Sneaking Cameras on Roller Coasters: A Public Service Announcement
Technology’s a great thing. Who would’ve thought ten years ago that we’d be able to do the cool 
things that we can with our gadgets? Cameras have become so small that they can easily fit into our pockets. Or they can be integrated into even smaller cell phones. Just this week, Apple announced that the new, slimmer than ever, iPhone includes a video camera. All of the sudden everyone’s a reporter or documentarian. We can whip out our micro-sized cameras at the mall, at a fender bender, or at a concert. Unfortunately, this makes it easier than ever to smuggle cameras onto roller coasters. Years ago, it would have been pretty rare, but today a quick YouTube search for ‘roller coaster pov’ yields thousands of illicit POV videos.
I’ve never video taped a ride while I was riding it. But, I hadn’t really thought there was anything wrong with posting amatuer videos on the blog. For years I’ve had POV videos on my coaster review posts. One day, a commenter on the blog mentioned that they were planning on recording an on-ride video on an upcoming coaster trip. I realized that by posting the videos I may have been inadvertently promoting the practice of sneaking cameras on roller coasters.
Dad of the Year Sneaks Camera on a Roller Coaster (With His Kids)
Last winter, when I was working on the Roller Coaster Wiki I came across a video of a man who snuck his camera onto the aptly named 230-foot tall, 77 mph Behemoth at Canada’s Wonderland. In the video, he documented his first attempt which was thwarted after he was told that he couldn’t ride with a camera. On his way out of the station he previewed his plans for a second attempt and exclaimed: “Stick it to the man!” He then sneaks the camera back onto the Behemoth.
Worst of all, he was riding with his daughter and son! Way to go Dad. Great job of teaching your kids right and wrong. Would you want to get smacked in the face by a hard, blunt object at 70+ miles per hour? Have we forgotten what that goose did to Fabio’s face? (Picture here. Caution, it’s bloody.)That’s what could happen if you lose your camera while riding a roller coaster or other thrill ride. It’s just plain stupid and dangerous. For some reason this dummy and many, many others must feel entitled to get their very own POV video.
And just in case you’re the selfish type that may not care about other riders and bystanders, you could also be flushing $200 or so down the toilet when your camera falls and breaks into a hundred pieces. I hope that I’ve made my point that it’s just not worth it to sneak cameras on roller coasters. I’ve posted the video that I’m referring to only to illustrate my point, not to promote prohibited POVs.
No More Amateur POV Videos & Some Alternatives
During my hiatus, I removed all of the amateur on-ride POV videos that I’ve embedded into the blog over the years. It wasn’t an easy task, but I think I’ve gotten all of them. If you happen to find any, please send me a message.
Alternatives
There are a number of alternatives to unofficial POV videos. They’re fun to watch, offer much better quality, and don’t put anyone in danger. Try one of these:
- Official POV Videos – Theme parks like Cedar Point & Holiday World have uploaded official on-ride and off-ride videos. Visit their YouTube channels: Cedar Point | Holiday World. Do you know of other parks that do this?
- Roller Coaster Documentaries – Every year cable channels like Discovery and the Travel Channel produce roller coaster documentaries. And these days their in HD! Here’s Montu featured on a Discovery channel roller coaster program.
- Local News Videos – These days it’s common for new rides to open with much local fanfare including local news reporters getting a first-hand look at the debuting roller coasters. Here’s a professional POV video of Kings Island’s Diamondback.
- CoasterTube & Robb Alvey’s YouTube Channel – Theme Park Review’s Robb Alvey has created a website to showcase all of the videos he and his crew have taken on their numerous trips around the globe. Robb gets permission from the parks to take POV videos. Many of the videos in the Roller Coaster Wiki are from Robb Alvey’s YouTube Channel. Also check out the Theme Park Review Channel and CoasterTube.
- Off-Ride Videos – Off-ride videos are actually better some times as you can see more of how coasters interact with their surroundings. Here’s an off-ride video created by CoasterImage of Hersheypark’s Stormrunner.
- Ride DVDs – Ride DVDs are becoming more and more common. They often include both on and off-ride footage and professional production.
Here’s footage from a ride DVD of Incredible Hulk and Rip Ride Rockit (below):
The bottom line is that you’re not James Cameron. You don’t need to tape yourself and your friends riding a roller coaster. Especially not at the expense of an innocent bystander who’s just there to enjoy a day at the park. As the name suggests, YouTube is all about you, but sometimes it’s better to consider everyone, not just yourself.
What’s Your Take?
How do you feel about POV videos and sneaking cameras on roller coasters? Have you taken a camera on a roller coaster? Leave a comment below. I’m kind of late to add this poll, but pick which option best describes your view on the matter. Poll added: 6.13.10
[poll id=”8″]
Coaster Critic 
49 responses to “POV Videos & Sneaking Cameras on Roller Coasters”
Taking cameras on rides is very dangerous and should not be done. I know dollywood has a camera on ten tornado and you can purchase your ride footage in a safe manner. http://Www.acemidwest.com also has off ride videos!
I am not really a big fan of taking cameras on coasters. Much prefer to do off ride shots. While in a MGMT position, I did however try to do a special onride shot that didn't work out. This was just after the ride was tested and ready for guest, but the park was five minutes from opening, so I was on by myself. There is on shot of it cresting the lift. The reast is a full course offride video.
There was a time at Freestyle Music Park, clearly had camera in hand, and video taped that with no operators taking the camera from me. All my vids are offride pieces
I think these secretly-made pov videos are stupid, too, because of all the reasons you mentioned. Plus, most of these amateur videos are of horrible quality, some are so bad, you can't understand what's going on! But, many people liked those videos. How about replacing them with official videos, like you did for Intimidator. It won't be "illegal", but we can still watch the POV videos. Several parks make them, like Worlds of Fun, for instance.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by The Coaster Critic, Blooloop. Blooloop said: Good blog post from @CoasterCritic about #POV on #RollerCoasters. http://bit.ly/9X1pCF #ThemeParks (Via @ThemedTravel) […]
I would first like to say, i understand everything you are saying about the safety of yourselves and others. I see both sides of the creek here.
But personally, i have to stand on the other side of it. I think if your not careless, (and yes i understand there are allot of careless people out there) theres nothing wrong with a little film-ography. Sure, theres online pov's with better quality. But are you in them? Were you on that spaceific train? Are you and your girlfriends and or kids screaming in the background? No.
Now as i have said in my posts before, i do not recomend these actions without total confidence in yourself to use your head. But i have had my fair share of ride ops tell me to hand over the camera. And just like our friend video'd above, i got right back on with the camera hidden safetly in my jeans.
I understand the danger associated with it, but until you show me some hard evidence, (and there may be some i dont know about) of anyone being seriously hurt, i will not say it is wrong to direct your own povs.
I think theres bigger fish to fry anyways, like all the people who like to put pennies on their knees on the Drop Tower rides to see them float.
On my trips this year i've seen a big problem with loose articles. It seems every time I go on Intimidator-305 coins are flying all over the place and on one ride a phone came loose and hit me in the leg (it wasn't painful and no injury but could have been). The phone was actually the property of the woman beside me. A few weeks back on Nitro a womans camera went flying over my row's head and someone in the row behind us actually caught the camera. So yes i agree it is very dangerous for folks to do pov's but the only way I see a stop to it is if Parks get more strict on enforcing the rules.
I have to disagree with the whole "it's not dangerous" article. It IS dangerous. Someone's HAT hit my hand on El Toro, and it hit my hand so hard I thought it was a cell phone. While hitting my hand just hurt some and was annoying, if it had hit me in the head I'm afraid to think of what would have happened. Fortunately, at Great Adventure they are much more strict. Often times, when I leave a ride like Bizarro or Nitro, security has a dragnet (not literally) at the exit and they stop someone who they have video taping on camera and they ACTUALLY escort them from the park.
I thought that special permission was needed to even think of taking a camera on a ride along with surgical gloves and duct tape! I remember about a year ago, when I was at my home park, Valleyfair! (the exclamation point is part of the name), I remember a guy that took a camera on our Morgan hypercoaster Wild Thing, the ride was stopped halfway up the hill, security came and wrestled with the guy a bit before escorting him out of the park. Those, like me, complained because we had to wait nearly 20 minutes after the guy was taken to even be let to sit down. And there was an acrophobic young child on the train which made the whole situation worse. And I was in the front of the line for the front row after waiting a good 40 minutes to even enter the station!
It really is dangerous to take cameras on amusement rides. Look at this video of a guy who lost his camera on Kingda Ka. I wouldn't want to be pelted with a camera at 130MPH.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CSTQoeGGJI&fe…
I'm not sure if that video is real, but I'd bet it is.
Thanks for the link. I think Austin sent me the same video. It doesn't show much, but it is more proof that it can and does happen.
Wow haha I did send the exact same video to you.
Thanks for sharing your 'point of view'. While I can't really make you care about the well-being of others, there have been a few stories on here and on my Facebook fan page of people being hit with objects while riding coasters and that video link below of someone dropping their camera.
Your argument that as long as you have total confidence in yourself is pretty weak. I could be confident that I can drive after having a few too many and be dead wrong. Everyone who does this is probably confident that they won't drop their camera. I just don't think it's a risk that's worth it. Your need for a home made video shouldn't be able to adversely affect my family's enjoyment at the park.
All I can hope is that parks see comments like yours and all of those videos on YouTube and crack down on this more. Hopefully, they'll eject people who film while riding and that will put a stop to it. And the ride DVDs do include your friends. I hate to sound like an old fogie, but your comment reminds me of the rising "me" generation (aka millenials, aka Gen-Yers).
Lastly, you said "I will not say it is wrong to direct your own povs". It's breaking a theme park's policies. So, I'm not sure it's debatable whether it's right or wrong. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I first have to say, i sense a bit of hostility from your post. I am simply playing a bit of Devils advocate on a subject which clearly can have two point of views.
Yeah, so i put in my two cents that yeah sure, i have taken a camera on board. So yeah, i think that if your sure you can hang on to it, its okay. If this was a one-sided disscusion, then why ask whats OUR take without expecting a few on the other side.
You asked, "How do you feel about POV videos and sneaking cameras on roller coasters? Have you taken a camera on a roller coaster?" I answered.
IM not trying to put gas on any fire here and i dont think theres a fire. Im just answering your question.
I think that a camera isnt any different than the people who ride with hats, glasses, park maps, and of course the thousands of people who loose their flip-flops on inverted roller coaster every year.
If you have a hat, sit on it or grasp it tightly in your hand. If you have flip-flops, the park supplies cubbies to put things in the loading are, if you do decide to take a camera, hold on to the damn thing.
If the person taking the camera onto the ride was the only person at risk I would say go ahead its their choice, however we all know that isnt the case and its usually the innocent riders who have followed the rules that end up paying (either by getting hit with said item or by having to wait for the offender to be removed)
The amature POVs are 9 times out of 10 rubbish and there is usually a much better official one out there. If people want to remember get an on ride photo or just take a photo infront of the ride.
Perhaps parks could add camera holders on their rides so that people can pay a little extra and film it. The faster the rides go the more dangerous this is going to become and alot of legal problems could arise.
I'm one of the not-so-lucky people who has been hit in the face with a disposable camera. It was back in the days when digital cameras, mini camcorders and cell phones were just beginning to come on the scenes and disposables were all the rage. The ride was Blue Streak at Cedar Point … by no means the biggest or fastest coaster at the time … and I was expecting to have a typically enjoyable backseat ride. On the second drop, I got hit in the face by what felt like a brick. It bloodied my nose and gave me quite the goose-egg. I never really saw it coming, so I can't tell you how far toward the front of the train it originated.
Hey Jesse,
I'm not writing this to start a fight or argument. I believe the point is that it is against the rules to take a pov in any park around the world. So as a patron you are responsible for following rules in order to ensure your safety as well as other guests. Even though you are of the opinion that it is OK according to the rules of the park it is not ok. You could be a 200lb wrestler who has taken 50 pov's without incident but you never know when the strap will break or the camera will slip out of your hand. I mean you might have the opinion it is ok to steal but it is against the law and if you are caught there will be repercussions. I think it just points to a larger problem which is people young and old not having courtesy, respect for others, self respect and any kind of awareness that the world is bigger than just yourself and what you want. Line cutting, cursing and rudeness at parks is nothing new but it seems to get worse as I get older. If you visit a park just follow the rules and be considerate to others.
But there are parks who have no posted rules nor enforcement of this issue. At Dollywood Tennessee the ride op for Tennessee Tornado just asked me to kindly make sure i hang on to my camera. Sure, the ride is in the backwoods with no harm of hitting bystanders below, the same goes for every other ride at the park. I video taped Thunderhead as well as Daredevil Falls, not once being told to leave the camera behind. But then again, the ride ops at Dollywood are the nicest ride ops i have ever seen. Not just about letting me film, but in every other aspect of their work. But people in the Great Smokies tend to be a bit more laid back than the people working fore parks built around metropolis's.
In the end, if i see no conspicuously posted signs, and the staff have no issues with it, then its not a rule. Even if it is, its not my responsibility to go to a website and read all the rules and regulations of a park before going. I just pay and go. Simple as that.
nice site, but i thought i saw a bit of POV at the beggening of that megaphes video.
also, while whatching an aumetur vid, the person generaly turns it around ad makes it point at their face. on certain videos they may be pointing it behind them at a grown man screaming like a little girl, but it's generaly pointed at them when there just smiling like a moron. that's just their way of saying: "My home park is better".
Jesse, just think a bout it like this. imagne you realy enjoy hangliding. you decide to go hanglinding over a river that crosses through the town commons. there is a heavily used bridge there and you decide to bring your camera so yuo cantape the whole thing. since you don't want to break the law or any thing, you check whith your lawer. there is nothing the gov dished out against it. you pick the day carefuly, andx while you don`'t anticipate the day you picked being the hottest of the year, you do know it'll be sunny. It's the big day. you've never gone so high before, besides giong on a couple of plane trips before. you make sure your to have your camera in your hand. as you glide over the river, you're awestruck by the view. you reach the bridge. you point the camera down to get a better view for the many people you know will watch this. but the 90 degrees temperature has made your hand sweatey and some unexpected turbulece mak you hold onto the camera tighter. too tight. it flies out of your hand and crashes down tords the bridge. it could easily miss entireley. it could. but it dosen't. there's a traffic jam on the bridge, so thankfuly your cameras victim isn't driving at the moment. it dives straight down and shatters on the poor guy's head. he gets a mild concussion from it, you move quickly and nobody found out that you were the 'moron' who dropped it.
Now Imagine you took a trip to Six Flags Great Adventure. You're going to ride El Toro for the first time. you decide to take a POV video of it from the front seat. as you fly over the most intense airtime bumb in the hole ride. so intense that ytour camera flies out of your grasp and smashes into the wall by the entrance of this section of the park. no one is hurt, but the workers swa the camera you snuck on at the picture booth. security ejects you from the park. you loved the ride, and are happy you got to ride it before being ejected, but thanks to your geat idea you're not going to be riding it for another five years.
siux flags kick them for five yaers the firt time and 15 the second.
videotapers ruin it for every one.
rip ride rockit dose have things similar to what jjhobo said,but they're the parks cameras.
must stink to have to hold onto your nose all day in a theme park, just there to have agood time, riding a ride, Splat.
For the record, we don't allow cameras on our coasters. It's dangerous. I don't care how sure you are that you won't let go — how about the kid in the seat behind you who sees you get away with it and thinks it would be cool to try? It's just not worth the risk.
Paula Werne
Holiday World
Thanks for chiming in Paula. Hopefully this post will make some people think twice about taking cameras on roller coasters.
I have never snuck a camera on a coaster and never will. If you're looking for fame on YouTube, here's the facts. Most Un-Official POV's don't even get 1,000 hits.
It's a matter of knowing what your doing and concentration. If I film a POV, I concentrate on my camera in my hand, and the ride in front of me. I never film a ride unless I'm positively sure that I can handle it with at least one free hand the entire ride. I would never take a video camera on anything that I hadn't ridden before.
I'm well aware that there is always a chance of my camera not making it through the ride. I've filmed only mild roller coasters, flumes, and dark-rides. I currently have the only full-length POV of the soon to be defunct Skull Mountain at Six Flags America on You Tube. It's very good quality, and I'm proud of the result. The thing about the cameras is that they are getting too much of a reputation when plenty of other loose articles are just as much of a hazard, if not more so. Many operators will tell me to put the camera away after I am already seated and buckled in. If I put the camera in my pocket and go about the ride, there is a far greater chance of it not returning then there is if I keep it in my hand.
Any rider with anything in their pockets could loose something at any moment during a ride, not even realizing it was there until it's too late. Cell phones get destroyed because the riders don't pay attention to them while they are riding. Hats, Glasses, and such are also subject to being a safety hazard if they fly off. I empty my pockets on any ride I know things could fly off/out or get destroyed on. I'm very aware of my possessions, and have no intention of destroying my camera or anything else on a ride.
It's not your camera most people are worried about, it's what happens to the people behind/under you if you happen to let go of it.
Agreed Quil. I think some people will rationalize it until the cows come home because they just want it their way. I'd just feel better if the POVers were at least the only people riding, but even then they could drop their camera on a guest watching from off the ride. At the end of the day they just put their home made movies ahead of other people's safety.
I was on escape from pompeii at busch gardens and this guy was taping the ride from behind me for the whole ride. I am glad the ops didnt see him and stop the ride because on some rides they will stop the ride if you are taping on the lift hill and take your phone/camera, then resume it. I saw this while waiting in line for steel force at dorney park. Personally, I think that taping the ride is not worth the risk of losing your phone, getting in trouble, or injuring someone. I like to watch official povs or professional povs. They are not only park approved but also much better than average povs.
To take an unsecured camera on a roller coaster isn't smart I agree, but I have a small camera that fits in my hand and has a leash that goes around my wrist and have had operators take it from me even when I show them it can't come off. I think if you can show them it can't come loose they should allow it. There's no way they're going to stop people from using phones or anything else to video or take photos. I think it's more of a liability on the parks end if someone gets hit they're gonna get sued, or if someone gets hurt due to a ride malfunction and you got it on tape they're up a creek. If it were strictly an issue of people getting hit with the thing, they would let you on with it if you showed them it's secure. It's no different than anything else that could be in anyone's pockets that could fall out. Do they search everyone's pockets to make sure there's no loose items in your pockets? No, they're trained to spot and take CAMERAS.
PC, they can't just take people's word for it that cameras are secured. It would be a judgement call of the ride ops to decide whether you've really secured your camera and another guy hasn't. Plus, how do they know it won't become unsecured after an insane dive or loop? Are they supposed to know that you're an expert rider with 20+ rides on the coaster you've ridden. They can't judge or predict all that. It's safer and easier for them to just restrict cameras on roller coasters.
Doesn't that make sense?
I just stumbled upon this article and I couldn't agree more. I've never tried to make a POV video on a roller coaster for a number of reasons. First, it's against the rules. Why jeopardize getting expelled from a park for something so stupid? I'd rather just enjoy the ride. Second, they're crappy videos. Even with professional rigging, it's hard to get a roller coaster video that looks good. Even if you do, what can you really see? You might see your girlfriend's hair floating up and down, or the horizon do a loop or two, but you can't really see what the coaster is doing or relive that exhilarating feeling you got by watching the video later. I've only recently started to video tape rides to accompany the ride profiles I do at my local park, but they are all off-ride videos. I will not take a camera on a ride.
The last time I rode Apollos Chariot a girl in the front dropped her Blackberry as we neared the top of the lift hill. The phone bounced down the floor of the entire train then dropped into the inside of the lift chain housing. We could hear it sliding down inside. Right after we rode and for the rest of the day we noticed the Chariot stuck halfway up the lift hill every once in a while, and we wondered if the phone had messed with the chain gears or something. What a stupid waste!
As with everything they won't get serious about it until someone dies…
A small point of terminology: The problem isn't amateur videos, per se, it's videos made without permission by people who don't know what they're doing.
East Coast(er) General of Coasterforce is technically an amateur, since making POV videos on roller coasters is not his job, but he always gets permission from the park in advance, and he's as well-equipped and experienced as a pro; in particular, he knows how to secure his camera properly. Because of his knowledge and experience, he also gets superior results, often superior to professional POVs shot with mounted cameras. (By now, his reputation probably also makes it easier for him to get permission in the first place!)
The point of the original post stands, though: As it is, the chances are remarkably good that East Coast(er) General, or somebody else on Coasterforce, or one of the folks mentioned above has already made a better video of the ride you're interested in than you're going to, and put it on YouTube. Unless you're going to set out to do what they do, and do it right, it's probably best to leave it to them.
Good points. And I agree. Amateur is okay if both conditions are met (permission and experience). I found out recently that Busch Gardens is allowing riders with chest mounted cameras on their rides as long as the rider's are given the okay by ride ops. Seems like a surprising move to me.
Actually there is many videos that East Coast(er) General/CoasterForce DON'T get permission with and just sneaks it on. For Example Cedar Point I know for a fact cause the only way someone can get videos is if there with television like Travel Channel or Discover Channel. Anyone else no matter how experienced they are wont let them. You can also tell cause in their videos it doesn't start in the station and starts after they are already on the lift hill. He also uses a small cannon vixia camera.
Also forgot to mention that Carowinds even stated in a post that they did NOT give them ANY sort of permission to CoasterForce to film on the rides. So I close my case.
I'd agree with you CoasterFun. I wonder that when I've seen CoasterForce videos in the past. Most don't start until the riders are out of the station and they end before they return. I was agree with Matt's point about permission and experience and the term 'amateur'.
What do you have to do or be or whom do you have to know to get permission to film a ride? I started a blog in the hope of becoming a roller coaster guru but that's not going to happen so I doubt that any park would grant me permission to film a ride, because I'm not a name in the industry. In fact I did approach one park to ask permission to film a ride and they refused because I’m not a Joel Bullock, Arthur Levine or Robb Alvey. I agree that taking a handheld camera on a ride is extremely dangerous if not downright stupid. I remember riding in the front seat of The Voyage with some guy who claimed to be a member of the media, claimed to have been on one of Robb Alvey’s trips and proceeded to record the entire ride with a handheld camera; how he managed to hold it steady on that coaster is beyond me. Media or not, he sure as hell was not authorized to record the ride but I didn’t say anything because it was frankly none of my business. Besides, I have personally recorded a number of rides but only with a safe, hands-free device – i.e., camcorder sunglasses securely fastened to my head with a cord. I don't even consider this to be in the same category as sneaking a camera onto a ride because the device is clearly visible to everyone! I don’t think that what I did was so awful, as the recording device stayed firmly in place even on rides with multiple inversions such as Talon at Dorney Park. However, I probably won't be doing this any more because I've been through half a dozen pairs of camcorder sunglasses and all of them have worn out within a matter of months and also because I joined ACE and their code of conduct prohibits taking a camera on a ride. Anyway, recording rides is probably best left to the pros but I did what I did for one reason: I wanted to be able to relive my rides, MY RIDES!!! When I watch one of my videos, I almost feel as if I am on the coaster. It’s like hey, that’s me on I305 and we are about to drop 300 feet, hallelujah! I hadn’t done much travelling in this country until this past season, when I went on 7 roller coaster riding trips – and having some of these rides on video is very, very special for me. Watching someone else's videos on YouTube is not the same because THEY’RE NOT MY RIDES!
Okay, my long-winded response…
I can agree with matters of safety. What’s to disagree with? Also, set aside the issue of clumsiness, because people could lose objects during the ride that are considered by anyone as admissible, such as prescription glasses, a sandal or a class ring. Those aspects aside, the entire aspect of “you could drop it and disaster could strike” is becoming less and less a worthy foundation to base not bringing recording devices on to thrill rides.
This issue runs interestingly parallel to the issue of driving with old cell phones; with the advent of hands-free devices, the issue change drastically and cannot be argued the same, or enforced the same. School zones aren’t enforced against using voice-only, in-dash cellular usage, and rightly so. The increase of texting has again worsened the issue, but technology is again making it possible to reverse the trend, with cars actually being able to read out texts and return texts with speech, hands free. In the present, the concern with texting and driving is still real, however, with smart cars, verbal calls with 100% hands-free technology should not be subjected to the irrational stigma and one-size-fits-all rules applicable to the old hands-on tech.
Now, a somewhat similar state exists personal cameras in regards to recreational, personal videos on thrill rides. There’s two sets of reasons for their being banned, some respectable and clear, others less so. As advances in recording technology advances and becomes more available to regular Joes, the respectable reasons are losing their legitimacy and the “other reasons” for their being banned is increasingly clear.
For example, now recording devices are completely and utterly integrated within a pair of comfortable shades (like the Night Owl Video Sunglasses). The lens and mic are nearly invisible pinholes between the eyes. Nobody thinks twice about allowing people to wear their prescription glasses, so these are utterly equal. There’s cameras that are integrated into other “adequately affixed” items which are not realistically going to be lost during a ride, so this is clearly an issue that has a changing center of gravity of the argument as higher technology becomes more available to typical people.
I have a Looxcie HD camera, minute, and can be firmly affixed to other articles commonly dismissed as normal, headband, glasses, shirt. Properly attached, the chances of it flying lose was about the same as my prescription glasses flying off… about zero squared. And it’s the same size as a Bic lighter, something I’m sure has seen it’s share of falling from people’s pockets on coasters and hasn’t made the news. Anyway, I took it to Six Flags, along with my conventional still/video camera. Ride operators on various rides actually spoke admirably of it, well, the ones that even noticed it, many didn’t. They thought it was great and wanted to know where to get it, and I told them to get ready to see them increasing in popularity. But, when we got on the New Texas Giant, the ride operator asked if it was a camera, I said yes, and he said recording wasn’t allowed. Now, I wasn’t going to raise a stink with him because it wouldn’t be fair to the people waiting and I wasn’t mistaking him for someone important enough to make determinations about the rules. But, I found it interesting when I mentioned there is no chance it would come lose, he appeared to actually agree, but that wasn’t the issue.
The issue is no recording, even it was clearly safe.
This I personally find offensive. I find it offensive to adult sensibility and obstructive to what I believe a theme park exists for and why I dropped more than a quarter of a grand that day. I know I take home video more seriously than the average parent, and I respect the need for rules in general, but I detest how respectable rules on the whole are compromised under the weight of flippant ones and one-sided interests being falsely presented as being in the interests of both parties. The reason they don’t want recording is because they’re afraid of far-flung litigation and to suppress the chances of “bad publicity” in the form of something caught on video to share with the world, etc.
I bring my family to a theme park for memory-making, I make videos to document these precious times for their enjoyment for years after I’m long gone. As for the list of “counter suggestions” such as buying their ready-made DVDs of the coasters, etc., that has no correlation with our wish to capture OUR ride with OUR experiences, with OUR faces, which is what WE want to watch 40 years from now. Our video will have meaning some watered-down prodution DVD won’t, and I think that’s pretty obvious to anyone who appreciates home movies at all.
Anyway, while the idea of getting struck in the head by some clumsy ox’s hi-8 camcorder while sitting on a bench under a coaster bothers me as much as the next guy, I’m also bothered with the make-no-distinctions “better safe than sorry” nanny outlook on life, which frankly only served to see us go home with less memory-keeping, the best there was to capture in fact.
One last thing; on the matter of “oh, great Dad, teaching your kid to break the rules” perspective. If it interests you what I did in my case with my 11 year-old was put the camera away but tell her, “rules are our friend, good and important, but only when they’re relevant. It’s still against the law in Texas to carry wire cutters in your pocket around town, even though cattle rustling isn’t exactly a problem anymore. Rules should never be used instead of thinking. Rules should make sense.” So, in the end, I obeyed it, but was glad to teach her in moderation to question the signs and all those “guys with the walkie talkies” in life.
But, thank you for the good article and a place to nest my opinion on the matter.
TJC
Thanks for your comment TJC. Some parks may actually be loosening their restrictions a bit on this matter. Last summer I heard from more than one person that riders were permitted to ride Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s new Verbolten ride after their equipment was checked and approved by a ride op. I think the riders were wearing a camera vest of some sort. From what I know, this is definitely the exception though and I was really surprised that they’d add that extra layer of responsibility to the ride ops’ day.
In response to your comment, I can see your point about capturing memories, but the whole issue adds complexity and something that these rides weren’t intended for. Short of the aforementioned vest option, I can see why parks don’t want to have to make judgement calls of how secure someone’s personal recording device is.
I believe that your device probably wouldn’t hit me, my wife, or my daughters if we were riding behind you or walking below, but as soon as parks ease up on these rules there’ll be more incidents of projectiles hitting guests. Rules should make sense and this one does. It makes perfect sense why they’d discourage people from bringing something on a ride that could injure someone else.
I get the interest in wanting to capture memories, but rider safety should be number one. Plain and simple. And “the make-no-distinctions “better safe than sorry” nanny outlook” is EXACTLY how I want my 70+ mph thrill rides to be operated.
And also I get the point about “questioning the signs and guys with the walkie talkies in life”, but a problem may arise when someone, to be frank, just isn’t qualified to decide whether a rule is worth following or not. Sure there’s common sense (like the wire cutter law), but there are also rules that might seem silly to someone because they’re NOT a ride engineer or doctor or policeman or an adult.
Again, thanks for the comment. You bring up some good points. Hopefully you still had a fun and worthwhile visit to the park.
One last thing, do you turn your cell phone off when they tell you to on airplanes? Just curious. 🙂
Just so we’re clear,
1.) I said I didn’t confuse the operator with being the correct person to take gripe to.
2.) I said “question” the rules, I didn’t say “defy” them (I didn’t rebelliously video regardless after we finished our respectful 3 sentence chat about it). Your closing statement, albeit for humor, has an atmosphere of interpreting my having meant that. Please react only to what I said, not to what someone who might generally disagree could be able to extend it to mean with enough imagination.
3.) do not suggest, however slight, that I’m arguing even a little bit against safety. I want my 70+ ride safe as much as you, but when I say “make-no-distinctions “better safe than sorry” nanny outlook” I mean just that. I don’t want danger. I’m calling out false or unattainable achievements in safety.
They don’t stop cameras at the gate. They don’t even try to apply the “no recording” rules in other parts of the park, obviously. Recording portability and integration with commonplace worn objects that aren’t associated with thrill ride safety concerns are growing in popularity, and once they reach a certain point it will become undeniable that abandoning such a blanket policy is the right choice. I disagree in whole with the unthinking philosophy that one must either choose fear of the extreme and unrealistic in order to qualify as being for safety. Anyway, I think you get what I’m saying.
A funny side story about one reaction I got wearing it. At the gate security, after successfully passing through the metal detector, the guy was handing me back my items and looked at it and said, “what’s that?” I said it’s a miniature video camera. Instantly he gave a suspicious expression exactly like Arnold’s “what you talkin’ ’bout, Willis”, but a little more on the “I don’t buy that” end of the spectrum. I just as quickly responded with holding up my conventional camera and saying, “it’s exactly the same as this one… only it’s on my hat.” I then proceeded on, he didn’t say anything else, and he’s probably still wondering if I wasn’t a “double-oh” with a portable tranquilizer dart on my hat.
I never said that you thought you should take your gripe to the ride op. I was just stating that checking the equipment would likely fall on them if the devices were allowed.
To point #2, you’re right. You didn’t say “defy” the rules. And you did follow them by putting your camera away. Good point, I misinterpreted “question” the rules. Which is still a bit of gray concept to me, because “question” makes me think that you’re deciding whether to follow the rule or not. If you used the device on other rides (therefore breaking the rule), then you can see where my head was at. Now, I know you didn’t say that, so I’ll stop there. Anyway, that was my thought process.
I’m not really following you on point #3. I agree that it is a blanket policy, but telling people that loose articles/recording devices aren’t allowed on rides is creating a safer riding experience. Are you arguing for no loose articles/recording devices UNLESS they’re something like your device? That makes more sense, but again I want the station crew focused on seat belts and lap bars, not AV equipment. We’ll just have to agree to disagree on that one. It all adds another wrinkle that I don’t feel is necessary.
Funny story. I looked that thing up and it does look like a spy device. As you said, all of these devices will only become more and more popular.
“Are you arguing for no loose articles/recording devices UNLESS they’re something like your device?”
Yes, naturally, or anything that isn’t loose.
I want the crew focusing on restraints as well, but not so exclusively that they don’t screen for what is loose or hand-held objects, and I believe officially their responsibility.
I agree that operators should not have be distracted by AV equipment, but AV equipment is no more dangerous to fly off the coaster than anything else of equal composition that doesn’t record… but might readily dismissed as harmless by the operator at the same time. What I mean by that is, the issue is if it’s loose, not what it’s used for. A heavy gold wristwatch might be dismissed by both the wearer and the operator as not being loose but still fly off by chance and peg a baby in the face. So, when you specifically single-out AV equipment as if it’s an undue load on the operator, you’re on the wrong track (pun intended). His task is to glance everything over and look for what is loose, and if in question, tug at it; if it’s on tight, forget it. I would be the first person to agree that a rider shouldn’t have my same camera merely holding it in his hand, so I’m not being inconsistent. The operator is free to be blind to what any given object is for but only screen for what is not adequately affixed to the rider, what can’t be fairly expected to come loose. The fact the object can record is not germane to any material concerns whatsoever.
Anyway, coincidentally, I just got a consumer survey from Six Flags on our experience. You can bet I am bringing the issue up. THAT is what I mean by “question the rules”. I challenge the people responsible as closely as one can when dealing with a huge, impersonal corporation, and in the right way. Get the info back up the pipe by letting your respectful and fair-minded dissatisfaction be known by the employees who interface with the public (check), share the experience with social media to get it moving in the public awareness (check), and write and inform the higher management more directly and express the issue in a hard-to-dismiss manner (check).
I thinkkk that it’s ok to have a camera as long as it’s pinned and will not drop even if you want it to!!!
I noticed recently that Six Flags is actually allowing cameras now, along with several other loose articles. I think they’ve just loosened up a bit. Personally, I think it’s OK as long as you’ve taken the proper precautions, such as making sure all straps are secure, etc. Actually, I think POVs are a good idea because then people become more interested in the ride and they go to the park. As long as you know what you’re doing, I think it’s fine.
My story is a whole different one….
I have a go pro 3+ and a helmet to give it to.
What if I ask permission to take the film????
If i ask permission wouldn’t they allow me to go on????
And, if the answer is no, how did YOU get the cameras on the ride!!!! Did everyone just sneak them on???
Please respond as I have a close project for class.
grizzlybear152