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Cold, Wet and Alive

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Cold, Wet and Alive

Produced under a Coast Guard grant to the American Canoe Association, the film Cold, Wet and Alive is the story of an early spring canoe trip taken by David, Dean, Michael, Becky and Lisa. The film focuses on the day's events resulting in David becoming hypothermic. It uses computer graphic inserts to tell the story within the story of how hypothermia occurs. In addition, the day’s activities depict the accident process. It is the first of the Nichols/Kauffman collaboration on six boating safety films. 

The Crew-Standing: David Bayles, Actor; Russ Nichols, Director & Script; George Hornbein, Camera; Haven McKinney, Gaffer; Louise Nichols, Producer; Robert Kauffman, Technical Advisor & Script; Janice Huey, Continuity; Michael Garr, Actor; Kneeling: Joey DelPo, Assistant Camera; Dean Avery, Actor; Lisa Lias, Actor; Becky Brown
The Crew-Standing: David Bayles, Actor; Russ Nichols, Director & Script; George Hornbein, Camera; Haven McKinney, Gaffer; Louise Nichols, Producer; Robert Kauffman, Technical Advisor & Script; Janice Huey, Continuity; Michael Garr, Actor; Kneeling: Joey DelPo, Assistant Camera; Dean Avery, Actor; Lisa Lias, Actor; Becky Brown, Actor

Development[edit]

The trip format for Cold, Wet, and Alive originated with the hypothermia film “By Nature’s Rules,” produced by Safeco Insurance Company of America in 1970.[1] The end of the 28 minute film depicts a mountain climbing scene where one climber becomes hypothermic. Based on this scene, the writers of Cold, Wet, and Alive made their entire hypothermia film the story of an early spring canoe trip of a group of paddlers who become hypothermic. 

The movie uses computer graphics to depict the physiological changes that David, the protagonist, was experiencing as he eventually became hypothermic. The graphics depict a story within the story where the audience is in on the gig before the protagonist realizes what is happening.[2] This technique was named after the “Rocky Horror Show” where the audience is in on the gig before the naïve but likeable protagonists knew what was happening to them. In addition, the audience can predict what is happening to the protagonists before it happens to them. This helps create “buy-in” with the safety message by the audience. This technique was used in later videos, including “Almost a Perfect Day".[2][3]

Themes[edit]

There are two themes in the movie, how you become hypothermic and the accident process.[2][4][5] The primary theme of the film focuses on how the day’s events can easily lead to becoming hypothermic. It is not until two-thirds of the movie that hypothermia is finally mentioned. In depicting the hypothermic process, the video also depicts the accident process, a secondary theme.[2][4]

Location[edit]

The movie was filmed on three western Pennsylvania rivers: The Youghiogheny River, the Casselman River, and Laurel Hill Creek. The put-in and lunch scenes were filmed next to the bridge crossing the Casselman River at Hardensville, Pennsylvania. Careful inspection of the background of the put-in scene in the film reveals the lunch stop bridge in the background. Most of the scenic long shots were filmed on the Laurel Hill Creek. Scenes showing David swimming the rapids were mostly filmed in Cucumber Rapids on the Youghiogheny River near Ohiopyle. Swimming scenes were edited with David exiting his kayak on one river, swimming another rapids, and taking out on another river. The gorge scene was filmed at Railroad Rapids on the Youghiogheny River and the rescue scene was filmed on river left just below the Railroad Bridge on the Youghiogheny River. 

Plot[edit]

Cold, Wet, and Alive is the story of an early spring canoe trip taken by David, Dean, Michael, and Lisa. David becomes hypothermic and looses his boat (i.e. injury, damage, or loss). The video uses a series of computer graphics to describe what is physiologically happening to David as he slowly becomes hypothermic during the day’s trip. The following narrative is of their trip. The quotes are from the film.[5]

Shooting the scene on the Laurel Hill Creek where the group is warming themselves on the warm rocks
Shooting the opening scene of Cold, Wet and Alive at the Casselman River bridge with the director, Russ Nichols, behind the camera

The film opens with the group crossing the bridge that will be the lunch stop later in the day. They listen to the weather forecast on the radio. “Come on, all you late sleepers...the weather bureau is calling for a high of 70oF today.... Sunday looks like it is back to normal with you guessed it, cold and rainy... The normal high for today is 49oF...” As they cross the bridge, David comments that “The water is really moving!”

10:54 AM: The group is at the put-in. The air temperature is 66oF, and the water temperature is 46oF. The group makes their preparations for the day’s trip. David comments that Dean and Becky are wearing wetsuits. David wears cotton and notes “I dress for the moment.” The group’s attitude is enthusiastic and playful.

11:25 AM: The group is having fun. Everyone is playful and enthusiastic. The air temperature is 71oF, and the water temperature is 46oF. David demonstrates his roll and rolls his kayak. He exclaims “My head hit that water!...” The narrator notes that water removes energy at least 25 times faster than the air. David comments that “Even though that dunking was invigorating, I warmed up right away. I decided it would be my last demonstration of the day!”

2:30-4:00PM: The air temperature is 51oF, and the water temperature is 46oF. David is having a different day than the others. He is charging up and down the river, expending energy. The others are snacking. David’s fuel gauge is nearing empty. David takes a couple of spills in the water and loses heat more quickly. It is late afternoon and the sun begins to drop behind the mountains. With his wet cotton, his energy loss is greater than those wearing wetsuits. They are all becoming hypothermic, however, David is becoming hypothermic much more quickly. 

4:15 PM: The air temperature is 51oF, and the water temperature is 46oF. At the half-way point, the group reaches the lunch stop at the bridge they crossed earlier in the morning. They discuss what they should do. Everyone was cold and fatigued. They could take out at the bridge and hitchhike back to the car. Dean notes that the river separates from the road here. David comments to himself that “What I wanted to do more was to finish the trip and get warm.” David thinks to himself that their decision was a turning point. It was. They were cold, it was getting late, and they decided to continue their trip. 

Circa 5:15 PM – The group is disintegrating as a group. David is now hypothermic and cannot maintain his core temperature. His temperature is dropping. Apparently, the weather front moved in early, and it began to rain. The water in the gorge is rising. They decide to scout the rapids. David mistakes Dean waving him over to the shore and enters the rapids. He spills and comes out of his kayak. Fatigued and hypothermic, he clings to a rock in the middle of the rapids. Dean rescues David. David loses his boat. They start a fire and warm David. They decide to end their trip there, hike out to the road and hitchhike back to their car. 

Shooting the scene on the Laurel Hill River where the group is warming themselves on the warm rocks
Shooting the scene on the Laurel Hill River where the group is warming themselves on the warm rocks

Abilene Paradox[edit]

The decision to continue their trip at the lunch stop is a classic example of what Harvey calls the Abilene Paradox.[6][7] It is a classic example of “group think” where individually they know what they should do, yet they do what they think the groups wants. They are cold and fatigued. Individually, they know they should end their trip at the lunch stop, but they choose to continue their trip based on what they believe the group wants to do. Collectively, they make what later proves to be the wrong decision. 

Release[edit]

Cold, Wet and Alive was a 16mm film. The completed version was released by the American Canoe Association in 1989 with the 16mm and DVD formats. With the advent of CDs, it was converted to the CD format and is currently available on YouTube.

Reception[edit]

The film received general acclaim for its depiction of the hypothermic accident process. Many experienced boaters indicated they had experienced a trip similar to David’s. The film received a CINE (Council for International Nontheatrical Events) Golden Eagle Award in 1989. In addition, it was the first place winner in the instructional category at the Waterwalker Film Festival in March 1991, sponsored by the Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Canada. 

References[edit]

  1. WorldCat By Natures Rules.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Kauffman, R. (2010). ’’A Behind the Scenes Tour of “Life Jackets Float, Do You!”’’ 2010 International Boating and Water Safety Summit Proceedings. Daytona Beach. March 28-31, 2010. p.13.
  3. Kauffman, R. (2011). ’’Behind the Scenes Tour of New Stressors Video.’’ 2011 International Boating and Water Safety Summit Proceedings. Savannah, Georgia. March 6-9. p.14.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Kauffman, R. (2004). ’’Cold, Wet & Alive.’’ 2004 International Boating and Safety Summit Proceedings. Panama City Beach, Florida. April 18-21. p.15.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Kauffman, R. and Moiseichik, M. (2013). ’’Integrate Risk Management in Leisure Services.’’ Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, March 2013, Chapter 6.
  6. Harvey, J. (1988). ’’The Abilene Paradox and other Meditations on Management.’’ San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
  7. Harvey, J. (1974). The Abilene Paradox: The Management of Agreement, in ’’Organizational Dynamics.’’ New York: The American Management Association, Summer. pp.63-80.

External links[edit]


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