Maybe don’t stick flying bladed cameras in a movie star’s face

Maybe don’t stick flying bladed cameras in a movie star’s face

A promo still for Netflix’s Agent From Above. | Image: Netflix

The upcoming Netflix show Agent From Above tried to film its star up close with a drone — and Taiwanese actor Kai Ko got stitches, and possibly worse, when things went wrong (via DroneDJ).

We don’t have many confirmed details on what happened during the December 27th shoot other than that they were filming an action scene close-up when the drone hit him in the face, slashing his cheek.

“Standard safety guidelines”

Ko’s manager told Taiwanese media that the star suffered “serious disfigurement” and needed up to 30 stitches after the drone exploded. Production companies mm2 and Good Films say “there was no explosion or blades shattering as reported in some articles,” claim it was operating “within standard safety guidelines,” and say that the drone’s propeller blades were “shielded by a protective layer.”

Both sides agree that his cheeks were injured and needed stitches, though, and Variety confirmed that he hadn’t returned to work as of January 11th, though production on the show has resumed.

Netflix doesn’t appear to be commenting on the incident.

I humbly suggest that the “standard safety guidelines” should include: “don’t film anywhere near a person’s face with a flying bladed camera.”

Of the many drone incidents we’ve covered at The Verge, most of them have happened when a drone was someplace it shouldn’t be — like directly above a world championship skier or over busy Manhattan streets or atop power lines that are not, in fact, a landing pad or above a stand of bull run spectators or above a parade or near a group of Swiss children or simply within reach of Enrique Iglesias.