Documentary Mistakes ArmA 2 Clip For Real Combat Video

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
45,698
1
0
Documentary Mistakes ArmA 2 Clip For Real Combat Video

Video of IRA fighters shooting down a British helicopter included in a documentary produced by U.K. television network ITV is actually a YouTube clip of ArmA 2.

It's no secret that the Provisional Irish Republican Army was supported by many foreign individuals and governments over the years, including Moammar Gaddafi's Libya in the 1970s and 80s. Perhaps because of the situation in Libya, or perhaps just because it had some airtime to fill, ITV decided to produce and run a documentary on the matter, naturally making mention of a 1988 incident, captured on video, in which the IRA used Libyan-supplied anti-aircraft artillery to bring down a British helicopter.

There's only one problem: the shoot-down never actually happened. The video, posted on Operation Flashpoint [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJDeipvpjGQ] developed by Bohemia Interactive.

An ITV rep told the Guardian [http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/sep/27/ira-footage-video-game-itv] that the events depicted in the documentary were "genuine" but that the wrong clip was somehow inserted during the editing process. "This was an unfortunate case of human error for which we apologize," the rep said.

ITV has removed the documentary from its YouTube [http://www.itv.com/].

Bohemia Interactive CEO Marek Spanel described the whole thing as "very weird" and said that he didn't know anything about it prior to the documentary's debut. "At the moment we are gathering further information about the matter but I already had chance to see the documentary and so far I am not sure how could they make such [an] obvious mistake," he told Spong [http://spong.com/article/25435/ArmA-II-Developer-Calls-ITV-Misleading-for-IRA-Clip-Confusion]. "On a somewhat more positive note, we consider this as a bizarre appreciation of the level of realism incorporated into our games."



Permalink
 

Catchy Slogan

New member
Jun 17, 2009
1,931
0
0
Ser Imp said:
Ninja'd by your own membership here I'm afraid.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.315110-Documentary-makers-mistake-game-footage-for-terrorist-film#12793165
Still hilarious though, good thing there were no casualties!
That happens quite a lot. But the escapist staff have to check and site sources and I assume go through editing and such.

It's seems easy to mistake it if you're not all that familiar with games, but the researchers don't have that excuse as they should try to verify all thier sources.
 

SinisterGehe

New member
May 19, 2009
1,456
0
0
Honestly. I can't make a real footage of that even if I try. Ok with filters it might look real, but the backpacks on the characters are clipping >.< Along with others object and the smoke on the helicopter... Don't you start me about the smoke!

I think the guy who edited or the editor of this was on hes last paycheck or wanting to have hes last paycheck.
 

Woodsey

New member
Aug 9, 2009
14,553
0
0
Don't you all see what's going on here?

The vidya games are training terrorists! Look how realistic that clipping is! And those jaggy-edged shrubberies! And those robot arms!

Ban this filth.
 

Ghengis John

New member
Dec 16, 2007
2,209
0
0
So does ITV just seriously hate the Irish or what? I have no idea what their reputation is like. And UK posters care to inform me?
 

Leftnt Sharpe

Nick Furry
Apr 2, 2009
560
0
0
Ghengis John said:
So does ITV just seriously hate the Irish or what? I have no idea what their reputation is like. And UK posters care to inform me?
ITV doesn't have the same reputation in regards to news and current affairs that the BBC enjoys lets just put it that way.
 

Jabberwock King

New member
Mar 27, 2011
320
0
0
The last statement by BI's CEO was particularly amusing. Anyway, either someone was in a rush, lazy, or totally playing a joke on their boss.
 
Jun 11, 2008
5,331
0
0
Lol the IRA with AA weaponry. Use I'm sure they were able to hide that in the back of someone's house in one of the shitty ghetto in the North of Ireland. Seriously thought the only thing like this that the IRA ever had to my knowledge was AA missiles that were homemade from Boston and they were caught with those eventually. I am fairly sure they never imported AA of this type from Libya(It was thought but never confirmed). They did get ground to air Stinger type stuff from Lybia but not a proper mounted AA gun to my knowledge.

I'll be happy to be proven wrong on that so I will not say with 100% certainty I am right but to my knowledge even the premise is a bit BS never mind the footage where you can see the pixels of the game mind you.
 

Rawne1980

New member
Jul 29, 2011
4,144
0
0
You know, i've already laughed at this but it's that daft it deserves laughing at a second time.
 

Beryl77

New member
Mar 26, 2010
1,599
0
0
Going soon to bed and this just made go to bed with a smile.
I understand that the way the video was made, it looks quite realistic but only if you just take a quick look. It's not that hard to see that it's not real on a closer inspection and that's what I expect them to do, check the authenticity of the video. I guess someone was just too lazy or he was about to be fired.
 

ph0b0s123

New member
Jul 7, 2010
1,689
0
0
Leftnt Sharpe said:
Ghengis John said:
So does ITV just seriously hate the Irish or what? I have no idea what their reputation is like. And UK posters care to inform me?
ITV doesn't have the same reputation in regards to news and current affairs that the BBC enjoys lets just put it that way.
With 'Exposure' this was ITV's attempt at a investigative journalism program like, Dispatches or Cutting Edge on channel 4 or the many things of this type on the BBC. They have obviously failed miserably with trying to get some journalistic credentials with this gaff.

I don't know what you mean by hating the Irish though. Thought the program with solely about the IRA. People don't like the IRA because of the this whole the planted bombs that killed people bombing thing. Not sure what that has to do with negative feeling towards the Irish though. Not sure anyone much in the UK hated all of Ireland for what a minority did. In the UK we can workout the difference between the actions of a minority i.e republicans and not assuming a whole group of people are our enemies.
 

JMeganSnow

New member
Aug 27, 2008
1,591
0
0
Jabberwock King said:
The last statement by BI's CEO was particularly amusing. Anyway, either someone was in a rush, lazy, or totally playing a joke on their boss.
Or BI secretly paid them in order to get some publicity for their game. So realistic, even journalists can't tell!

Journalists on drugs, anyway.
 

Halfs-

New member
Feb 16, 2011
5
0
0
I actually know ITV's controller of current affairs, I'll send him a link to this in the morning!