Diving Article For Peace of Mind Magazine

Recreational Diving is the Best Sport Ever.

I have been diving for 20 years and have been all over the world in locations like the Maldives, Bermuda, Malaysia, Indonesia (Bali & Lombok) and Gibraltar. I can honestly say that it is the only sport that I have done where you can completely lose yourself from all of life’s worries and cares. If you follow the rules it is one of the safest sports there is. If you break them it can be one of the most dangerous.

First Time Divers – Get a Referral!

During my long time obsession with diving I have made it to PADI Master Scuba Diver level and actually taught numerous people how to dive. If you are considering diving the first thing I would recommend is go down to your local dive store and discuss the prospect and any medical conditions you may have. You can dive with asthma but not if it is severe. You can also not learn to dive if you have issues with your ears or balance as the changes in air pressure can cause serious damage. What I also always recommend is that you do the pool work in Canada and then do the certification somewhere nice and warm. There is nothing worse than for a first time diver to try and get certified in the waters around Canada when you are in the cold and the visibility sucks. To dive properly in Canada and stay warm you should really have a dry suit and that requires some specialist training as dry suits can trap air in the legs and you need to know how to expel this quickly otherwise you are accelerating to the surface and that is not a good thing. I did a dry suit course in BC many years ago and the experience sucked. Visibility was less than half a meter and even in a dry suit it was cold. Canada has some amazing diving but for first timers why not head somewhere warm and sunny where you can see 100m + under water and really enjoy your first time in the ocean. It is really easy to do. Just sign up for a referral course in Canada at your local dive shop and complete all of the pool work and then they give you a referral form that you take on vacation and present to the local dive shop there. Then you repeat what you did in the pool in the ocean in warm and pleasant surroundings.

ALWAYS Service Your Equipment

If you like it and like me get addicted you should really take more courses to improve your proficiency and also your awareness. I would recommend going to the Rescue Diver level as that is essential when either you or your buddy get into trouble. This has never happened to my diving buddies or me but I have seen some serious incidents because people have not serviced their equipment properly or at all. It is essential, especially if you buy your own equipment to have it serviced regularly before you go diving. You do not want your Stab Jacket or BCD (Buoyancy Control Device) inflating on its own or your regulator going wrong when you are down below. Firstly it is dangerous and second it screws up the dive for not just you but your buddy and sometimes the rest of the people on your boat. You will not be popular.

ALWAYS Use Your Open Water PADI ID.

If you decide to get more experienced you will come to learn that when you go on vacation always only show your Open Water PADI ID. The reason for this is to protect you from law suits, generally it’s the Americans that litigate and they do that to the whole boat and everyone on it. Liability runs from the company all the way down to the experience of the people on the boat. Your not going to get sued if you use your Open Water ID but if you show your Master Scuba Diver or Instructor ID you’re definitely on the radar.

Best Places to Dive.

Without a doubt the best place I have ever been diving is the Maldives. Not cheap but well worth it. All drift dives and I have been diving with Manta Rays, Sharks, Dolphins and a whole host of other aquatic life. The thing to remember is that you are in their world and to treat it with respect. They are far better designed for it than you are and you’d be surprised as to how fast some of them can move.

The Myth about Sharks

Sharks are fun to dive with and contrary to popular belief they pretty much leave you alone and are nothing to worry about. There are only 4 types that aggressively attack humans; the great white, tiger, bull and blue sharks. All sharks will attack if you block their exit when you are cave diving – something which I have experienced personally and have had the bruised ribs to prove it. I did not get bitten but was definitely winded and it was my stupid fault for being in the way in the first place. Even the reef sharks which are harmless are incredibly strong.

My Worst Experience

I have had some close calls due to my stupidity but nothing major. I have run out of air once but when you have a good buddy that is not a real problem unless he is looking the other way! Always check your gauges and bring a pony bottle for emergencies. I do not use one because I will never make that mistake again.

My worst ever experience was when I was diving in Northern Bali back in the mid 90’s. A small boy had been swept out to see and I was part of the Balinese rescue team that went to recover the body the next day as the waters were too rough that evening. It was during a religious festival on the beach and so thousands of people were watching. Visibility sucked, less than 0.5M and we had to use a line and follow a grid pattern. The depth was only 10-15m but that is also the most dangerous as it involves the biggest changes in pressure. I did break the rules that day, doing multiple repetitive dives but if that would have been my child I would have wanted someone to help as well. I was the only foreigner that volunteered. We found the body after a couple of hours and you really do not want to know what the water can do to a body after 24 hours. I had quite a few beers that night. As a result I got to know the Balinese Dive Team really well and have included a picture of us which is proudly displayed on my wall.

Fly Dive is OK – Dive Fly is not.

As a final note I just wanted to explain why you can fly in and dive but not dive and fly out. Without going into a detailed technical description due to space the reason is that due to under water pressure when diving nitrogen is absorbed into the soft tissues in your body. They pressurize planes when you fly to 8,000 FT about sea level and if you still have nitrogen in your body it can form bubbles and this is what is commonly known as the bends. These bubbles can form anywhere and can paralyze and in worse case scenario kill you. As I stated at the beginning of this article diving is one of the safest sports in the world if you follow the rules but one of the most dangerous if you do not, not just for you but for your buddy and everyone else. So be respectful and be SAFE – Slowly Ascend From Every Dive – or – rise as slow as your slowest bubble.

Urban Uptown Living Interview Saint John Life on Your Terms

Uptown Urban Loft Living Interview
By Sarah Stashick Saint John Life on Your Terms
http://www.saintjohnlifeonyourterms.ca/livefeature.cfm

As the historic community centre of commerce and trade, Uptown Saint John is filled with beautiful brick and stone heritage buildings – some dating back past the great fire of 1877. 126 Germain St. is one of these beautiful survivors. Clad in warm brick, the structure rises a full four stories and is graced with high arched windows and pediments that are unique to each floor.

The building now houses two locally owned businesses at street level – Trinity Gallery and Backstreet Records – and six loft apartments on the upper floors. All of the apartments were completely overhauled during the renovation of the building and range from studio size to two-storey, two-bedroom set-ups. The clean and simple interior walls are complimented by the beautiful exposed brick exterior walls, high ceilings and huge windows that provide enough sunlight to brighten the entire space.

A visit with the tenants of one of the two-bedroom lofts easily tells the story of the Uptown Saint John lifestyle. Rex and Jeannette Baldwin moved to Saint John in early 2008 and chose to rent in the heart of the city as a way to get to know the community before buying their own property. Months later they are so in love with Uptown loft living that they’ve made very little headway in looking for a place of their own.

Compared to the small apartment they left behind in Vancouver, Rex and Jeannette know they’ve reduced their living costs, even though they are renting storage for their personal items that would fill a large family home. They’ve also gained a lot of extra floor space and the unique warmth that living with brick adds to their place. “We have our own space again.” says Jeannette “In our tiny little one-bedroom it was really hard just to get a break from each other. Here we each have our own place to go when we need some privacy.”

With all their daily amenities conveniently located within blocks of their home and all of the entertainment options available in the Uptown core, Rex and Jeannette have everything they need. Jeannette’s yoga studio is right across the street, the City Market where they buy their daily groceries is just a block away, Jeannette can walk to work (“it takes seven minutes door to door”) and come home for lunch, and when they need to shop Brunswick Square Shopping Centre is only blocks away. For the first time in years, the couple has only one car and even that is used infrequently.

Even the noise level in the building is low, achieved by the dense materials used in older construction and a well-executed renovation in the last ten years. The only interruption to the quiet of the apartments is the occasional street concert hosted by Backstreet Records downstairs, and the regular chiming of the bells from historic Trinity Anglican Church next door – all of which is drowned out simply by closing the windows.

A growing trend in the historic city core, loft living in Saint John is becoming the lifestyle of choice for many young urban people moving into the area. And with the renewed vibrancy of the Uptown and government programs that enable the restoration of the many historic structures still waiting for a little TLC, even more of these inspiring spaces will become available over the next few years.

LOCATIONS MANAGEMENT IS MORE THAN DIRECTOR OF JANITORIAL SERVICES.

Article Publish in NB Film June 2009.
Web Link: http://www.nbfilmcoop.com/New%20Template5/RexB_June11Article.htm
LOCATIONS MANAGEMENT IS MORE THAN DIRECTOR OF JANITORIAL SERVICES.
By Rex Baldwin, Locations Manager, ‘American Sunset’
IMDB Profile: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3512642/

The #1 goal of Locations Management is to leave a location in a better state than you find it, so that another film crew will easily be able to film there in the future. The priority is Crew, Location, Truck, Set and Shot safety. With all of the crew, equipment, logistics and chaos associated with on-location filming this is a huge challenge. Combine this with under staffing, lack of resources and inexperienced PA’s this becomes an extremely stressful role but it does come with its rewards.

Before getting into a more detailed discussion on Locations Management in general, I just want to say that it was a real honour working with the crew on ‘American Sunset’. While it took a whole crew to make this feature film work I want to make a special mention of the exceptional team work of Sean Patterson (1st AD), Nicky Despres (Production Manager), Terry Daily (Transport Coordinator), Roddie (Transport Captain) and especially Andre Leger (Key PA) who saved our bacon and allowed me to do many things to make this show a success. It would have otherwise been impossible and would have compromised the production.

Many people see locations management as the people who deal with the trash, but Locations Management is far more than that.

Location Managers are always first in and last out, often together with Transport. They negotiate and prepare a location before anyone from the crew ever shows up on the day; they attempt to make sure everything goes well logistically on the day. They are around afterwards to wrap everything and ensure the locations owners are happy with the state of the location once everything is finished.

The success of a given location starts with good planning. It is important to be involved as early as possible with the Director, Producer, Production Manager and Transport Coordinator when deciding locations as the logistics involved can be formidable.

It is important to understand what the shots are going to be, what equipment and trucks are going to be used and where all of this equipment and trucks can be parked before you ever get to the location. The last thing you need to hear is “turning around”, when you have a 10 ton truck and a couple of box vans in an intended shot. It is a waste of time and money to have to reposition equipment to accommodate the shot, when planning ahead can easily avoid such issues. Obviously things happen on the fly and sometimes it is impossible to plan, but understanding what is involved when that decision is made, is fundamental to maximizing the 12 hour shooting day.

Once a location has been decided upon, there are several logistical issues that need to be addressed; approval of the owners, surrounding neighbourhood, necessary parking permits if shooting in an urban area.

On the day, the Locations Manager or an experienced PA must be present to ensure that all the secured spaces are prepared prior to the arrival of trucks and equipment. It is then their responsibility to ensure that all trucks and equipment are effectively positioned to the right places.

People skills are essential. We have to liaise with the public throughout the day or night. It is paramount to have a good rapport, not only the locations owners, but everyone around the film. The bigger picture is that every crew member is representing the filming industry, but the locations department is the interface and leaving everyone with a good impression is the ultimate goal.

Crew call can be 2pm, which means trucks will be arriving at 1pm or before, and the locations department may have to secure the road as early as 6am, sometimes even the prior evening, although security watches the trucks during the night if no shooting occurs.

Costs can be significantly reduced with sufficient planning. Good PA’s are hard to find as the pay is low and work is sporadic. Often PA’s are cut out of a budget because it is easy to do, but it then puts a tremendous stress on the whole crew.

Consider a good locations department like building a house. It is sensible to use the strongest materials as your foundation. If you use cheap concrete in the foundation then you’re building an unstable house. On some productions it’s actually like building a house on quick sand. When things don’t go as planned, stress levels increase exponentially and that is when mistakes can happen and accidents occur. The Locations Manager is one of the people who can call a halt to any production if safety is a concern. Traffic and set lock-ups are also controlled by the locations department, so it is essential to have PA’s with the necessary experience and skills to accomplish that as safely and smoothly as possible.

Often there are multiple locations in one day and each move has to be managed as seamlessly as possible to maximize the 12 hour shooting day. It is common to have one location being prepped, one being shot and another being wrapped, all simultaneously. Planning is the key to reducing stress in an already highly stressful environment. It is important to have all the necessary maps prepared in advance and ensuring that all appropriate signs are up, en route to the location. A lost key crew member costs the production and adds to stress.

A perfect plan never survives contact with the enemy. The enemy, in this case, is unforeseen events; dates, weather and even health can change. Adapting to those changes is vital to the success of the production. That adaptation involves ensuring that all involved are contacted, informed and agree to the changes to the plan, to minimize the impact and costs to the location and the production units. When booking a location, it is important to include contingencies, just in case there are unforeseen changes. It is also important to know what is happening in the surrounding area. There are always unforeseen events which make life challenging, but one must try to minimize the associated stress as much as possible.

Once the call of “wrap” is made, the locations department needs to make sure that everything gets cleaned up and put away as safely and quickly as possible. Everyone wants to leave immediately, and if permitted, the location will look like rats fleeing a sinking ship; total chaos. This must be avoided at all costs. End of day wrap is one of the most dangerous times as everyone just wants to get out of there. Everyone wants their vehicle closest, so that it can be packed sooner, and people tend not to think about the space around them. As a result, that is when damage and injury can occur.

Having all of your wits about you after a 15 hour day is tough. The crew shoot for 12 hours, but the location department needs to be there before and after. So, a 15 hour day is pretty much the minimum. On ‘American Sunset’, we were understaffed in the PA department, so I had one 22.5 hour day with no days off. I averaged well over 15 hours a day, and I definitely do not recommend this.

Once the crew has left and clean up has been finished, time is needed to ensure that everyone you have dealt with is happy with the experience and would allow another film crew in the future.

In conclusion, I have tried to cover all of the relevant points about Locations Management, which often gets missed and never gets a mention in the Awards Ceremonies. It is the foundation of a successful film making experience for everyone involved. Ultimately, we do empty the trash and unplug toilets, but that is a very minor part in the roles of the location department.