What would you have done?!?

T

Theodore_Lederman

Well-known member
I got a call today to shoot and co-direct a documentary in Iraq....They would be covering an area of 30 to 40% of the country...240 days...4500 dollars a day...That's right...They were going to pay me a little over a million dollars in 8 months...I turned them down in less than a minute...It made me realize that some things are more important than money...mainly, my head left on my shoulders...If it were all in Baghdad...I would have considered it...and I'm not rich...That money would have changed my life
 
Re: What would you have done?!?

I wouldn't have done it for all the money in the world. The risk is far too much. Unless I was iraquis and could speak the language... that way i wouldn't look like a target and it wouldn't really matter. I'd just have to stay out of any conflicts, which, in the countryside in iraq wouldn't be all that hard... being a white male canadian though, they'd kidnap me and behead me without question...

What good is a million dollars going to do if you're dead... it's a silly thing to do...
 
Re: What would you have done?!?

Would you really want to leave this world with that being that last movie you got to work on?

Good choice.
 
Re: What would you have done?!?

Besides, I doubt the documentary financers would want countless hours of tape of your 240 days spent cowering in a 'spider hole'. You would most likely have to get shots of conflict, civilian reactions, etc. which would probably expose you to some degree.
 
Re: What would you have done?!?

Actually I heard that in Iraq they shot some guy who was holding a Betacam because they thought it was a weapon - he worked IN Iraq as far as I know, too - he wasn't a foreigner...
 
Re: What would you have done?!?

Yeah they want Blood and Guts...It's strange to be confronted with it, though...The old would you do it for a million dollars? Funny...I told the producer if he gets one in Cancun for that rate I'm there...Then I told him he's nucking futs
 
Re: What would you have done?!?

get sean penn to do it.


saturdaunight.gif


Good call man...Stayin Alive!
 
Re: What would you have done?!?

Think about it as an acting terrorist. You know you want to grab someone from the west and you're presented with two average unrelated white dudes. One has a briefcase and one has a betacam.

I assume I'd grab the guy with the camera. A guy with a briefcase has no specific importance or status attached to him, but a guy with a camera is bound to be high profile.

Money comes and goes, as does life. You made the right choice for you.
 
Re: What would you have done?!?

Ah Cmon I just got back from Afghanistan... Be a man! ;)

hehe honestly Iraq is pretty bad right now.. probably wise to steer clear for now.
 
Re: What would you have done?!?

I don’t think I would have turned it down out of hand.

Factors:

1)      Which 30-40% of the country?  Most (92%) of the violence occurs in the Sunni Triangle area, north and west of Baghdad.  The southeast and north are relatively quiet.

2)      What type of footage (as referenced by someone else).

3)      WHO is employing me?

4)      To what purpose will the footage be put?

If it was for something I considered to be a good purpose and not frequently in the violent areas, I might have gone.

Obviously, the financial reward is tempting.  It could also be a deeply enriching experience in many ways.

But equally obviously, that’s a deeply personal decision.  I don’t have children, for example.
 
Re: What would you have done?!?

I have to say Theo, that is one tough choice. I can't even make that decision and I dont really have to do it. My gut tells me you made the right move. Im sure your gut told you the same.
 
Re: What would you have done?!?

240 days…

(*) Your activities, habits, presence and locations would be known by more and more people while you’re there. Your life would be very cheap for people who have valuable information concerning you and are currently starving or struggling.

(*) You’re an American journalist/film maker: that equals a grand prize. You’re extremely valuable to people who are now looking for your type and would be actively and aggressively looking for you in Iraq. No question, don’t doubt it, period. Kidnapping used to be called the “poor mans atomic bomb” not for the destruction obviously but for the MASSIVE amount of press, outrage and awareness it generates. There are several groups operating there now that have been propelled to the forefront simply by kidnapping and killing hostages.

(*) No one could guarantee your safety and you may not have control or say so over where you go, who you go with and where you stay. And even “controlled” areas are considered out of control from day to day.

(*) Working in an area that isn’t “active” could potentially be even worse. Less military equals less suppression equals free reign.

This is obviously my own logic, all I have to go by is people/friends (military) that have been there and media.

So ask any of your friends, family, your wife and/or kids if your life is worth $1,000,000.00 to them. That answer is obvious. You would be the #1 high risk demographic in a country that is currently out of control in a fluid situation and you would be very valuable to people who want nothing more than to destroy you in order to gain notoriety.

If I were the guy that asked you this, I would try to employee the local Iraqi people to help. That million bucks would go a long way to help many, many people there and their access, knowledge of the country, knowledge of situations, customs, etc, etc, etc, etc would be far greater. There are surely some great or aspiring directors there and there are definitely people who need jobs and want to get back on their feet.

Just my 2 cents. You made a good call.
 
Re: What would you have done?!?

Good call on turning that shite down. Next thing you know you are abducted, beheaded, bombed, whatever. NO WAY DUDE!!!!!
 
Re: What would you have done?!?

Yeah i got an offer to go there as security detail for 300k a year...
My job would be escorting engineers on a construction project or guarding a guy with a machinegun while he fuels trucks. That kinda deal.. I thought about it and still am.
 
Re: What would you have done?!?

Those guys that were burned badly and strung up on the bridge were some pretty tough guys, God bless em. But they didn't have a chance.

You made the right decision.
 
Re: What would you have done?!?

I don't want to see any threads titled "RIP [insert name of DVXuser]"
 
Re: What would you have done?!?

[quote author=TC link=board=Offtopic;num=1097732158;start=15#18 date=10/14/04 at 22:28:45]I don't want to see any threads titled "RIP [insert name of DVXuser]"[/quote]

ditto
 
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