Long Shot

Upon arriving in NYC we had 23 hours for “logistics and prep.”

Tynan and I headed to downtown Manhattan with six large, heavy bags between us that we had to ditch somewhere. We found a great service called Bounce — an online booking system that finds small businesses to store your luggage at about $8 per day, kinda like Airbnb for bags.

Upon arrival at our storage facility — a local 24-hour convenience store — we saw a door marked “staff only.” Perfect, nice and secure. But no, that was not to be. Instead, half our bags were stored in the sandwich-making area — two on top of the sink, two under. The other two were stored in front of the dried noodle selection. But don’t worry, they were covered by black garbage bags. Safe as houses.

This was a rather large risk on our part, possibly stupid. But I got kinda “good” vibes from the place, and alternative options were lacking. We took the risk, monitored AirTags like a hawk, and just kept our phalanges crossed.

In the event one was stolen, I’d have to inform our line producer that a bag was taken from a “secure location”… a New York deli counter. That would have been a fun conversation.

Anyway — all good! I wouldn’t recommend it for camera gear or blood pressure, but a bag of clothes for sure.

During our one-day Manhattan expedition we walked 35 km. Beginning with a stroll around Central Park (which is huge, by the way), breakfast at Tom’s Diner (as seen in Seinfeld), coffee on Park Avenue, and a two-hour rummage around every filmmaker’s mecca — B&H Photo. Two floors of every piece of camera and filmmaking equipment you could ever want to buy. Needless to say, we were like kids in a candy store. And yes, we did make purchases.

We ended the day with several slices of New York pizza. And holy shitballs, was it good. I was in NYC two years ago for a Shared Planet shoot and can firmly say New York has the best restaurants I’ve ever had the pleasure of indulging in.

Now (written a few days ago), I’m on the back of a boat rolling in waves and heading 25 km offshore, armed with scuba gear, cameras, and a cage designed to keep us on the safe side of a potentially bitey animal.

Conditions aren’t ideal though — a five-day shoot has now dropped to three, expectations exceed reality, and there’s a looming possibility of disappointment.

Tomorrow, high winds keep us off the ocean, and the hurricane that just rolled by the East Coast (and forced me to cancel my last shoot) has seemingly encouraged all large, sharp-toothed fish to go on vacation.

Shoots affected by hurricanes: 2

The Hamptons ain’t cheap either. A slightly above-average fish and chips at the local pub cost $70 Canadian dollars. Ice cream was $20. Needless to say, it’s ham sandwiches from now. Our per diem rate is set for depression era New York.

An early morning here saw a beautiful sunrise over the East Atlantic. The wind has kicked up and we have a day playing tourist, maybe with a little aerial work. These days aren’t common — we normally always find something to fill the day — but ocean shoots without ocean subjects don’t offer many alternatives options.

I woke up on location with a pinched nerve in my neck. A week later, as I depart, it’s still giving me gyp. My fold-out sofa had a rock-solid upper half and super-soft lower half, forcing me to sleep like a frozen pizza falling through the oven rack as it thaws.

I woke up on day one and could hardly lift my head — a glimpse of old age maybe. Needless to say, I wouldn’t be diving today (which turned out not to be a problem).

Our Airbnb was quite nice, a little older, but nice. Save for one thing — ticks. Long Island, it turns out, has the worst tick problem in the USA. They have three types, one of which is barely visible to the naked eye. They live in the grass and brush — in an area thick with both. Long Island also has the highest rate of Lyme disease in the USA. So much so our skipper advised to not even walk down a trail to the beach, so we didn’t.

Long Island is a strange place. It’s long, as the name suggests, and dotted along the east edge are small towns, most notably the Hamptons, and at the top Montauk, where we have been staying.

The towns are a mix of surf and beach vibes — but populated by incredibly rich douchebags. A summer house here can set you back fifty million.

You can see people in the streets filming reels, their vanity filling the air. Ferraris, Bentleys, and Range Rovers share the streets with pickup trucks flying multiple Trump flags. The Star-Spangled Banner can be seen every twenty metres, and the streets are lined with brand shops from Prada, Ralph Lauren, and Versace.

Fake tans, prune-like skin, and small accessory dogs are ten a penny. Entitlement is rife here, and everyone needs to be seen. It’s not my cup of tea, a shame for a beautiful place.

Our assignment was to film sharks. We did not succeed. The hurricane that brushed this area two weeks ago appeared to have pushed everything away for much longer than expected. Our skipper said he hadn’t seen a lack of abundance like this in five years, maybe longer. He also said we had “very unusual winter winds”. Also a distinct and baffling lack of baitfish that the sharks come here to feed on.

Haha! As to be expected. My run of luck has at least kept people entertained.

This was all very uncommon and unexpected. This shoot was supposed to be a safe bet. It’s not often I would say that — I tend to lean more towards a cautiously optimistic approach, at best — but this was meant to be a shoo-in. No one thought we wouldn’t even get a single shark. We tried every trick in the book, and some new ones, but not a sausage (as in - no sharks, we didn’t actually try a sausage as bait…).

That’s the second shoot this year where I came back empty-handed. It’s disappointing, expensive, presents problems for the production, and makes you feel like you’ve failed. I haven’t — my research was correct: right time, right place, right people, just the wrong year - and it’s been a weird one for all sorts of species and places.

Spending 12 hours a day on a boat in seas that roll the boat 40 degrees one way, 40 degrees the other, is exhausting. Not including prep, making dinner, and so on…

It also happens that this part of the US has big frickin’ spiders. House spiders, but large enough to carry away a small child — which I would gladly sacrifice in order to save myself.

Our departure day started at 2:30 a.m. this morning, and I now sit onboard a short flight to Canada. I have one more shoot on this summer schedule, and while half of it should be easily accomplished, the second half will be a long shot. I could do with a win, and it would be nice to end on a high note. But at the very least I get to see friends and spend more time in a part of the country I enjoy, with much fewer entitled douchebags, and selfie-taking cock-ends.

It can be tough to keep enthusiasm over this period of time — but that’s where the people come in. This shoot has had a great crew, Tynan was on his usual top form, and a new member of the team has proven to be highly skilled and great company. When you spend twelve hours a day on a small boat with people, making sure they’re cool is as important as any other aspect of the shoot. And I’m pleased to say everyone on all my shoots has been awesome.

I have fifty-two minutes to get a little sleep. Halifax, I’m on my way back!