Just by chance...
 

On Tuesday of this week had just started shooting for a school project. Among other scenes, I had to acquire footage emphasising just how big our building is and how scary it can be for new starters who have just come from a much smaller primary school.

So, I stepped out the back door with HV-30 and tripod (no audio required) to set up clever angles and there's this chappie just arrived to change the CCTV cameras and he's got a van with a 36 foot hydraulic lift platform. Now if you don't ask, you don't get, so I chanced my arm and explained what I was doing and asked if I could have a go at his cherry picker. "Aye fine, no bother" and I was up in the air (and down again several times) and some very useful static and moving footage from otherwise impossible angles was in the can.

And I did it all again from round the front of the building the next day. I should say he operated it from the platform for me, and gave me a safety briefing each time, so it was not as mad an idea as it might appear.

Anyone else had a stroke of luck like this which really made the shoot?

What a great story! I doubt I would have had the presence of mind to ask such a thing, thinking first of union/safety/legal/blah blah blah issues.

I'm sure your footage will suit your project very nicely.

I was involved in a commercial last year (as an actor, not videographer) for a home improvement center/lumber yard. We were able to commandeer one of their large scissor lifts to do a crane shot of a single truck in the parking lot. It's a very brief but effective shot.

Well the timing helped a lot - I'd been shooting inside for over an hour after the end of the school day and there was almost nobody else about, at the back of the building anyway. Mine was the only car in the car park. (Metaphor for the lonely pupil?) The complete absence of people in the shots will help to make the point I hope.

Helicopter next time perhaps?
:-)