riddler 0 #1 August 23, 2004 By this, I mean does media/movie/magazine coverage of skydiving promote it, or does it do more harm than good? I've been thinking about it since this weekend's First Jump Course. One of my seven students was a young girl. I was covering the importance of the chest strap and making sure it is properly connected, and how it's possible to fall out of your rig on opening if it's not properly fastened. The resulting conversation went something like this: Student: What if we do fall out of our rig? Riddler: You cannot survive a fall from 5,000 feet. Student: But can't we dive down and get it? Riddler: No, the rig is above you - you only go down. Student: But I saw this Arnold Schwarzenegger movie where someone threw his parachute out of the plane, and he jumped out and flew down to it. Riddler: Well ... Student: Or should we just try to clip ourselves to someone else? So after class was over, I started to think about it. Obviously, media coverage of skydiving generates interest in it, but it's almost never accurately portrayed, particularly with regard to how safe it is - one of my previous students seemed to think that someone dies every day at every dropzone and he seemed disappointed when I informed him that the statistics aren't that severe. I'm sure I was just as naive when I started and I had a lot of the popular misconceptions. So what do you think? Is Hollywood and media coverage of skydiving beneficial, or is it more harmful?Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gordy 0 #2 August 23, 2004 Suppose there is an arguement any publicity... yet do we really want the masses to take up skydiving? Just my 2 cents Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #3 August 23, 2004 Well that's more the fault of the STUPID student to beleive that hollywood movies are somehow factual BTW How did you get to be an instructor with only 300 jumps. OR is that 300 Hollywood jumpsYou are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrickyDicky 0 #4 August 23, 2004 My DZO has told me that everytime theres a publicised fatality, his tandem bookings/first jump course bookings increase. As for people thinking you can do what they see arnie do in the movies, they're just stupid. Im sure for every 1 person that saw arnie do some cool stunt and think "I wanna do it exactly like that" there are at least 10 others that saw the same movie and just wanna learn to skydive. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 14 #5 August 23, 2004 Even though Hollywood stuff is full of cr$#, it's still great advertising for our sport. I remember the first Saturday after the movie "Pointbreak" came out, with the cool, hokey 2 minute freefall scenes and all, and out DZ, and so many others in the country, were swamped with first jump students. Many of those stayed on to be regular skydivers. I think the USPA membership just about doubled in just a year or two. The more, the merrier. Occasionally, you see well done TV stuff about skydiving, but even the dumb stuff brings 'em out. And I've seen more than enough students with really dumb notions that they thought up all on their own, with no help from Hollywood. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,384 #6 August 23, 2004 Quote BTW How did you get to be an instructor with only 300 jumps. OR is that 300 Hollywood jumps He is a coach who teaches the non-method-specific portions of the AFF course under the supervision of an AFFI."There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,384 #7 August 23, 2004 Quote Student: What if we do fall out of our rig? Riddler: You cannot survive a fall from 5,000 feet. Student: But can't we dive down and get it? Riddler: No, the rig is above you - you only go down. Student: But I saw this Arnold Schwarzenegger movie where someone threw his parachute out of the plane, and he jumped out and flew down to it. Are you talking about that hot brunette that was in your class Saturday? "There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riddler 0 #8 August 23, 2004 QuoteWell that's more the fault of the STUPID student to beleive that hollywood movies are somehow factual BTW How did you get to be an instructor with only 300 jumps. OR is that 300 Hollywood jumps My DZ has a LOT of students - in the summer we fill up FJC with the maximum every weekend and we could easily get more. Of the four folks that actively teach FJC, the other three have instructor ratings (two AFF, one tandem). I am not allowed to teach the method-specific sections of FJC, but the rest of it can be taught by a coach. But I hope to get an instructor rating next year I don't think this student was stupid at all - just a victim of the popular media. In fact, every person brings different skills/talents to skydiving. This student is a former dancer, and she has superb body position in the training harnesses - probably the best I've seen in any student. I suspect she will do very well in the freefall portion of the skydive, because she has good awareness of her body. Most of my students have poor leg awareness, including myself, when I was a student. Some students are very good with procedures - others are creative and can quickly determine the correct procedure in emergency situations. To teach FJC, I think you need to recognize students' strengths, and build on those. That helps them build confidence.Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigway 4 #9 August 23, 2004 i thin it is about how you look at it. If published incidents bring more buissness well that can be good and bad for all the stupid questions us jumpers get the next day at work, like we were there or something. Movies, well i doubt i would have ever heard of skydiving if it was not for the movies or television. i mean who would have?? I dont belive a good skydiving movie will bring the masses because not everyone can be prepared to turn up to a dropzone and pay a couple of grand to learn. But the few it does bring, well that's cool, you get good buissness and good entertainment with the new fresh dumbass hollywood questions. People at work or where ever ask me about catching up to parachutes and theses stupid questions well i have given up explaining why it is not possible or why you would not ry it, i have now started just going along with it. I think in this bullshit world of media this country the uk, really fucks skydiving up the ass with all there stupid print. but any other sort of publicity in the long run has to be good for skydiving, i mean..... how many of us would have ever heard of skydiving if it was not for point break or extreme tv shows?? I am still training to be keanu reeves. i can even nearly stand up on a surf board, then i am going to rob a bank and apply to be an undercover cop, but before i do i will prove to my surfing mates how i am worthy and open my parachute at 100 feet. now that sounds like an exciting 2 hours of tv. Hollywood is fantastic for the commercial side of our sport, you know the side that keeps our drop zones open and the movie star wannabe's that put money in our pockets to do the real keanu reeves stuff! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
towerrat 0 #10 August 23, 2004 I didn't vote, as I really don't think this is a black and white issue. It may well raise awareness in general, but some people are gonna say "hey, that looks cool!" and others will still say "geez..... what a stupid thing to do". I think just like most things in Hollywood, skydiving is not usually accurately portrayed.Sometimes this bothers me because I feel that a lot of people are turned off because of this. Think about the tandem student being cut away from his instructor while hanging in a tree. How about the jumpmaster who stayed in a Holliday Inn last night. Sometimes it seems like Hollywood is just trying to make us out to be a bunch of jackasses. I grew up around Zephyrhills so I've always known about skydiving. That didn't stop me from falling into the same old wuffo thinking patterns, some of it bred from movies and TV.Play stupid games, win stupid prizes! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nacmacfeegle 0 #11 August 23, 2004 "I remember the first Saturday after the movie "Pointbreak" came out" Thats what got me started..-------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattjw916 2 #12 August 23, 2004 I voted "help" since the movies get more people interested but lead to more "stupid" whuffo questions...NSCR-2376, SCR-15080 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tink1717 2 #13 August 23, 2004 QuoteHow about the jumpmaster who stayed in a Holliday Inn last night. I thought that commercial was hilarious.Skydivers don't knock on Death's door. They ring the bell and runaway... It really pisses him off. -The World Famous Tink. (I never heard of you either!!) AA #2069 ASA#33 POPS#8808 Swooo 1717 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #14 August 23, 2004 Ask any DZ that was open when "Point Break" Came out and you'll have your answer. Business was great.---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 14 #15 August 23, 2004 Quote"I remember the first Saturday after the movie "Pointbreak" came out" Thats what got me started.. Right on, bro. See, there was a lot of good out of that movie. We had all kinds of people calling up wondering if they could do a "two minute freefall on the first jump." I made so much money teaching that year my wife and I could barely jump it off the books. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
argon 0 #16 August 23, 2004 Do you really think that without all those FJ students and "only one time" tandems -all those turbine jump planes,first class DZ's with amenities would exist? Fun jumpers couldn't possibly pay the freight.Hollywood is fantasy land-ever been there? I think the more the merrier! Anything to make the sport more "mainstream" benefits everyone in the sport. Its come a long way since the 70's-that's for sure. Did you ever see the "buddy jump" done with Johnny Carson on the tonight show about 30 years ago-Bob Sinclair(I think).*********** Freedom isn't free. Don't forget: Mother Earth is waiting for you--there is a debt you have to pay...... POPS #9329 Commercial Pilot,Instrument MEL Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
