Is Video Taping A No-No?- Page 2

[Tom5]

Posted: 4/25/12 at 3:58pm

It may or may not be "legal" if you're on their property, but it is impolite and many times exploitive. There are a lot of con people who take a video of a celeb signing their program and then use the video as a way of authenticating the dozens of fake signed programs they will be peddling everywhere.

[Matt2]

Posted: 4/25/12 at 9:10pm

Thank you PalJoey. The voice of reason as usual.

[allant]

Posted: 4/25/12 at 9:40pm

Gosh, so many references to "creepy" and "stalkerish". No, NOTHING of the kind. Following someone, or coming back night after night, or intruding on private moments like when they're dining, with family, etc., would fulfill the "creepy" and "stalkerish" terms. Also, a "creep" or a "stalker" would not ask for opinions if their actions were kosher or not. The very fact I'm asking for your opinions should be a clear sign that I'm interested in "protocol". Again, a "creep" would not do that. So, I hold no grudge for judging me without knowing me.

While I do understand that doing the stage door thing is not for everyone, I see it in quite a different light. It is showing your SUPPORT for the artist and their work. I've often thought of how depressing it would be for a "celebrity" to come out a stage door and NO ONE was there.

To those of the opinion that performers owe their audience nothing more than a good performance, you are absolutely correct! Your ticket does NOT entitle you to an autograph or photo. I totally agree. Still, any performer going into the business knows that that IS part of "the deal". It's a double-edged sword. But, people are people, celebrities or not. Some LOVE meeting and talking with their "fans". Some run in the other direction.

Thank you all for taking the time to reply to my question.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/25/12 at 9:54pm

Don't try to redefine the word if that's how several other people are interpreting your behavior. Just accept that intent and outcome are two different things.

Hardly anyone here called you a creep. Instead, that's what they called your behavior. Ease up on the defensiveness.

Updated On: 4/25/12 at 09:54 PM

[Taryn]

Posted: 4/25/12 at 9:56pm

Yankeefan, my whole point is that performers aren't obligated to do it. You think I was saying the opposite, I think.

A lot of people like to throw around things like, "Well, I know they're not obligated to do it, but it would be nice if they would, because they're fans are the ones who support their careers, etc. etc.," which I find almost equally as entitled as just flat-out saying, "Actors should stage door."

Allant, I don't think anybody actually called you a creep or a stalker. (I may have missed it. I didn't.) Most of them are just answering your question to say that they find the act of videotaping actors at the stage door to be creepy. There's a fairly large difference between calling a behavior creepy and calling a person creepy.

[Matt2]

Posted: 4/25/12 at 10:03pm

It mystifies me that some people feel compelled to film actors as they stage door. What exactly do you get out of it? I'm not trying to be rude, I really just want to know what makes you feel that you need to record these stars as they emerge from the theater. There's something about putting a camera in front of a performer (particularly one who I've just seen give a wonderful performance) as they exit the theater just seems, well, wrong and intrusive-- yes, even though they're celebrities it still seems intrusive. Seeing them onstage is enough for me. Just my 2 cents.

Updated On: 4/25/12 at 10:03 PM

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 4/25/12 at 10:52pm

Taryn - sorry for the misunderstanding.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 4/25/12 at 11:07pm

GatorNY - I saw Adam Pascal in concert several years ago and he sang a song he wrote called "Book of Endings" which is about "crazy" fans and stalkers.

[allant]

Posted: 4/25/12 at 11:19pm

Matt2 - the answer to your question is as varied as why people like what they like. To be sure, there ARE some truly scary people out there who have agendas that are less than respectable. For me, it's as simple as recording a pleasant memory or an exciting moment that I may relive in my old age......hehehe. I'm not a paparazzo, nor do I "eBay" my Playbills, souvenir programs, etc. These are strictly memory-moments for me.

From my perspective, I can't imagine anyone NOT wanting to have a one-on-one moment, however fleeting, with someone they greatly admire. Seeing someone on stage and being able to thank them in person for a great performance are two vastly different experiences. But, as mentioned above, intent is the key. If the intention, as in my case, is sincere, who could find fault with that? However, there ARE those whose intention DOES have a hidden agenda. I'd like to think that celebrities can spot sincerity when they see it.

[Matt2]

Posted: 4/25/12 at 11:21pm

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question. I think I can understand where you're coming from and why you would want to have a record of meeting someone you greatly admire.

[ChenoKahn]

Posted: 4/25/12 at 11:23pm

I wouldn't want some random person recording me.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 4/25/12 at 11:40pm

I'm on the "creepy" side. As you say, we don't know you - and neither do the performers. Intent is everything, you say - are the "stars" supposed to read your mind? How are they to know what you are to do with the footage? You may indeed be a lovely person, but to somebody who doesn't know you from Ada, well...it seems creepy.

Updated On: 4/26/12 at 11:40 PM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/25/12 at 11:59pm

Just give it up, Allan.

[allant]

Posted: 4/26/12 at 1:52am

Jay - thanks for your comments. After the Lupone incident, I haven't bothered with video anymore. So, Lizzy, I HAVE given it up.....hehehe. But, I must admit I'm surprised at how defensive some of the comments have been for the celebrities. Let's face it - they are coming out of a stage door, into a waiting crowd they KNOW is there. This is a time any celebrity KNOWS their image is going to be preserved. THEY KNOW THIS! Now, please take into account I am NOT talking about the kind of person who is truly aggressive and demanding. Lines can be crossed whatever the situation. That is a different story and situation, and most celebrities have "people" who take care of those types. I am also not talking about trying to get some kind of photographic "scoop" like catching them in an intimate moment with someone else, etc. Again, we are talking about a PUBLIC situation. I see no difference between the stage door or an opening night. Or, a premiere. These are times when cameras are EXPECTED. This is my entire point.

All the best!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/26/12 at 6:34am

But you are asking them to be experience a Premiere, or openng night EIGHT times a week -- and like it? That's unfair. Additionally, an actor attends how many of these a YEAR? Ridiculous.

In my younger days, I worked for a children's theater and we were REQUIRED to do autograph signing as part of our contract. After the first performance, I HATED it. It was intrusive, it was anything but personal or one on one. I just wanted to shower and rest. (To add fuel to that fire: the cast once ate together after a show at a restaurant and there happen to be a group of audience memberss a few tables away. With all their "attention" it was the worst meal I ever ate.) These two things have totally shaped my view on they way we treat celebrities. I'm sure it's fun at first, but then it's nothing but a chore. (for MANY)

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/26/12 at 8:10am

You still don't get it. And at least spell my username right.

[GatorNY]

Posted: 4/26/12 at 8:35am

Allant, I just want to be clear that I was not speaking about you specifically. Your thread made me think about some other people who I have seen at the stage door.

[Kao132]

Posted: 4/26/12 at 9:40am

I haven't posted on here before and usually just read through some of the threads to see people's opinions and experiences of shows, but often times stop at some point because it inevitably turns snarky and rude.

LizzieCurry, why do you feel the need to respond to this person's post with such a nasty tone? (and then call HIM defensive? Really?) AllanT could not have initiated his question more politely and your responses of "You still don't get it...at least spell my username right...Give it up" are just so uncalled for. He was just asking an innocent question, for Pete's sake.

I like to think that most people read these boards b/c they love theatre and broadway and want stimulating, interesting conversation. What a shame to see it often end up looking like an exchange between obnoxious teenagers, which is such a turn-off and very well may keep some readers from posting really great questions and starting threads that we could all enjoy. I know that it certainly has kept me away. And I am sure people will have something nasty to say about this post that I am leaving, but maybe it will make someone stop for a second before they respond to a post with a rude demeanor. It's really not that hard to be a kind person...life is so much better that way!

[newintown]

Posted: 4/26/12 at 10:36am

I imagine that there are performers who love stage door crowds, some who grimly tolerate them, and some who loathe them.

My point is - from where comes this desire to get close to a celebrity? You've already "thanked" them - with your applause. You can't imagine that they all like being touched and approached by strangers (although I'm sure some do); so why do it?

Where's the charm in being part of a 200-strong throng of screaming teenagers waiting for Daniel Radcliffe to come out the stage door like Punxsutawney Phil? Or gushing your adoration while pawing Bernadette Peters, who will forget you the second she's walked by (if she even noticed you in the first place)?

I can't help but think that the urge to stage door comes from a mistaken belief that the fan has had a significant interaction with a celebrity whom they adore - for this kind of fan, respectful applause and maybe a fan letter is not enough - inappropriate physical proximity (mistaken for some kind of intimacy) is also desired.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 4/26/12 at 10:54am

Honestly, you don't know why a performer isn't coming out the stage door or signing that day. Maybe they're sick. Maybe they have plans. Maybe they have claustrophobia or an anxiety disorder that makes the crowd at a stage door an extreme source of discomfort. Saying that actors know they have to or it's part of the job is a blatant lie. I'd love to see the contract that says Broadway actors have to sign after a show. Then I'll buy the have to argument.

As for video taping or photography without permission, it's rude. If actors wanted to be filmed when they're not working, they'd audition for a reality TV show or participate in a documentary.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/26/12 at 11:00am

an exciting moment that I may relive in my old age

I hope that, in your life you will experience moments far more memorable and rewarding than standing in a crowd of people who are all shoving their fists into an actor's face, yelling at them to get their attention, while you hold a handheld video camera as high as you can, filming a grotesque spectacle that can't possibly show that performer in to his or or her best light.

And I hope that your old age is better spent than watching such videos.

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/26/12 at 11:41am

I don't think it depends on your "intent" whether or not it's a no-no. Your intent has nothing to do with it. A simple analogy would be- "I'm not hammering at 11 pm. to bother you. I'm hammering so I can hang a picture."

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 4/26/12 at 11:56am

newintown - some people like getting a autograph on their program as a added bonus of that night, don't see the harm in it. I don't think anybody expects the actors to remember them since there are usually so many people.

The Daniel Radcliffe thing was extraordinary and not a normal stage door event. I already mentioned the nice conversation my daughter and I had with Alice Ripley from "Next To Normal" in a earlier post. I will also tell you another very nice moment at stage door for "Spring Awakening". It was a really cold night after the show and the entire cast came out and I thought it was very nice of them considering the weather. My daughters got their program signed by Jonathan Groff and they asked politely if they could have a picture with him and he said sure. I was finished taking the picture and Groff said he would pose for a picture with my wife and I also, told my girls to take a nice picture and laughed. Yes, I know moments like the ones I have mentioned are rare but it can happen and it is memorable.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 4/26/12 at 12:02pm

How about if a friend takes a video clip of a friend getting his Playbill signed by _____________? In that instance, I don't see anything terribly wrong if a person wants to have a video memento. I don't think I could take a video, as I hate the sound of my voice. from RC in Austin, Texas

Updated On: 4/26/12 at 12:02 PM

[allant]

Posted: 4/26/12 at 6:24pm

Paljoey - Everything in life is about your OWN likes, dislikes, passions, etc. In my opening post I mentioned I was an "ex-performer". Life has lead me in a very fortunate direction away from the stage, but that doesn't mean I still don't get pangs of sentimentality when I see an old cast-mate of mine in a Broadway show. For a couple of decades, performing WAS my life. The movie "The Sound of Music" was a life-changing thing in my young life, so when I was able to see Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in person on Broadway it was a magical experience. God has granted me the good fortune to be able to travel to NYC twice a year for two weeks each time. For those two weeks, Broadway rekindles all kinds of sentimental things for me. So, my experiences in seeing Broadway legends like Angela Lanbury, Bernadette Peters, Betty Buckley, etc., quite possibly have a more profound impression on me that it might have on you. So, yes, seeing, meeting, speaking to these people IS something I will remember with great fondness "in my old age".

Yankeefan - I had a very similar encounter with Alice Ripley - after both "Sunset Boulevard" and "Next to Normal". She and I have a person in common from way back in her "Hee-Haw" days, so that opened the door for a wonderful, lengthy, conversation with her. Betty Buckley is another exceptionally gracious lady. After seeing her in "White's Lies", I was able to tell her that in all my years of coming to see the shows on Broadway, without a moment's doubt, the most electrifying experience I ever had was being front row center for "Sunset Boulevard". During "As If We Never Said Goodbye", she came to the edge of the stage for the climax of the song. Just a few feet away from me, Betty delivered the song with such power and control I was unable to contain myself. After telling her this, out of the blue she gave the a sincere, tight hug. There was no doubt that my comment made her night, and she made mine! This is another encounter I will remember with great fondness and, perhaps, a tear or two........"in my old age"............hehehe.