Page 1 of 1

News media fascination with quicksand

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 11:15 am
by MichaelL_Photo
Hi Folks,

I regularly check the internet for quicksand-related material (mostly checking for pirated videos, but I do look for other content, too).

Today, I came across this local news report of a male teenager getting stuck in quicksand/deep mud in Loveland, CO, USA:

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/10/28/h ... quicksand/

Like many of you, I have seen such stories appear over the years. What interested me the most here, was the fact that the news station sent a female reporter to the site, in a dress, wearing boots. So similar to many of the "Reporter" scenes I shot for DIDVP.

It seems that the concept of quicksand is still fascinating to the local public - much like shark attacks appear on the news, despite their rarity. We all know that the term "quicksand" is used allegorically in many ways, from politics to sports. Yet, the "real thing" still draws news reports - and reporters - to the "scene of the crime," so to speak.

What is even more interesting are the key phrases we hear in the above report (more so than many I've heard over the years) - sucking the victim in, trapping the person, etc. Makes the quicksand seem alive, which is an aspect I enjoy.

I suspect this news fascination is not just in the U.S., but perhaps elsewhere in the world.

Just some random thoughts.

Michael
P.S. I know have a script, from this video, to use in future scenes!

Re: News media fascination with quicksand

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 12:45 pm
by joedeep130535
We get quite a lot of these in the UK I think the public-& the media- are still interested in stories & pictures of sinkings A predicament with a hint of danger but also a touch of the ridiculous-"It would never happen to me" & pictures of a person stuck or covered in mud & a rescue It is only perverts like us that are supposed find it exciting but I would hazard a guess that more than a few readers/viewers are secretly turned on by these reports

Re: News media fascination with quicksand

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 2:58 pm
by tanya_wam
joedeep130535 wrote:We get quite a lot of these in the UK I think the public-& the media- are still interested in stories & pictures of sinkings A predicament with a hint of danger but also a touch of the ridiculous-"It would never happen to me" & pictures of a person stuck or covered in mud & a rescue It is only perverts like us that are supposed find it exciting but I would hazard a guess that more than a few readers/viewers are secretly turned on by these reports


Yes, I posted about a quicksand story which made front page news on one of the national papers in the summer but the moderators took it down as people had actually died, and I hadn't realised this went against the rules here. :oops:

Re: News media fascination with quicksand

Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 10:01 am
by bogbud
That one is another example of the dangerous "underwater mud" type we also did discuss in that "The Dawns here are quiet" topic. It's still impossible to sink all the way under in the mud, but you are at risk of drowning even when you only are stuck up your thighs or hips.

Couple years ago there was a quite similar case over here, the female biologist was rescued from a peat bog (classic scenario, too :D ).

The reporter was nice. Would be even better, had she demonstrated how soft the edge of the pond really is. I guess her boots were too expensive for that ;)

Re: News media fascination with quicksand

Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 1:08 pm
by PM2K
bogbud wrote:That one is another example of the dangerous "underwater mud" type we also did discuss in that "The Dawns here are quiet" topic. It's still impossible to sink all the way under in the mud, but you are at risk of drowning even when you only are stuck up your thighs or hips.
Couple years ago there was a quite similar case over here, the female biologist was rescued from a peat bog (classic scenario, too :D ).


Years ago, I was caught in real quicksand which was a foot below this creek's surface... managed to grab the bank and haul myself out, but I was soaked to the shoulders as a result. I didn't feel any bottom to it... Even floating in it, I still had to contend with the water on top.

bogbud wrote:The reporter was nice. Would be even better, had she demonstrated how soft the edge of the pond really is. I guess her boots were too expensive for that ;)


Sounds like another scene in the making! :D

Re: News media fascination with quicksand

Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2016 6:51 am
by quickman
Why do they always refer to it as "like quicksand" or "quicksand like"? Is it because it can only be real quicksand if it sucked him under as in the movies? Do they not want to terrify the watchers that there can be real quicksand out there? They should say that quicksand is real but usually is not that deep. It's the other elements of being stuck that can be trouble (hypothermia,heat exhaustion, the water over it- as in this case)