'High Profile' Enthusiasts: A discussion

[Log Flume's Dennis]

You see some interesting things...

I only live 20 mins from Towers so have been quite often over the past 10 years or so. Plus I go on my own a lot so I tend to just look at whatever other people are doing.

I once saw a plane crash at an airshow but I was at that with my dad and his mate Tom. The pilot died

 

[delta79]

One time a woman was arguing with a ride host about whether she could hold a vase on RMT.

I wonder what odd items ride host have been asked to allow on rides.
Like a woman asking if she could take her sons ashes in a urn on RMT. Never did find out if she was.

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[imanautie]

That's something I'm 100% sure they wouldn't

I wonder what odd items ride host have been asked to allow on rides.
Like a woman asking if she could take her sons ashes in a urn on RMT. Never did find out if she was.

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[Spin-Ride-Lover]

Are you volunteering?

I am thinking about it yes

 

[imanautie]

I am thinking about it yes

Be nice to have a solid towers advocate who isnt the person who has a dog as her FB profile defending towers even if they are wrong.

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[AltonBuzz]

According to AT Twitter filming on rides is in breach of the park's Terms and Conditions.

However, strangely this rule isn't mentioned anywhere in the Terms and Conditions. So perhaps the T&Cs should be updated?

The ride’s entrance board doesn’t have a clear policy either saying video/camera equipment can be taken on board but doesn’t sate anything about them being a safety risk. Again the rules are not being clearly communicated.

Banning cameras on the rapids isn’t a massive deal if there are genuine safety concerns. However the rules need to be consistent because at the moment people are being given mixed messages (including Mr Sandbrooke!)

 

[Log Flume's Dennis]

Scarefest usually reveals some of the boundaries of what you can take on rides. Three years ago I had to wait on Rita while ride ops tried to get the restraints to click down on the Legion of Doom. In the end they had to take the shoulder pads off so they just looked like overweight shirtless yobs

 

[willb]

I can understand why AT are upset... why would someone buy an official photo when you can take your own lovely selfie...

In all seriousness, this whole discussion is just a little over the top. However, I will say that I've had the unfortunate experience of riding on the same wicker man train as Sean twice (by accident). Shouting about his youtube channel whilst waiting in the final tunnel made me feel very embarrassed for him... I did find him and his entourage amusing however.

 

[Rob]

Surley a bit much to say the Towers employee asking them to stop only did it for their own ego, it's their job, especially when ego is arguably the reason vloggers film themselves in the first place!

The main role of social media is for marketing and guest relations, not to play teacher. Would they have done the same thing if random member of the public Joe Bloggs posted the same thing? Then even if they did, then would this thread exist? Yes certainly is not the answer to both of those questions!

In my opinion it is not clear at all that you cannot take photos on the Rapids. If this is a strict rule then they should make it clearer.

 

[RoyJess]

As far as I'm concern, Shawn did nothing wrong, the signage is confusing and who ever reads the T&C's anyway?

CAN I FILM ON THE RIDES USING A GOPRO/OTHER FILMING EQUIPMENT?

Due to the safety of all our guests, we cannot allow anyone to film on our rides and attractions.

Considering that the park supposedly have over 50 rides and attractions, please define attractions at the park, so dose this include no filming in the ruins, gardens, scarezones, street entertainers, fireworks, inside the restaurants .......

 

[imanautie]

As far as I'm concern, Shawn did nothing wrong, the signage is confusing and who ever reads the T&C's anyway?



Considering that the park supposedly have over 50 rides and attractions, please define attractions at the park, so dose this include no filming in the ruins, gardens, scarezones, street entertainers, fireworks, inside the restaurants .......

A host on TH13TEEN seems to think it would, I got told off for taking a photo that other people would have been caught in.

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[ChristmasPud]

Would they have done the same thing if random member of the public Joe Bloggs posted the same thing?

Yes, I see people regularly get told to put cameras away on all manner of rides, in many UK parks. It's just that this time it was done by social media, since it was 'high profile' and they needed to make clear that nobody was excempt from the rules.

Obviously in the past it hasn't been as clear and operators havnt been trained as well to enforce this rule.

It's a pain having to enforce it, because there's no one sure way to prevent it. Instead, you have to be a bit of a **** banging down the PA, making blanket rules, or in this case sending a message to someone on twitter. But necessary to avoid bigger complications.

To be honest, I feel like the easy answer to everything is - stop feeling the need to film absolutely everything. It's quite obviously something that causes questions for the park and creates the need for all these rules, just for the sake of some likes online. Though on-ride filming is only likely to become more regular among the public, probably.

 

[Alsty]

Yes, I see people regularly get told to put cameras away on all manner of rides, in many UK parks.

But on a rapids? I've never heard that before.

To be honest, I feel like the easy answer to everything is - stop feeling the need to film absolutely everything.

Why should they? If you're at a park then you should be able to do anything that you enjoy as long as it's not breaking any laws or park regulations (point of contention here). Just because vlogging or filming or taking selfies isn't for you, why penalise people who have a different viewpoint if they're acting within the rules.

 

[speedy]

But on a rapids? I've never heard that before.


Why should they? If you're at a park then you should be able to do anything that you enjoy as long as it's not breaking any laws or park regulations (point of contention here). Just because vlogging or filming or taking selfies isn't for you, why penalise people who have a different viewpoint if they're acting within the rules.

But it's unclear whether they are acting within the rules or not. Alton Towers need to clarify. Until then I don't see why it's so hard to write to the park beforehand. It is their property after all and there are plenty of things to film without potentially breaking the rules.

EDIT: Sorry if that came off a bit blunt, I'm not trying to be rude. I just think it's important to remember Towers isn't a publicly owned place so nobody automatically has the right to film wherever they want.

 

[ChristmasPud]

Why should they? If you're at a park then you should be able to do anything that you enjoy as long as it's not breaking any laws or park regulations (point of contention here). Just because vlogging or filming or taking selfies isn't for you, why penalise people who have a different viewpoint if they're acting within the rules.

Because they're not acting within the rules are they? They're causing many indirect issues and it needs to be reduced, which is why we have the rules there. Rapids are some of the most case-related attractions too, so I don't see why they should be exempt from a general rule.

My point is, why is the will there in the first place, why is there such a need for everyone to take cameras and phones on to rides to film? It seems like a case of 'what we can get away with is ok' or 'if we do get told, we'll contest it', when really it should be a fairly simple case of putting cameras away before riding.

Alton Towers need to clarify.

I think they did clarify with this tweet, although yeah wasn't very clarified in the past.

I know of recent times when Attractions managers have enforced no filming rules, but someone else from PR or Marketing has written permission that certain people can (usually without appreciation for the day to day running of the rides). If this was permitted with proper mounts and during media filming times, then there's no problem, but if this is just excusing a vlogger from rules that apply to everyone else, then it causes this issue.

 

[RoyJess]

That is copyright related, not personal privacy, but yeah I get what you're saying.

Any one can take a photo or film you in a public place and the person taking the pic/recording is the copy right owner not you, the person taken the photo has the right to post the image and share the image, you as a person has no right to ask for it to be taken down or to share the pic.

A busker performing on the street on public land has no right to ask for his performance not to be photo, filmed and shared.

The law regarding this are very different on private land.

EDIT: Sorry if that came off a bit blunt, I'm not trying to be rude. I just think it's important to remember Towers isn't a publicly owned place so nobody automatically has the right to film wherever they want.

Any place, even a paid attraction where the public pays to go in is classed as a public place. However because the public have to pay to enter the place, then Towers can ban filming/photography. However, this must be made very clear to the public upon entry to the attraction, not just buried in a minefield of T&C's small print. At the end of the day, there were current staff members in that original photo, one of which has taken the place of Shawn's old job (quiet a high up responsible position from what I understand). So if they aren't fully aware of the rules, then what hope does us Joe public have in knowing the rules.

But then when has Alton ever been clear on anything? Even their website can also be a nightmare to navigate.

 

[Rick]

As you may have read, I am not fully sold on the whole vlog thing - watching one fills me with dread. That said, a quick look at YouTube at lunch delivered a ton of people of people doing some very dangerous things. If I was the park, that would make me very nervous.

I do think there is a limited understanding of how dangerous it can be. A GoPro to the nose, eyes or teeth isn't going to end well.

That said, I was sat behind someone planning to use a selfie stick on Millennium Force - thankfully the staff took it off him. I would've supported beating him with it right there on the platform.

 

[RoyJess]

I too personal am not the one for watching vlogs either.

I don't condone anyone filming on any of the rollercoaster or any other attraction where there are clear signs saying no cameras/filming/mobile phones etc... are allowed

I also don't get why when you go out for the day, to spend your whole day on the internet on your smart phone instead of enjoying what's around you, I often see people in Hex preshow and walking around the park with their heads buried into their phones. Put your phones away and enjoy the place.

However I do get the fact that people do want to take the occasional picture as a memory of their day. I was at Chessington yesterday, and I saw many people filming inside the Gruffalo ride. I've taken pics on many dark rides at many different themeparks here and abroad before now as well as pics on the Rappids.

Yes there is a danger that you might end up hurting your self if the boat hit a rock, but so far in all my time visiting themeparks over the past 30+ years, I've yet to have an injury or accident whilst taking a pic on any rides (excluding rollercoasters as this is forbidden). The only injury's (bruises) that I have sustained at theme park is just simply riding rollercaosters, especially the woodies.

 

[Rick]

Also, I meant to mention - there is a danger of conflating two issues in this thread - namely, "Is it ok to film on rides/a particular ride" and "Can a park tell me not to film on their rides"?

I'd suggest the answer to the second point is unequivocally 'Yes' so the first question is pretty much a moot point. That said, if a park has a policy it should be clearly communicated and applied consistently.

 

[RoyJess]

Also, I meant to mention - there is a danger of conflating two issues in this thread - namely, "Is it ok to film on rides/a particular ride" and "Can a park tell me not to film on their rides"?

I'd suggest the answer to the second point is unequivocally 'Yes' so the first question is pretty much a moot point. That said, if a park has a policy it should be clearly communicated and applied consistently.

The answer to both is Yes (unless it is clearly stated that you can't film). Also the park has to treat everyone the same, they can't say no to some people but allow others to continue to take pic/film, other wise that would be discrimination under the equality act. By law, they do need to make it very clear to everyone entering the park the same rules to enforce them.

We had a similar situation at our local zoo when the zoo tried to put restriction (5 minutes max on us bearing in mind that other people were taking up to 30 minutes to view the animals) on how long that we were allowed to view the animals to allow other people to view them too. Bear in mind there were plenty of other viewing areas with good views too. We got legal advice and were told that unless they put the same restrictions on the other paying guest and made that clear as they entered the zoo, then what they were doing were illegal due to the equality act. It would have put us at an unfair advantage. We could have taken the matter further with the zoo.