WTF #4

Lynx sculpture - 21st April 2017 - saltscapes expo, Halifax NS

For the past 6 years, as set dressing for the staff-offices on the show Mr.D there have been a bunch of magazines hi-lighting local businesses, events and things to do.

When making a TV show, nothing is left to chance; if there's s painting/photo on a wall in the background, someone associated with the show has already contacted the artist (or legal rights holder) to obtain 'clearance' of said artwork - in short, people who make TV don't want to have to ask for permission to display someone's artwork (or logo) after they've already done the expensive filming part, and risk having the legal rights holder deny its use (the alternative is something that's seen often in Reality TV shows - they simply blur out the product/logo in question)

So, back to Mr D. These magazines in the 'office-set' have been 'cleared' and since they're never the focus of any particular shot, they can easily be reused from scene to scene (and year to year), as something for the background performers to 'do' without drawing attention away from the actors doing their thing in front of the camera.  It's truly amazing to watch any random TV show and pay attention to what the BG are actually 'doing' - chances are that they're having a very "silent" conversation with just a little more hand-gesturing than is normally required, but that's a topic for another post.

TV shows take a fair amount of time to film, and the part which takes the most amount of time, is moving equipment around, then setting the lighting. As a boom operator, your job is to find a way of collecting the dialog without causing shadows or reflections; as such you will often find yourself needing to hang around the set while they sort out where the lights and camera/s will be pointing.  

Instead of pulling out your phone, or striking up yet another 'what do you think they'll serve for lunch' conversation - I have on occasion, found myself flicking through the articles in these magazines.

I promise that I'm getting to the point.

The magazines that have been cleared for use are "Saltscapes".  This magazine series highlights local crafts/foods/places-to-go-and-things-to-see. They also hold an annual trade-show/expo/thing so that these local merchants can promote themselves directly to the public.

We went yesterday.

Along with the chance to purchase (and sample) some of the local booze and treats, listen to music, and 'learn how to cook your lobster"; there are a bunch of hotels holding competitions to try and get your email address, vendors selling any number of holiday packages, and local artists showing off their stuff.

One such guy calls himself 'Redneck Craft Creations'

His art seems to be almost entirely the creation of sculpture through the repurposing of everyday (mostly kitchen) items.

what an awesome WTF to see.