tv Caught on Camera MSNBC March 8, 2014 5:00pm-6:01pm PST
5:00 pm
"caught on camera." here we go. i'm going to take you on a ride. >> stunts too insane to believe. >> it's just crazy. that must be fake. >> do not try this at home. >> i would like maybe to crash this car. >> animals acting like humans. >> not once does the bear hit himself in the face. that's really impressive. >> it's impossible not to join in. >> and pranks that push the limit. >> it took my breath away. >> we were both really scared. >> i'm like, oh, this is bad.
5:01 pm
>> millions of clicks, but what is the truth? >> you sort of gasp that can't be real. >> we've got the answers. "caught on camera: viral videos fact or fiction." hello, i'm contessa brewer. welcome to "caught on camera." hundreds of thousands of videos hit the web every day. but only a select few really grab the public's attention and go viral. if you watch like me, sometimes these videos seem a bit suspicious. in this hour, we'll watch some of the web's most popular videos and uncover if they're works of fact or fiction. >> hey. sheri here, obviously. >> in august 2010, a mysterious video purported to be a piece of courtroom evidence starts to circulate across the web. it's dubbed exhibit b-5.
5:02 pm
>> it has an element of where did this come from. that you're really curious about. >> i am recording this so you can share in this amazing step-by-step process of my brilliant practical joke. >> the video is about an attractive young lady who is setting up a friend of hers to be pranked. >> you need to water this. you making a movie? >> she gets ready with one of her friends who dresses up like some kind of criminal intruder. >> this is a classic surprise prank. >> okay, okay, okay, that's her. hide. >> get down. >> you know something is going to happen, but you don't know what. you can't tear yourself away from it.
5:03 pm
[ screaming ] >> we have to warn you here, what you're about to see and hear is disturbing. >> rachel, it's me! rachel! >> exhibit b-5 creates an internet sensation sparking vigorous debate. some believe it's really leaked trial evidence. >> it feels real. like the shaky camera and the sort of awkward moments when they aren't saying a lot. >> many others think this is a sick and twisted hoax. >> this is definitely fake. there's somebody that's hit by a car you're going to keep a camera on your face and run to them? our instincts are to drop and help your friend. >> so what is the truth? >> well, i just got back from the funeral, so i'd have to say exhibit b-5 is pretty damn real. >> wait, there's no way -- >> hi.
5:04 pm
i'm cindy and i played rachel on exhibit b-5. and i am all good. >> that's more like it. >> rachel! >> exhibit b-5 is a ghoulish take on prank videos. it comes from the creative mind of film director kyle rankin. >> i think people like to watch videos like this because it's similar to getting on a roller coaster. it's skirting death. i think that's why horror is so popular. >> kyle has worked on many films including "the battle of shaker heights" starring shia labeouf and the post-apocalyptic thriller "nuclear family." >> when i'm in between projects, i like to do something to keep directing and challenge myself to do something i haven't done. so building up to a very realistic car hit i thought would be pretty cool. >> he writes the script for "exhibit b-5" and hires marsia and cindy to star in the video.
5:05 pm
>> the shoot was really short and simple. >> there was no special lighting, no special sound. it just was a flip camera. >> it took about a full day to do it. but kyle knew what he wanted and he knew how he wanted it to look. >> so now it's time for me to even the score. [ knocking ] >> the challenges that it presented were fun. which is how to make this thing feel really real. ways to do that are the hand-held shaky cam. have the actors interrupt each other. >> oh, my god. she's so lucky we're not doing it at night. >> but kyle knows the believability of the video hinges on how realistic the climactic car hit looks. >> rachel! >> it ended up being so much fun. it was kind of cool to see how it was made. >> this three second special effects shot took hours to create. >> to do a digital effect you shoot basically several layers. from the top of the stairs i
5:06 pm
shot the road empty, the car path, cindy running into the middle of the street, jumping up. then did a pass with the car parked on the hit spot and cindy out there rolling on the hood in different positions. >> kyle then sends these layers to visual effects artist zane rutledge to work his magic. >> it's three shots stitched together in a couple of subtle and clever ways. the original handheld shot up to a moment. then the final handheld shot at the end. but in between, we're seaming that together with the cheated handheld simulated in the computer. >> to create that shot, zane uses a process called roto scoping. >> it's painstaking tracing frame by frame rachel throughout her roll off the car hood. by isolating her in that way, we're able to drop her on to the other shot. >> but the devil is in the details.
5:07 pm
after viewing the effect, zane and kyle decide cindy's moves on top of the car aren't realistic enough. >> bouncing off of the hood, we didn't have the right movement on this arm. so we had to isolate her arm from another moment in time and build a fake arm and animate it. and drop it in. in its own little spot, so we could get the performance we needed. >> with the effect complete, kyle sends the finished video to the cast and crew. >> even though i knew what was going to happen, i didn't know it was going to look that good. >> what i saw, it took my breath away. >> i was blown away. >> my mouth just dropped. >> it was so real. >> even worse, it was me, it was me that i was seeing. >> rachel! >> satisfied with the response, kyle launches "exhibit b-5" online. >> hey, sheri here. >> to add to the mystery, he releases it under a fake youtube account name. claudia mckinney.
5:08 pm
>> so we invented a person, claudia mckinney. then her story was that her dad used to be a judge and that she was taking court evidence and putting it up on youtube. >> but "exhibit b-5" doesn't catch on right away. >> how's that? >> you look like al qaeda. >> to help it gain momentum, kyle reaches out to his friend rainn wilson of "the office." >> i said would you mind tweeting about this. he's like, yeah, man. it really took off because of that. >> shut up. >> really we owe the success of "exhibit b-5" to dwight on "the office." >> within a year, the video scores more than 6 million hits. >> i had no idea it would get the response that it did. like, whoa. >> comments pour in from viewers debating its validity. >> people arguing about it's real because of this. no, it's fake because of these top ten things. and that's really been the phenomenon that's kept it going. and made it go viral was that argument. probably the most distressing
5:09 pm
stuff was the personal messages i would get as claudia mckinney that said, i could not sleep last night. please write back and tell me that it's fake. >> we almost felt we had to tell that this was not real, that it was fake. >> but online kyle does nothing to quench those queries. >> i haven't answered any of those personal messages from people. i let them swing in the wind. >> she's close. >> we may have exposed here that "exhibit b-5" is pure fiction. but one thing about the video remains an enigma. >> the real mystery behind "exhibit b-5" is how can his pants be that tight? >> if he makes them any tighter, he's going to pass out from blood loss. >> chicks dig 'em. [ screaming ] >> rachel, it's me! rachel! coming up -- two guys make an airport their personal playground. >> i'm pretty sure this is illegal.
5:10 pm
5:11 pm
the next time you rent a dvd, don't bother rewinding it. the way i see it, it's the next guy's problem. oh, larry. she thinks i'm crazy. mm-hmm. but would a crazy person save 15% on car insurance in just 15 minutes? [ chuckles ] [ male announcer ] 15 minutes for a quote is crazy. with esurance, 7½ minutes could save you on car insurance. welcome to the modern world. esurance. backed by allstate. click or call. with fresh mint. new herbal essences naked shampoo. no silicone, parabens or dyes. [ wind whisping ] bare your softest hair with new herbal essences naked. [ woman ] ahh. even the ends of my hair are tingling. [ female announcer ] herbal essences. [ ding ] [ male anno the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat?
5:12 pm
campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. [ m'm... ] great taste. [ tapping ] sounds good. campbell's healthy request. m'm! m'm! good.® campbell's healthy request. then don't miss sleep train's wbest rest event.st ever? you'll find sleep train's very best mattresses at the guaranteed lowest price. plus, pay no interest for 3 years on beautyrest black, stearns & foster, serta icomfort, even tempur-pedic. and rest even better with sleep train's risk-free 100-day money back guarantee. get your best rest ever from sleep train. superior service, best selection, lowest price, guaranteed. ♪ sleep train ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪
5:13 pm
we've all been there. flights delayed or canceled. hours to kill at the airport. you're basically stuck. in this video, two young men appear to make the most of this often frustrating and boring situation. and if you can believe what you're seeing, what they get away with is shocking. >> the fun of this is the weirdness of the situation. that it's an empty airport and sort of like some weird dream of running amok in a place where you're not supposed to rain amuck. >> i wish i could do stuff like that and get away with it.
5:14 pm
i'd get deported. >> did anyone call ben dover? passenger ben -- oh, yeah. >> when the video titled "stuck" hit the internet in june 2011, it spreads like wildfire racking up more than a million hits and leaving viewers to wonder, in the age of post-9/11 security, how could this video possibly be real? >> when you're at the airport, you're so conscious of not doing anything to scare anybody or you'll get tsa breathing down your neck. >> and with high production values, this can't be some low budget amateur film, can it? >> it's actually very beautiful. there's no words, just sounds background noise and a bunch of cuts that make it look artistic. >> my first impression is that it's fake. >> but it's not. >> "stuck" is the brain child of professional cameraman larry chen and joe iola.
5:15 pm
what they usually shoot is the antithesis of being stranded at an airport. >> larry and i are professional photographers for the pro championship series of drifting, formula drift. >> wherever it happens, whether in japan or africa or the u.s., we just follow drifting. >> in june of 2011, the two adrenaline junkies are flying home after a drift competition in florida. >> we're just doing a layover in dallas/ft. worth, but the plane had to be diverted because of a thunderstorm. >> so we weren't able to land. and when we were able to land, we missed our flights. >> larry and joe are booked on a flight leaving dallas first thing in the morning. >> they offered us a discount hotel. we're like, you know what? it's not even worth it. >> so we just decided to sleep there. >> pretty much the entire airport shut down for the night. >> with hours to kill, they decide to do what they do best. shoot a video. >> i'm like you know what we could do? we can shoot a skit.
5:16 pm
>> we had all this equipment with us because we never check in our cameras, our lenses, anything. because usually the airlines can get a little rough with it. >> i guess between him and i, we had maybe $40,000 worth of gear. our original goal was to make something to show our friends and family what we did at this airport while we were stuck here for eight hours. >> the two men unload their gear and started shooting. >> we didn't have a tripod. we just had a little magic arm that we can hook up to something. >> we clamped the camera to the baggage sizer. oh, you can only carry this size bag or whatever. we rolled it everywhere we went. >> and they went everywhere. behind the gate. >> i'm pretty sure this is illegal. >> on the tram. and even in the bathroom. >> amazingly, security agents don't interfere with their taping. >> they would kind of look and
5:17 pm
see that we're just taking pictures or doing video and they would just leave. >> it was really surprising. so we took it to the next level and started doing hand stands and making more loud obnoxious noises. >> this is my favorite shot. planking on an escalator. it's like total genius of the physics of what you're playing with turns out sort of silly and pretty. >> in the outtakes, joe actually gets stuck in the escalator. so we tried it a couple times. >> i got a couple bruises. it was pretty rough, but i think it was worth it. >> but the piece de resistance comes when larry and joe visit the airport's local watering hole. >> people think there's no way they grabbed a beer for themselves. >> it's incredible to me that the taps are still on. i guess they don't unhook those
5:18 pm
at night. >> that beer would be $16 in the airports i've been to. >> i love the fact that it's a little ice cream glass. all crystal. >> i washed up after myself and cleaned the cup and put it back and that was that. >> eventually the guys board a plane and head home. soon after larry and joe post "stuck" online. >> we didn't expect it to blow up. maybe i expected a thousand views at most. >> but just one week later, the video has more than 100,000 hits. in chat rooms, in comment sections, viewers dissect the video debating its authenticity. >> a lot of people say this is going to take at least a six-man crew. >> we were getting away with stuff that most people wouldn't get away with. especially in an airport in america. everyone's so, you know, tense about it. >> but with newfound notoriety comes new fears. >> when this went viral people started saying that can't be appropriate.
5:19 pm
that must be dangerous and saying, why didn't the airport stop them? >> we were at an event and our co-workers come up and ask us when we're going to jail. when are the cops coming for you? >> the joke becomes dead serious when the filmmakers are contacted by a representative of the dallas/ft. worth airport where the video was shot. >> we were both really scared. i was like, oh, man, i'm going to go to jail. >> i'm like oh, this is bad. so i just take it off of youtube right away. >> i was nervous of the outcome of what they wanted from us and what we were going to do about it. >> but when the renegade travelers call the airport, they get a surprising response. >> our conversation was really good. they seemed to really like the video. >> the airport's like, hey, we know what you guys did. and we're okay with it. so just don't worry about it. >> it was kind of relieving. because i could actually talk to the people who were in charge of it to sort of straighten things out.
5:20 pm
let them know we meant no harm. >> there wasn't much fallout because nothing really inappropriate happened. other than maybe the guy taking some beer without paying for it. >> you know, i would actually love to see these guys unstuck. if this is what they can do in a quiet environment with virtually nothing going on. i would love to see them in something more fun and see if they can take to it the next level. coming up -- a mayor takes justice into his own hands. >> it's very bad ass. >> that's sort of almost like destruction porn. >> the video is real. right? >> maybe, maybe not. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three types of good bacteria. i should probably take this. live the regular life. phillips'.
5:22 pm
5:23 pm
5:24 pm
to take a tank or an armored personnel carrier and drive it through the streets crushing things along the way. >> it's like the demolition derby of dealing with annoying daily annoyances. >> it's very bad ass. that kind of thing is not what we associate with our leaders. >> why does the mayor have two staff members hanging out with him? >> if politics had a tv show like "entourage," this is what it would look like. yo, turtle, grab a tank and we'll go roll around on some mercedes! >> then comes the moment of truth. the mercedes owner confronts the mayor. >> supposedly this is the dude whose car got run over. >> a fellow with white jacket and gold chains. >> sunglasses on the top. >> this guy screams a-hole. >> you're sort of waiting to see if the guy is going to freak out and attack him and this is going to turn into a fight video. >> shockingly, the man is not too upset about his car being
5:25 pm
crushed. which makes many wonder is this really a mayor caught on camera during a very unstatesman-like rampage to punish a parking violator? or is this another work of viral fiction? well, let's ask the man himself. >> arturas zuokas, the mayor of vilnius, the capital of lithuania. >> you know, what is real in our life? writer dostoevsky, he wrote when you think about a crime, is already a crime. >> okay. that might be a little deep. let's just say it's a little of both. >> the video's real. all right? there's nothing being faked. like the car being crushed is not being faked. it's not like a cgi tank. >> the guy got into an armored
5:26 pm
vehicle and actually crushed a car on an actual street in vilnius. but everything about it i suspect is just completely staged. >> that is correct. there's no trickery or special effects, but the smashing of the mercedes is a setup. but why? in vilnius, lithuania, wealthy citizens flout the law and park their luxury automobiles wherever they want. >> i could see fancy cars parked in bike lane, for example. and i don't like that. if you are wealthy and you own big and expensive cars, this doesn't mean you have more rights in the city. >> these scoff laws are fined but it doesn't dissuade them from breaking the law. >> it's quite cheap in lithuania. the first fine will be $5. the second will be much bigger. and the third one just could be $200, $300. >> mayor zuokas decides to take matters into his own hands. he comes up with a plan he
5:27 pm
thinks will have a bigger impact than fines. >> my idea was to create a kind of provocation or social campaign just to start to talk about illegal parking. >> that campaign comes in the form of a youtube video where mayor zuokas taps into humankind's most primal urges. >> if you see a car that will block exit, for example, from your house or office, what usually you think? usually you think i would like maybe to crash this car. >> with this in mind, they hit the streets of vilnius with a used mercedes they purchased for the video and an armored personnel carrier borrowed from the local military museum. >> it's called a ptr-60. popular in the soviet union. even now they use this but a more modern version. >> the filmmakers park the mercedes illegally in a bike lane, and then have only one chance at getting the perfect shot. >> we have only one shot.
5:28 pm
but we were prepared very well. we succeeded easily, quite easily. >> as for the owner of the mercedes, he's played by a local actor. >> we tried to find a guy who looks like the real owner of a mercedes. you could see similar like this guy with a mercedes quite often in the city of vilnius. >> with all forgiven, the mayor cleans up after his mess. >> i like how they have this little scene with the mayor sweeping bits of crushed glass off the highway to advertise the sense of civic responsibility and duty after crushing a mercedes. >> on august 2nd, 2011, mayor zuokas launches the clip on his youtube page. in just a few days, it goes viral getting millions of hits and petrifying parking perpetrators worldwide.
5:29 pm
>> i was, of course, surprised of such popularity of this film. the reaction was so huge everywhere in the world. >> videos of destruction have a tendency to really be fascinating to people. that's almost like destruction porn of watching a building collapse or a car be smashed. >> the video is a huge hit, but does it really deter parking scofflaws? >> it will reduce this problem for sure because the people now have the image of tank which maybe will come and crash their car. >> after watching mayor zuokas and his car crushing adventures, many wonder if a u.s. politician could pull off the same stunt? >> michael dukakis, presidential candidate in 1988 got in a tank and put on a helmet and looked silly. >> we live in a -- how can i say this -- much less soviet country. officials here look less oppressive. where there, apparently, they
5:30 pm
like to look more impressive. >> since becoming an internet sensation, the mayor continues to combat parking violators in new and unique ways. >> so they printed this special sticker and they distribute this for free for the citizens in vilnius. >> his latest innovation is a three-step sticker system. >> step one, if you see a car parked in bad way, you just put the sticker on the glass. step two, if you will see the same car, you will put much bigger sticker. and if you will see for the third time, please call to me and i will come. ♪ coming up, a black belt black bear. >> it's, like, always on the verge of going out of control. >> but is he a master of kung fu or a master of trickery? >> how the hell did it do that? that's crazy. >> it looks fake. it's just so fast. [bell rings]
5:31 pm
[prof. burke] at farmers,we make you smarter about your insurance,because what you don't know can hurt you. what if you didn't know that home insurance can keep your stuff covered,even when it's not at home? or that collisions with wildlife on the road may not be covered. and what if you didn't know that you could be liable for any accidents on your property? the more you know,the better you can plan for what's ahead. talk to farmers and get smarter about your insurance. ♪ we are farmers bum - pa - dum, bum - bum - bum - bum♪
5:32 pm
and it feels like your lifeate revolves around your symptoms, ask your gastroenterologist about humira adalimumab. humira has been proven to work for adults who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief, and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your gastroenterologist about humira today. remission is possible.
5:34 pm
here's what's happening. in a news conference moments ago in malaysia, officials say there's no sign of a wreckage in the disappearance of a malaysian flight. witnesses tell the associated press they've seen dozens of military trucks arriving in crimea as russia reinforces its presence in the disputed ukrainian peninsula. russia still denies its troops are active in crimea. now back to "caught on camera." welcome back to "caught on camera." i'm contessa brewer. okay, you may have heard of kung fu panda. obviously a fictional cartoon character. but when you see a real bear showing off some martial arts moves, well, that's a recipe for millions of hits and a lot of people scratching their heads and saying, there's just no way.
5:35 pm
this video starts out like any other shot by a tourist visiting the zoo. but it quickly turns into a scene from "crouching tiger, hidden black bear?" ♪ >> it's, like, always on the verge of going out of control. and not once does the bear hit himself in the face. like that's really impressive. >> i love this one. the kind that you watch it and even if you're by yourself at the computer, you start giggling but you can't stop yourself. >> no one's heard of the teenager mutant ninja bears. is this the work of a talented visual effects artist? or is this black bear channeling the ghost of bruce lee? >> it does look really fake. so much dexterity. >> when animals do something that looks human, we're just taken aback by it. we think how the hell did it do that?
5:36 pm
that's crazy. >> i was waiting to find out what camera trick they did to make it look so smooth. >> amazingly, the kung fu bear is 100% factually accurate. >> it turns out it's just a very talented bear. >> for years claude the bear has been wowing visitors in japan with his mastery of martial arts. claude taught himself serious stick skills after zoo keepers gave him a five foot staff to play with shortly after his arrival in 2002. >> the poor bear is like bored out of his mind. well, i've got this stick and i'm really smart. >> but claude doesn't gain worldwide fame until teenager alex graham visits the zoo during a family trip in 2009. >> the zoo is generally really quiet. we were looking around. i walk off by myself. >> soon alex comes face-to-face with claude the bear. >> so i take out my camera.
5:37 pm
>> alex can't believe his eyes when claude picks up the stick. >> i was pretty amazed when i saw claude playing with the stick doing all these amazing tricks. at the time i was filming it, i was thinking this could get millions of views on youtube. >> alex decides to make his vision a reality. he comes home from his trip and edits together a montage of claude's best moves. the bear's tricks are so unbelievable that even alex's sister yuki thinks it's a fake. >> there's a ton of crazy stuff in japan, so i thought maybe it was a show or something. then he's like, no, it's real. >> alex uploads the video in september 2009. >> i start getting thousands of views. started getting really excited. then week after week it kept blowing up. >> before long, the video entitled "kung fu bear" receives more than 3 1/2 million hits on youtube. the video's so popular, it
5:38 pm
spawns numerous parodies. >> good morning, ninja bear. time to complete your ninja training. >> almost like the entire internet was riffing on this video for a little bit. >> i've seen ones with mortal kombat sounds. you know, that sort of thing. >> the light saber version where the bear's carrying a light saber instead of a stick. that one's funny. >> people want to recontextualize anything that's popular. it's a way people can participate in the viral revolution. >> but with growing popularity comes growing skepticism. many viewers think alex's video is a fake. >> the part where he flips the stick in the air and catches it, that's where most people will call it fake. it's just too incredible to like believe. >> to quash rumors about the video's illegitimacy, alex posts an extended uncut version of kung fu bear online. >> this video is 100% real.
5:39 pm
i haven't added any effects to it. it's completely 100% true. >> two years after claude's meteoric rise to fame, alex's younger sister yuki takes a trip to japan. one of her first stops is the zoo. >> i thought if i saw it for myself, i could brag about it to my friends and stuff. be like, oh, yeah, i saw that in real life. >> at first things look bleak. >> get your video ready. >> i'm videoing. >> then to yuki's excitement, claude starts up his old tricks. >> he's doing it! he looked a little like lazy kind of. he wasn't exactly doing the same tricks as fast. he was still doing the same old stuff, but maybe a little slower. >> older and wiser, claude continues to excite crowds at the zoo and around the world on youtube. many wonder what his next trick will be.
5:40 pm
>> he can probably run the banks better than the guys who are doing that. coming up -- a reckless stunt. >> i hear a car coming, i'm like oh my god, please. >> that can't be real, can it? and later, man's best friend tells you how she really feels. >> i love you. >> i love you little doggy. oh, my god. >> this is the easiest thing to fake. >> i love you. latte or au lait?
5:41 pm
cozy or cool? "meow" or "woof"? exactly the way you want it ... until boom, it's bedtime! your mattress is a battleground of thwarted desire. enter the all-new sleep number classic series. designed to let couples sleep together in individualized comfort. starting at just $699.99 for a queen mattress. he's the softy. his sleep number setting is 35. you're the rock, at 60. and snoring? sleep number's even got an adjustment for that. find your sleep number setting only at a sleep number store. know better sleep with sleep number. so i tri know better sleep with sleep number. ed depend so i it really made the difference between a morning around the house and getting a little exercise. hi-ya! and i tried a baking class. one weekend can make all the difference. unlike the bargain brand, depend gives you the confidence of new fit-flex® protection. it's a smooth and comfortable fit with more lycra strands.
5:42 pm
it's our best protection. take your weekend on with a free sample at depend.com what's precious to you is precious to us. and from your family, to your belongings, to your dreams for retirement, nationwide is here to protect what you love most. we put members first, because we don't have shareholders. join the nation. ♪ nationwide is on your side
5:43 pm
5:44 pm
insane stunt that gives waiting for the bus a whole new meaning. >> i'm going to see if i can try to do a stunt. let's see how this works. >> he dashes out into the road where there's obviously dangerous oncoming traffic. >> he waits for the right car, runs out. >> then he quickly leaps to the ground when a bus comes. >> he's just like flying superflat and it goes over him between the wheels. >> then springs up afterward safe and sound having, apparently done a very daring stunt. >> dangerous, yes. crazy, for sure. but is it fact or fiction? >> initially you sort of gasp and you're like, no, no way. that can't be real, can it? >> it's unlikely that you will survive laying down under a bus. many things can go very wrong. >> it looks like something like maybe that could work. but there's just no way. >> definitely do not try this at home. it is 100% fake, so trying this for real could cause 100% injury.
5:45 pm
the stuntman is visual effects editor daniel saldovar who creates the video while on summer break in high school. >> that particular day i was bored. i wanted to do something that day. >> daniel has a visual effects program on his computer and wants to test it out. his idea is to shoot multiple shots and layer them on top of each other to create the illusion of being run over by a bus. >> i went out to the front yard, set up my tripod. i set up the camera, lined it up right, watched traffic go by for a few minutes. >> first he needs a shot of himself lying in the middle of an empty street. but in the process, his special effect nearly becomes a reality. >> i run out there, lay on the floor and i hear a car coming. i'm like, oh, my god, please. i got up and ran out of the way. the driver is like, what's going on? >> he finally gets the shot. >> all right, i got it. cut, print, let's move on.
5:46 pm
>> he takes the footage and begins the tedious process of roto scoping. >> you cut out the bus, the shadows, you do it frame by frame. >> those elements are then layered on to a shot of the empty street. but there's a problem. because of the long duration between the shots, the lighting is off. daniel uses some hollywood magic to mask the error. >> the shadows aren't necessarily completely right. >> i added the lens flair to cover up the sun changes. >> but for many this is a telltale sign the video is fake. >> unless you're shooting "transformers 4" this amount of lens filter is not acceptable. >> in addition to the lens flair, there may be another slight issue with the video's believability. >> i just don't believe the bus would barrel right over without even hesitating a little. >> i'm this bus driver and i see a dude in the middle of the street. oh, you know what? i don't like my job, i'm just going to try to kill him. oh, that's that kid who lays under my bus every time i go by
5:47 pm
trying to get on youtube. >> well, it worked. daniel's clip receives thousands of hits and has helped him fine tune his skills. but for those who still believe they can do the bus stunt without special effects, daniel has a message. >> my video is definitely fake. so do not try this at home. it's a lot of computer geekness making something look cool. >> from a stunt that seems superhuman to a dog that wants to be human. >> mishka, i love you. >> the three little words we all long to hear. >> i love you. >> but imagine hearing the phrase from your dog. >> i love you. >> i love you. >> good girl. >> i love you, little doggy. oh, my gosh. >> it's impossible not to join in. >> i love you. >> good girl. >> i love you. >> everybody's always wanted to know if their dog loves them back. >> i would love to have my dog tell me he loves me.
5:48 pm
god knows i fed him enough. >> mishka's owners aren't descendants of dr. doolittle, so how can this dog possibly talk? >> it's so unbelievable a dog could say i love you. >> this is the easiest thing to fake. >> you could probably dub over the animal. >> all you need is a tape recorder and somebody that has a very dog-like voice. >> it's just too good to be true. >> i love you. >> unbelievably mishka, the siberian husky, can talk. >> i love you. >> in february, 2008, after discovering mishka's talent, her owners, matt and melina post the video online. >> i love you. >> i love you. >> astonishingly it racks up more than 16 million hits on youtube. >> it's cute and it makes you smile and giggle every time you see it. >> i love you. >> i love you. >> animals are just awesome. we just love to see them acting
5:49 pm
in ways i don't expect. >> i love the howling. it's like i'm so frustrated! stop making me say this. >> but they want mishka's voice to be heard. in fact, they post more than 450 videos on youtube chronicling her daily life. >> i love you. >> she becomes an internet sensation and a desirable tv show guest. they stop by the "today" show to speak with ann curry. >> how did you first make this discovery that mishka could mimic these words in this way? >> well, she was always really talkative and liked to howl. one time it sounded like i love you. so we said i love you back to her and she started mimicking us. >> do you think she'd talk to us this morning? >> oh, yeah, i think so. >> yeah. okay. mishka, i love you. >> i love you. >> she doesn't want to stop saying i love you.
5:50 pm
>> i love you. >> good girl. good girl. >> good job. >> but i can't help but wonder what is going on in mishka's mind when she says i love you? >> i love you. >> i'll put it very simply. what the dog is thinking when the owner is asking them to do something is treat. i love treats. i love treats. coming up -- look to the sky. it's a bird. it's a plane. it's a kayak? >> it's just crazy. that must be fake. >> it gives me so much anxiety watching it. >> it's obviously not something you see every day. [ sponge ] welcome back to "you make a choice."
5:51 pm
meet our contestant. will she choose to help maintain her hands... or to really clean her dishes? oooh, we have a game changer?! [ female announcer ] dawn hand renewal with olay beauty has a specially designed formula that helps lock in your hands' natural moisture while getting dishes squeaky clean. [ sponge ] sparkling dishes and fabulous hands -- she looks happy about those prizes! [ female announcer ] dawn does more. [ sponge ] so it's not a chore.
5:54 pm
we are used to seeing daredevils push themselves thos the limit, but this video combines two extreme sports and pushes the boundaries of believability. >> we have a guy in a kayak skydiving which is obviously not something that you would see everyday. >> and he sort of is rolling around and like as though he is like in the jetsons going through the air. >> i have seen people jump out in bikes or skis or something like that, but that is new. >> this is almost a video that i wanted to be fake, because it gives me so much anxiety watching it. >> so is skyacking an extreme sport or an extreme work of fiction? >> people fake things a lot with extreme sports. >> who on earth jumps out of an airplane for a kayak. >> it seems like an ad for testosterone body spray or something. >> it's just crazy. that must be fake. >> well, let's ask the man in the boat, miles dasher.
5:55 pm
>> skyacking is very real. if you think it is a mistake, check this out, i'm going to take you on a ride. skyacking is a daredevil sport it's like skydiving on steroids when you do something like that. >> he can be tracing his skydiving to extremes back to 1982. >> it was like this, and i quit my job and spent all of my money on jumping and living the dream. >> as if simply jumping out of an airplane and plummeting to earth isn't enough a thrill, dasher keeps upping the challenge in order to chase new highs. >> i was the first person to land a bicycle skybiking. i was like "e.t." and i was riding a bike on a parachute, i'm flying around, they're like,
5:56 pm
look at me on this bike, this is awesome. take my picture, dude, quick. i'm doing it. >> ah, dude, thanks a lot, man. geez -- i'm trying to jump off this -- >> i'm a base jumper and i jump off of bridges and antennas and parachutes and now i am sitting on more base jumps than anybody on the planet. >> but dasher takes it to the next level when a buddy of his makes a unique request. >> a friend of mine makes packing movies, and he asked me if i could jump out of an airplane with a kayak. >> he loves skydiving but kayaking is a different story. >> and kayaks and river is a scary sport, because your legs are locked into the boat, and as soon as you get upside down, and you have rocks flying by your head under the water, and you can't breathe. >> but never one to back down from a challenge, dasher decides to give skyacking a try.
5:57 pm
>> the first jump we did i was real nervous. we had an escape plan to get out of the boat, just in case things went wrong. >> luckily, dasher does not have to use it. >> it worked out great, because not only did i sit upright on the boat, but i could do spins, a flat spin. i could pump back and forth and tuck up and roll the boat, just like you roll a kayak. >> he even sticks the tricky landing. >> when you are landing in the boat, you are in an l-seated position and you will take the impact with your back, so you want to nail it and skim and settle it in real nice. >> from that moment, miles is hooked, and attempts numerous skyack jumps. >> you need the right tool for the right job, and that is sometimes i consider myself an all-purpose tool. i have the balance of a bird and reflexes of a jungle cat.
5:58 pm
>> dasher's tools of the trade include a very specific kind of kayak. >> it takes the right boat to skyack and if you have boat with concave tops to it, and you get upside down, it will cup the air and you're not going to be able to flip out of it. >> dasher also equips the skyak with an emergency parachute to make sure it won't plummet to the ground. >> this is it. this is the perfect size for a 30-pound kayak. >> and so he has a pimped out kayak and nerves of steel, but can dasher actually make a career out of skyacking. >> he is going to be the skyacker guy, and i will go the your birthday party in my skyack. bar mitzvah? skyack man. >> miles actually has parlayed his daring do into dollars, skyacking and performing other
5:59 pm
stunts as a member of the red bull army. >> we are nonmilitary. we are just a power in the sky. we are an aerial team and we go around the whole world and we get to go to cool air shows, and we do all kinds of events. >> so with skybiking, basejumping, and skyacking conquered, what feat could possibly be next for miles dasher? >> i think the next big sport may be jumping with animals. >> plummeting and no parachute, just plummeting. >> i don't know if you could get more extreme than that. >> a lot of people say that i may have a death wish, but i say c contrare monfrar, i have a life wish and i want to go out to are have as much fun as i can possibly have in my whole life. >> from sky diving with a kayak to running over a car in an armored personnel carrier, the web is full of amazing videos, whether fact or fiction, one thing is for sure, these videos
6:00 pm
are certainly entertaining. i'm contessa brewer. that is all for this edition of "caught on camera." due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >> i didn't stab people in prison. i don't orchestrate riots. >> i do believe michael bates is our highest ranking blood member in the jail. >> a gang leader has his authority challenged by another inmate. >> one of my up. s had a complaint against this gentleman here. yes. said that he
84 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
MSNBC West Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on