TR: Son Of Beast Video Shoot (5/15)

Last night, things changed.

Boy did they change.

You may have seen a request for riders I posted a couple of weeks ago here on Coasterbuzz. The response was very good, although I could have used even more riders.

Everything was a go for the shoot with nothing changing. If anyone has worked in media, or has done a video shoot before, you may know that things change at the drop of a hat without any notice.

Last night, I was preparing to finish up catching up on my e-mail looking for any last minute riders that wanted to attend the shoot. Someone had a question I could not answer so I called PKI's Jeffrey Siebert and asked him. It was at this time that things changed.

Jeff informed me that because of possible heavy rain heading our way in the next few days, the shoots would change a bit. The times would remain the same for each day, but the rides would be different. Tomb Raider was supposed to be today, but was replaced by Son of Beast. Son of Beast was supposed to be taped tomorrow but was replaced by Drop Zone. Drop Zone was supposed to be taped on Friday, but was replaced by Tomb Raider.

At that time I had decided to notify as many people attending the shoot as possible. The only issue was my e-mail program wasn't working all that well (perfect timing as usual) so even though I did send out the e-mails about the changes, some people didn't get the e-mail even though my records showed it was sent.

I started getting calls and e-mails from a LOT of people regarding the changes. At one point I even had two phones up to my ears talking away. It was quite insane, but I knew it would work out. Boy did it work out!

I arrive at the park at 7:45AM. Some riders were already there waiting. After everyone showed up at around 8:15, I made sure everyone heard the changes in the scheadule, and to my surprise, only one or two people left. Everyone else decided to ride Son of Beast.

PKI's David Mandt and other folks came out to greet us with two release forms and updates from the directors of the shoots. It took a while for everyone to get signed in but we were soon inside the park walking over to Son of Beast.

We had about 40 people this day so everyone was able to stay in the train the entire shoot if they wanted to. The park even fed us lunch and gave us a ticket to come back any day this year. How cool is that?

So how was the actual shoot?

In one word... amazing!

Everything went so well. Everyone remained to the end. Everyone was enthusiastic. Everyone dressed the way they were asked to. Not once did I hear a single complaint about not wanting to ride.

In all, we got in 21 rides today. Out of those 21 rides, Josh Wozny (Raven Phile) and myself rode over the wheels each and every ride to let those that didn't want to ride over the wheels a chance to sit in the middle.

To be honest, it wasn't bad. Yes, there are still some bumps here and there but it isn't running anything like it used to. It was running MUCH faster than I had ever seen it run. I mean, there was actually airtime in certain sections that I had not felt before. There were mad laterals at the top of the second dive down in the first helix. I timed the ride from dispatch to final brakes at 2min 55 sec.

I will say that I am very sore right now but that is what happens when you ride something like Son of Beast over and over that many times. It's part of the price. If I had to do it again in 6 hours, I would do it without blinking an eye. I won't give away any of the special angles they shot us at while riding but I will say they were very unique and I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Each ride got faster and faster. I mean, I have never seen the train hit the brakes at the speed we did. It was quite a great feeling hitting the brakes at that speed.

I met so many faces today that I can't possibly name everyone but you know who you are. I just want to thank everyone that helped me out and did a fantastic job with being enthusiastic and doing what was required. Even the crew commented on how well we did.

Well, that's it for now. I have to get some sleep. Drop Zone shoot is tomorrow!

Thanks for reading.

-Sean

Excellent trip report and interesting conicidences Sean! I'm glad you guys had a lot of fun and I would have loved to come if it wasn't for school. I thought SOB was 10 times better last year over 2000, but it really took me by storm this year!! I couldn't believe it provided two more instances of airtime than last year on the two bunny hops, where last year the only air was the first major drop, off the midcourse drop into the loop, and the hop into the station(which I think is an outstanding finish!). I was surprised by how powerful the second helix was and I can't help to think that maybe PKI lightened up the midcourse brakes a bit. I adore the coaster and I'm sure its happy to be one of my favorites as well! ;)

Good luck tomarrow for success! I hope everyone shows up and you have a great time. I might have missed it, but do you know what the show will be called or be about and when it will air? Thanks!

I have to say I am extremely extremly dissapointed. I and my friend both got a day off of work and now we find out it was changed on us. I could really really carfe less about riding drop zone all day tomorrow and as I said I am extremely dissapointed and will not be there tomorrow.

Edit: Did I mention I am extremely dissapointed that I did not find this out until today?

Perhaps we shall hit Cedar Point tomorrow instead.

Brent Kneebush

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The Beast and Night, They go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly

*** This post was edited by MagnumForce on 5/15/2002. ***

I have to say this ranks right up there with the Griswald's getting to Wally World and Having it be closed.

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The Beast and Night, They go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly

You better not be thinking of what I'm thinking you're thinking...

Well, there's nothing you can do about it anyway. You can either cry about it, go ahead to the Drop Zone shoot, or just go ahead into work. PKI will be open this weekend and you can get quite a few rides on SOB then. And you won't believe this. All the other rides at the park should be open too!! :)

I know you didn't say it, but no park owes anyone anything(besides what's required of them by law ;)) and its really a privelege that Sean and PKI invited us. Thanks Sean and PKI and any other park that does things for the fans!

*** This post was edited by Koaster King on 5/15/2002. ***

Looks like everyone who has ridden SOB this year is in agreement. I too thought it was giving amazing rides a few weeks ago when I was at PKI: powerful helixes, airtime (powerful off midcourse, good off hills), and even semi-smoothness in the wheel seats. Maybe the smoothness comes from the extra padding PKI put on the seats. Whatever they did, it is a much better ride than it was a few years ago.

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I get the feeling there's a conspiracy over at King's Island to remove anything that has "K" or "C" in its initials.

What show is profiling all these rides at PKI? Great TR! I think it is every enthusiats dream to do that!

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X-Flight World's Only flying coaster!
Batwing World's only flying coaster!
S:UF World's only flying coaster! Don't you love SF ?

I have been to PKI twice already this year I was just really really looking foward to this you must understand. I just wish I had more notice but oh well. I will just go with my Season Pass in a couple of weeks when I can take my friend for free anyway.

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The Beast and Night, They go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly

It seems to me that people just don't understand all that goes into a video shoot. Now I have only been to one, and it did include the same people that are shooting this one, but I don't understand why some people feel that it is ok to whine and complain about the fact that a ride that they wanted to ride was not on the schedule for the shoot that day. Do you piss and moan about a ride being closed when you go to the park on a normal operating day? If you do, then you have every right because you paid to get in. At a shoot like this, you have no right to complain about a change in schedule at all! You were invited to a free day of a riding AND as a token of appreciation, they gave away a free ticket to come back to the park. That is extremely generous as far as I am concerned. Do you realize how many people would love to be able to do what all of us were offered by Sean and PKI yesterday, today and tomorrow. We were asked to come to their park and ride their rides, FOR FREE, while also having the possibility to be on TV. I am sorry if it sounds like I am going on a tie-raid, but you know what...

If you don't want to do it, then shut up and don't go. Spend your time at Cedar Point then. Trust me, the people shooting the program would rather you be elsewhere than at the park with a child-like sulk on your face, whining about how you didn't get to ride what you wanted to and how that is unfair. Sean tried to give everyone as much notice as possible. There is nothing more that Sean or PKI could have done. They were working the shoots around the weather, and you have to respect that. How would you like to ride SoB 21 times in a torrential down-pour and not be able to leave the park? Sometimes people just need to think about what they are saying!!!

Thank you Sean F. and PKI for offering us the opportunity to be a part of your shining moment on TV.

Scorcherboy - Just one man's emotional outburst due to the immense amount of hormones flowing from his pregnant wife and spilling out all over him.
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"Sit down, enjoy much airtime and put your feet IN the fire!"

Scorcherboy-

I do see what you are saying, but in some people's cases that wasn't the point. I'll explain.

It wasn't the fact that people just wanted to ride Tomb Raider and nothing else (I won't speak for everyone). But there are a few people who just can't handle SOB because of their build. I take my fiance for instance. She LOVES coasters but can't stay on ones that can beat you up for more than 2 rides. She has been able to handle Tomb Raider, but not SOB very well. Pretty much everyone who was there yesterday can tell you of some sort of coaster beating(s) they got yesterday. I'm not by any means saying it's bad. Just after 20 rides or so, it wears a human body down. People just have to respect their bodies and no what they can handle. Beat didn't even leave a mark last year on riders. But on SOB there were some people who rode it before, when it was REALLY rough, and refuse to ride it now because of that. Either way, only 2 people left, like Sean said...and it could have been more. Everyone was in GREAT spirits yesterday and had a BLAST!

"The Future of Roller Coasters"
-RollerCoasterGod
http://OhioThemeParks.com

*** This post was edited by RollerCoasterGod on 5/16/2002. ***

I have to side with Magnum force on this one. I was looking forward to taking today off work and riding SOB. However, due to the last minute change I had to miss out. It's not like I live in the cincinnati area. It's a five hour drive. I was planning on leaving the night before. HOwever, I can't do multiple rides on Drop Zone or TR, SOB was the only option for me.

I understand the logistics behind shooting video and I blame no one for this. But surely it's easy to understand how disapointing it is to spend a day at work instead of a spending the day riding SOB.

I know that it was fun yesterday, and that only two people left. All I was trying to say was that I think that if anything should be posted on this string about this trip it should be positive comments thanking PKI and Sean. That is all. It is a lot tougher job being the regional rep, then have to answer phone calls from people until 12:00 or 1:00 in the morning, and then turn around less than 5 hours later and head to a park to ride SoB 20+ times. I didn't mean to lecture, but I was trying to express how sometimes, I think that people don't realize all of the work that goes into these types of things and also how lucky we are to be offered these opportunities. That's all I was saying. I wasn't pointing the finger at one specific person. Just making a generalized statement.

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"Sit down, enjoy much airtime and put your feet IN the fire!"

*** This post was edited by Scorcherboy on 5/16/2002. ***

Brent,

Just to clarifty, I did indeed sent an e-mail out to everyone about the change to the scheadule. For reasons out of my control, some people didn't get the e-mail. While I know there were people that may be dissapointed about the shoot because it was changed, there is really nothing we could have done, thus the reason why I did mention in the original invite that things may change at the drop of a hat.

I had quite a few people cancel because of they didn't want to ride Drop Zone. That's cool, and the park understands, but there were some responses I got from folks this morning that IMO were totally uncalled for. People have to realize how these things work. These shoots are NOT for us. They are for the park and the crew. We are there to help out.

-Sean

Whoa, whoa, WHOA, panties are just a-flappin' in fartbox wind today!

As a disinterested third party (well not totally disinterested as I adore Sonny so anytime I hear good things about it, I get excited..not *that* excited RGW! ;)) Anyway, I didnt believe that Brents comments were far out of line. I think that people should understand his frustration (I know Sean did, and he had the most invested in this project). I dont see anything wrong with expressing displeasure. There was no blame placed. No lashing at someone in particular, just a general sentiment of malaise.

Now Sean, I *would* tell you to let me have the name/emails of the people that sent you nasty notes and let *ME* cuss 'em out so bad their grandkids would be emotionally scared, but I know you're not like that :)

Anyway, it wasa difficult situation all around. But it seems like all have made/ are making the best of it. I cant wait till the show debuts!
lata,
jeremy
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"To get into this head of mine, would take a monkey-wrench, and a lot of wine" Res How I Do

Jeremy,

LOL! I am sure you could come up with some rather powerfull lines of defense to those folks also. =:^)

The folks that notified me this morning (by phone) were rather harsh. They simply didn't understand a thing about shoots and in a way, I am glad they didn't show up. I would much rather hear someone complain to me before the shoot then have it happen during the shoot which has happend to me before.

-Sean

I am sorry If I sounded bad I did not mean to be. I was just very very dissapointed ya know? I rode SOB 9 times in a row a few weeks ago, but this whole TV deal would have been great fun. It is over a three hour drive for me and I just can't handle Drop Zone or any Drop Ride for that matter. My freind and I had the day off so we thought what the heck and chanced the weather at CP and had an awesome time there so it all turned out ok, but I am sure you can see my dissapointment. Like I said I have a season pass anyway so It's not as if I was looking for a "free" trip to PKI anyway.

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The Beast and Night, They go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly

I believe the original notice said that things can and often do change at the blink of a eye on these shoots, What was to be two glorious days among friends and riding TR:TR and SOB turned into 1 Glorious day on SOB with friends and another day with friends :).

Thank you Sean, Ultimate Thrill productions and PKI for all of it!

Wasn't Sonny running insane?????? Yes, My thighs are sore but that was 24 rides dude in insane mode!

Chuck, who even had fun at the discovery shoot last year with only one ride :)

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Charles Nungester
Americana (Now called The great americana amusement park at Lesourdsville Lake) is opening in 2002. Indivdual visits are very improtant to the parks survival.

Chuck,

Thanks for doing the shoots. I know it must have been a bit on the boring side for you on Thursday, but I thank you for sticking around and pointing out that 'possible problem' earlier in the shoot so we could get it taken care of.

Brent,

No problem dude. I understand why you wanted to do Son of Beast. I got a call from someone that told me that they can't handle many rides on Drop Zone or Tomb Raide either and that it totally cool with me. Those rides aren't meant for everyone. I think it makes a lot more sense to admit you don't like something in advance, then let everyone know while at a shoot.

The people that I sometimes question are those few that contact me and blame me for the change or give me a lecture about how I should plan things a bit more to their liking when they haven't a clue how these things are done.

I know for a fact there were some ticked off riders at the shoot that took place on Tomb Raider yesterday because of the extended delays, but despite a few people, everyone remained paitent and expected long delays so I am thankfull for that.

-Sean