In response to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ video “Tagging a Great White Shark” (featuring Greg Skomal), the crew of Hit and Run History heads out on the waters of Chatham to see if they can do better.

It wasn’t that hard.

This is what we do.

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So every weekend for the past few weeks we’ve had something to bring the news trucks down.  First it was Hurricane Bill which was forecast likely not to hit us, but more likely to hit us than any other part of the country, which seemed to be good enough.  And turned out to be a whole bunch of nothing. 

Then there was Hurricane Danny, which was not even tropical storm strength by the time it got here.  But at least we got some rain which pretty much saved us from having any prolonged dry spell this summer at all.

Then last weekend – sharks.

Wow, what a revelation.  Sharks eating seals.  This is not news.  I’ve seen half-eaten seal carcasses washed up on South Beach for over 10 years.  The surge of media has nothing to do with there being sharks – there are sharks all up and down the east coast.  Rather, it has everything to do with the species.  Great white.  Sharkus Hollywoodus.

No, that’s not quite true.  The great whites aren’t completely to blame for the frenzy.  I had a friend call up from the Midwest the other day to tell me not to let Sofie swim in the water because of the sharks.  CNN was taking this story national.  The same CNN crew that had been freely speculating on hurricanes on Friday the 21^st and Friday the 28^th.

So they would show up on a Thursday night, hang around, and then be gone by Sunday.  Sounds familiar in this resort area.  Of course, it didn’t help that when our crew from Hit and Run History went around to film these non-events (to show what farces they really were), the guys from the networks freely admitted they lobbied to come to the Cape for a long weekend.  And again.  And again.

The end result being that going anywhere near the Lighthouse became the real descent in the maelstrom.  Visitors from far and wide, drawn by telecasts, did nothing more than drive here to stand on the shore for a few minutes and gawk.  I’ve never seen so many overdressed people at the beach in the summer doing nothing but standing at the water’s edge and staring.

Meanwhile, the networks that brought them here dominated parking in the beach above.  That parking is 30 minutes.  I remember back in the mid ‘70s when that limit went in, and it was not popular with the locals.  Those spaces in front of the lighthouse were designated for the sightseers, not the beachgoers.  Apparently, though, they are also meant free all-day parking for multi-billion dollar corporations.

So I had to ask Chatham Police about this.  I was told at the station, no, the half-hour rule was being enforced.  I was also told I’d get a call back about this.  I must have been away from my phone when they did.

Perhaps there was some confusion, since it is easy to overlook a large white truck with a satellite dish on top, and orange cones all around it, including the adjacent parking spaces, and long cables running from it, across the sidewalk and running down the banking and another 200 feet out onto the beach to various camera and light stands.  Yes, clearly, the intent was to set up, shoot and break it all down within a window of 30 minutes.

Or maybe CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, the Weather Channel, Fox and friends were parked there for days on end, doing nothing more than using a public space for private gain, and not being subjected to the penalties that either the residents or summer visitors incur.  All because these clowns want a long weekend of paid vacation on the Cape.

So if you have received a ticket for parking too long down at the lighthouse this summer, you might want to ask if these mobile offices weren’t also there the same day.

Likewise, in light of the controversy over a small local businessperson being charged for holding classes on the beach, it is reasonable to ask why these very large and profitable, out-of-town corporations got free use of our most popular destination in town, week-after-week, on some of the warmest, sunniest beach-going days of the year.  All so they can hyperventilate to the world about things that pose little danger to us.

So if we’re not charging them for parking, ticketing them for overuse of limited spaces, or requiring permits for filming when they have the budget and we have the best locations for these recurring stories… what do we get out of this?

Besides simmering pubic resentment, I mean.

Series tracking the American Heart of Darkness picks Woods Hole Scientist for second episode

Their Open Call has netted a marine scientist from Woods Hole. Fresh off a successful summer of screenings, Hit and Run History has chosen Rita Oliveira Monteiro to join them as they travel to Cape Verde this fall.

Monteiro, a native of Lisbon, Portugal, works at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. A NOAA research grant through the State University of New York at Syracuse brought the PhD candidate to Cape Cod to study how land use affects the marine environment. Earlier this summer, she saw an ad on Craigslist, seeking for a Portuguese speaker to join a film crew headed to Cape Verde. “This sounded like a great opportunity and a lot of fun.”

Hit and Run History produced a pilot for their guerilla-style history series this spring. Instead of tackling one topic per episode, the Gumshoe Historians will follow it through several installments, part-travel show, part-documentary. First on their agenda is the Columbia Expedition – the first American voyage ‘round the world.

The film was awarded Massachusetts Cultural Council Grants from the towns of Marshfield, Wareham and Chatham. Between May and August it was screened in nine locations, including the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, and the Pilgrim Monument & Provincetown Museum.

“Audiences loved it,” said series creator and host Andrew Buckley. “Not just the story of the Columbia Expedition – they really loved the on-screen chemistry of our crew.”

With such an enthusiasm response, in May Buckley announced in that Hit and Run History would continue the series. This would mean following the Columbia Expedition to its first stop on its groundbreaking voyage: Cape Verde. Aside from the challenges of getting to and filming in the small archipelago nation off the west coast of Africa, the crew faced a further obstacle. None of them spoke either the official languages of Portuguese or Kriolu (a creole derivative).

Based in in Southeastern New England, with a large concentration of people of Cape Verdean, Azorean, Portuguese and Brazilian backgrounds, it made sense to make an open call for a new crewmember. “They had to speak one of the two languages,” explained Buckley. “We were also looking for a person who either knew the area, knew the history, knew the water, or have video or photography skills.”

“And,” adds Assistant Director Matt Griffin, “we had to feel we could work and get along with them. A week overseas is a long time to spend with someone you just met.”

In June, Hit and Run History announced their Open Call through their fan page on Facebook and with the help of their media representative, Past Preservers. Joining Buckley and Griffin as a judge was Emmy-award winning videographer Jul3ia Astatkie. Applicants came from all over the globe, with a wide range of skills and backgrounds.

It was during a conference call on Skype that Monteiro convinced the judges. “She’s a great photographer,” said Astatkie. “And she seemed very natural and comfortable talking with us.”

The judges learned that besides English and Portuguese, Monteiro speaks Spanish, French and some Italian, and is a certified SCUBA diver. “It also didn’t hurt that she lives on Cape Cod,” added Griffin. Ideally, the successful candidate would have needed to be available for orientation and pre-production staff meetings prior to the trip.

Monteiro was at her lab when she received the news of being chosen for the trip. “I was surprised. I didn’t recognize the number of the call on my phone, and almost didn’t pick up. But,” she adds, “I’m glad I did.”

“She’s excited for the trip, and we’re excited to have her on board,” says Buckley. “Our approach to history is to show us having fun telling a story. Audiences are responding to that. And we’re going to have a blast in Cape Verde.”

More information:

hitandrunhistory.com

facebook.com/hitandrunhistory

ecosystems.mbl.edu/news/alewife_story.htm

capecodchronicle.com/features/feature_061809.htm

About Past Preservers:

Past Preservers was founded by archaeologist Nigel J. Hetherington in 2005 to provide historical and archaeological consultancy and professional support to the media industry.

Past Preservers provides expert opinion and counsel throughout the creative process, from conception to product delivery.

For all media enquiries please contact Nigel Hetherington on the following email- nigel@pastpreservers.com