The FBI
This is my story on my near death experience with the FBI, also on the PG forum.
I have to warn you this story involves the FBI... So here it goes...
We were told by a PG member that he had spoken to his friend who was a manager of a bank, and he had said we were able to film in any of the banks of that particular chain. All we had to do is tell him which one. So I began to do my location scouting. I grabbed my digital camera and went hunting.
I came to the first bank walked in to the lobby and then I had a thought "hmm.. I don't think they would like me taking pictures in there so I will just take it from the lobby here." and that's what I did. I snapped a picture for reference. An act that anyone would agree is perfectly innocent, no?
Then I continued I got in my car and drove to the second location. I went in and thought "you know what, I will just ask to speak to the manager, and ask him if I can take some pics for reference, I don't want any trouble." So I asked for the manager and he came out, I told him what I was doing and asked him if I could snap a picture for reference. He said that probably wouldn't be a good idea. So I said okay and took mental notes of what the location looked like and moved on.
Then I came to the third bank. This was the main bank of its chain. The headquarters you could say. I walk in the door and a guy approaches me. He looks like a normal guy. He asks me "can I help you?" and I was puzzled I thought he was a customer. So my mind began to race, I thought, "you know I don't want to bother the bank with asking to take pictures, I will just look for a second take mental notes and leave. But what am I gonna tell this guy, I mean I just wanna look." .... So I said "um... I just want some info on your bank. Do you have any brochures?", and the guy responds, "sure, why don't we go back here and we can talk about it." and I'm like "what the heck? Go back where?" I turn an look and he is escorting me to the back of the bank!
We get to the back and then I turn and find myself walking down a long hallway. Then just like in the movies a BIG guy in a suit and tie comes around the corner with one hand in his pocket, and the other is holding some papers. He approaches me and asks me my name. I tell him mine and he doesn't tell me his. So I ask him who he is. He tells me he is the OWNER OF THE BANK! So this is the moment I felt a little bit of warm pee run down my leg. "Great what did I do?" I think. An awkward moment passes. Then they ask me, "have you been taking pictures of our banks?" I say yes. I explain why, and they don't believe a word. So they ask me who our contact is with the bank. Our contact? I DON'T KNOW! The PG member knows not me! So I tell them this. And the hole gets deeper. They still don't believe me. So I tell them we have a website, the guy writes the address down and walks back to the computer punches the info in and he says "the website doesn't work." My hole was now a grave, I could feel it.
They ask me for the contact info of the our PG member. So I give it to him and he calls on speaker phone. The call is answered by the operator who seemed to be mocking me by screaming "the number you have dialed is no longer in service..." I thought pee running down my leg was bad, but now I was a full blown bowel movement! So I panic and I give him the number again. And while they are dialing I head to the computer and try getting our website, turns out his monitor is turned down so dark you couldn't see anything! So turn it up and show him the site, at the same time they get the PG members voicemail and they leave one. Then they try and guess who was our contact so they contact the manager of the second bank I went to. He says that ProjectGod.Com sounds familiar, and that he remembers something about that. Wow, and just like that they were satisfied. Suddenly things were making sense. So the guy who was holding some papers says to me "I want to show you something" and he hands me his papers. I grab them and my heart sinks when I see what is on them. He says "you may have been taking pictures of us but we were also taking pictures of you!" and there in my hands are full color photos of me... Taking pictures!
He then tells me that all of the banks were on high alert, and every bank was looking for me. He tells me that "you were 5 minutes away from us calling the FBI." I almost swallowed my tongue when he told me that! whew! We laugh at this and they let me go.
Later I find out that when my photo had just printed out of the machine the owner of the bank looked down at the photo and then looked up and saw me come in the door! The same person on the photo! And we also found out that the second manager, who I spoke to, had received the same memo with my photo, and didn't even recognize me!
Well in the end they let us film in the second bank and we even used the bank manager as an extra. They didn't let us keep a copy of my photo however. Shucks!
To say that God was having mercy on me is an understatement! So there you have it, banks don't like you taking pictures of them. Remember that next time you go location scouting!
I have to warn you this story involves the FBI... So here it goes...
We were told by a PG member that he had spoken to his friend who was a manager of a bank, and he had said we were able to film in any of the banks of that particular chain. All we had to do is tell him which one. So I began to do my location scouting. I grabbed my digital camera and went hunting.
I came to the first bank walked in to the lobby and then I had a thought "hmm.. I don't think they would like me taking pictures in there so I will just take it from the lobby here." and that's what I did. I snapped a picture for reference. An act that anyone would agree is perfectly innocent, no?
Then I continued I got in my car and drove to the second location. I went in and thought "you know what, I will just ask to speak to the manager, and ask him if I can take some pics for reference, I don't want any trouble." So I asked for the manager and he came out, I told him what I was doing and asked him if I could snap a picture for reference. He said that probably wouldn't be a good idea. So I said okay and took mental notes of what the location looked like and moved on.
Then I came to the third bank. This was the main bank of its chain. The headquarters you could say. I walk in the door and a guy approaches me. He looks like a normal guy. He asks me "can I help you?" and I was puzzled I thought he was a customer. So my mind began to race, I thought, "you know I don't want to bother the bank with asking to take pictures, I will just look for a second take mental notes and leave. But what am I gonna tell this guy, I mean I just wanna look." .... So I said "um... I just want some info on your bank. Do you have any brochures?", and the guy responds, "sure, why don't we go back here and we can talk about it." and I'm like "what the heck? Go back where?" I turn an look and he is escorting me to the back of the bank!
We get to the back and then I turn and find myself walking down a long hallway. Then just like in the movies a BIG guy in a suit and tie comes around the corner with one hand in his pocket, and the other is holding some papers. He approaches me and asks me my name. I tell him mine and he doesn't tell me his. So I ask him who he is. He tells me he is the OWNER OF THE BANK! So this is the moment I felt a little bit of warm pee run down my leg. "Great what did I do?" I think. An awkward moment passes. Then they ask me, "have you been taking pictures of our banks?" I say yes. I explain why, and they don't believe a word. So they ask me who our contact is with the bank. Our contact? I DON'T KNOW! The PG member knows not me! So I tell them this. And the hole gets deeper. They still don't believe me. So I tell them we have a website, the guy writes the address down and walks back to the computer punches the info in and he says "the website doesn't work." My hole was now a grave, I could feel it.
They ask me for the contact info of the our PG member. So I give it to him and he calls on speaker phone. The call is answered by the operator who seemed to be mocking me by screaming "the number you have dialed is no longer in service..." I thought pee running down my leg was bad, but now I was a full blown bowel movement! So I panic and I give him the number again. And while they are dialing I head to the computer and try getting our website, turns out his monitor is turned down so dark you couldn't see anything! So turn it up and show him the site, at the same time they get the PG members voicemail and they leave one. Then they try and guess who was our contact so they contact the manager of the second bank I went to. He says that ProjectGod.Com sounds familiar, and that he remembers something about that. Wow, and just like that they were satisfied. Suddenly things were making sense. So the guy who was holding some papers says to me "I want to show you something" and he hands me his papers. I grab them and my heart sinks when I see what is on them. He says "you may have been taking pictures of us but we were also taking pictures of you!" and there in my hands are full color photos of me... Taking pictures!
He then tells me that all of the banks were on high alert, and every bank was looking for me. He tells me that "you were 5 minutes away from us calling the FBI." I almost swallowed my tongue when he told me that! whew! We laugh at this and they let me go.
Later I find out that when my photo had just printed out of the machine the owner of the bank looked down at the photo and then looked up and saw me come in the door! The same person on the photo! And we also found out that the second manager, who I spoke to, had received the same memo with my photo, and didn't even recognize me!
Well in the end they let us film in the second bank and we even used the bank manager as an extra. They didn't let us keep a copy of my photo however. Shucks!
To say that God was having mercy on me is an understatement! So there you have it, banks don't like you taking pictures of them. Remember that next time you go location scouting!
posted by Tim at 4:30 PM
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