedia Archivist
Special Collections
J. Willard Marriott Library
295 South 1500 East
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah   84112
(801) 585-3073  //  fax (801) 585-3976
rwebb@library.utah.edu

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