# Why is there no video footage of Philippe Petit's WTC tightrope walk? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 28, 2016, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617 "2016-06-28T12:09:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/1 "2016-06-28T12:09:30Z")
Ever since I saw “Man on Wire” and was like “WTF, after all that, all you have are still photos?!?” I have wondered about this. It’s so strange that he brought someone along to film it, but the guy didn’t get a single second of footage because he was “too exhausted”. Stranger still that TV news stations didn’t get any. :dubious: I’m not wanting to get into conspiracy theories along the “moon landing was a hoax!” variety, and I understand that if it really was a hoax, the contemporaneous newspaper stories about it would have inspired a lot of New Yorkers to react with “I was in that neighborhood and nothing like that happened”. I just want to know, _where is the footage_–and if there really is none, how could that possibly happen? ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/2 "2016-06-28T14:32:03Z")
He did it without any advance warning so it would have taken time to get TV cameras down there or in the air. The news channels may not have even saved it. For example, very little footage of Walter Cronkite doing the CBS evening News in the 1960s or lots of sporting events…the tape was often re used. Much footage from the 1973 World Series between the New York Mets and Oakland A’s doesn’t exist so Petit’s walk could have suffered the same fate, if it even got filmed. > **[Wipe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiping#World_Series_telecasts)** > > Wipe or wiping may refer to: ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/3 "2016-06-28T17:25:04Z")
Huh. That’s messed up. I referenced Apollo earlier, and I have read that high-quality footage of the moon landing was erased because NASA reused the tapes. The shortsightedness and stupidity is incomprehensible but not unprecedented. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/4 "2016-06-28T17:28:49Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Huh. That’s messed up. I referenced Apollo earlier, and I have read that high-quality footage of the moon landing was erased because NASA reused the tapes. The shortsightedness and stupidity is incomprehensible but not unprecedented. Where did you read _this_? ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/5 "2016-06-28T17:39:31Z")
> **[Houston, We Erased The Apollo 11 Tapes](https://www.npr.org/2009/07/16/106637066/houston-we-erased-the-apollo-11-tapes)** > > After failing to find the originals, NASA refurbished the existing footage with help from Hollywood. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/6 "2016-06-28T17:59:25Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > [Houston, We Erased The Apollo 11 Tapes : NPR](http://www.npr.org/2009/07/16/106637066/houston-we-erased-the-apollo-11-tapes) Damn. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/7 "2016-06-28T18:11:01Z")
Yeah. ☹ Sorry to ruin your day. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/8 "2016-06-28T18:14:56Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Damn. Nothing was really “lost”. The original data tapes of the TV broadcast were wiped, but the equipment to read that format doesn’t exist any more. The TV broadcasts were produced by filming the monitor that displayed the images, and we still have all that footage, as well as the 16mm film footage and all the still photos. In other words, we haven’t lost anything, but we don’t have the first-generation data that would probably have enabled us to see a better quality version of the TV pictures. Now, we return you to your regularly scheduled discussion. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/9 "2016-06-28T18:59:43Z")
I’m a documentary filmmaker and this is one bane of our existence. But you have to remember that the tapes were expensive and took up a lot of room. For a local TV station today it’s a room of hard drives, then it could be a building with all the costs that that entails. I remember talking to a Wyoming TV station about footage from the 1970s. I was told they’d sent it all to the dump in the 90s. In 1990, I was at a post facility and talked to a guy who was in charge of trashing ABC’s 1972 Olympics footage. I’m sure they kept highlights and finals, and everything to do with the Israeli athletes, but early heats of the canoe competition? Lost to history. Colophon, I’m not so sure the equipment to play the tapes doesn’t exist–these types of tape do still exist, and unless there’s a demand they may not have been transferred to another format. I see this with archive houses where, for example, they have 16mm film of something, but they don’t digitize it unless a customer wants it. ETA, I take it back–looking at the story, I can’t tell what format was used. I thought it would have been 2-inch video. So I don’t know whether there’s still gear around to read that kind of tape. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/10 "2016-06-28T19:45:35Z")
It also happened in 1974. News crews were still using film more than videotape back then. Portable video cameras and recorders were large, bulky, cumbersome and expensive. They also used a lot of electricity and battery tech back then was not good either. And they would have had to haul all that gear up to the roof. Even using the elevators (if they were even allowed inside) it would still have been impractical. The news crews were probably expecting him to fall and therefore felt being on the street would be a better vantage point anyway. There may have been some video footage shot from the street but it wouldn’t have been very exciting to watch and most likely was not saved. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/11 "2016-06-28T19:47:02Z")
The question that immediately arises is if the tightrope walk was illegal. Most of these are. And if it is illegal you don’t want the authorities to show up and arrest you before you can do it. Thus you are very careful about early notifications. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/12 "2016-06-28T19:49:12Z")
Odd that nobody thought to whip out their phones.Just kidding! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/13 "2016-06-28T19:57:36Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > The question that immediately arises is if the tightrope walk was illegal. Most of these are. And if it is illegal you don’t want the authorities to show up and arrest you before you can do it. Thus you are very careful about early notifications. It was absolutely illegal; Petit worked covertly with a team to figure out how to string the cable, and then to actually do so. In the end, all charges against him were dropped. > **[Philippe Petit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Petit#World_Trade_Center_walk)** > > Philippe Petit (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}French pronunciation: \[filip pəti\]; born 13 August 1949) is a French highwire artist who gained fame for his unauthorized highwire walks between the towers of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1971 and of Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1973, as well as between the Twin Towers of the World Trad... ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/14 "2016-06-28T20:01:23Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Odd that nobody thought to whip out their phones.Just kidding! Odd that nobody has linked up to the many [YouTube videos,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwbil5puqng) some of which show cell phone pics from curious onlookers. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/15 "2016-06-28T20:47:19Z")
I suppose some tourist could have taken footage on a Super 8 movie camera…those were relatively small and may exist in some one’s attic. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/16 "2016-06-28T21:05:23Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > It also happened in 1974. News crews were still using film more than videotape back then. Portable video cameras and recorders were large, bulky, cumbersome and expensive. They also used a lot of electricity and battery tech back then was not good either. A question that comes up about _Monty Python’s Flying Circus_ (and other shows) is why they used videotape indoors and film outdoors. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/17 "2016-06-28T22:38:24Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > A question that comes up about _Monty Python’s Flying Circus_ (and other shows) is why they used videotape indoors and film outdoors. Because video tape outdoors looks “wrong”. It is very obvious. Must be something about the frame rate and camera movements outside vs in the studio, because sitcoms (shot indoors) don’t look wrong on VT, but take that same show outside with the same camera and it looks odd. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/18 "2016-06-29T00:00:14Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > It also happened in 1974. News crews were still using film more than videotape back then. Portable video cameras and recorders were large, bulky, cumbersome and expensive. They also used a lot of electricity and battery tech back then was not good either. And they would have had to haul all that gear up to the roof. Even using the elevators (if they were even allowed inside) it would still have been impractical. The news crews were probably expecting him to fall and therefore felt being on the street would be a better vantage point anyway. > > There may have been some video footage shot from the street but it wouldn’t have been very exciting to watch and most likely was not saved. Footage from the street is actually what I had been hoping to see. Just something that gave an impression of what it looked like to onlookers down below. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/19 "2016-06-29T00:17:30Z")
I don’t think footage shot from the street would show anything. I think you wouldn’t be able to see the wire at all and the man would be just a speck in the image. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617/20 "2016-06-29T00:27:05Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Odd that nobody thought to whip out their phones.Just kidding! In 1974, they would be whipping out one of [these.](http://www.oaktreevintage.com/web_photos/Telephones/Motorola_Cellular-One_Cell-Phone_collage.jpg)😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-video-footage-of-philippe-petits-wtc-tightrope-walk/758617.md?page=2)