If it hadn't been for a heroic stagehand, it's safe to assume that the
rock band Creed would be in the news these days for more than just the
Nov. 20 release of their new album. Confidential's informants on the
Orlando, Fla., set of the band's new video, My Sacrifice, tell me the
collapse of a crane onto a flooded set nearly electrocuted the band's
front man, Scott Stapp, six extras, and four divers. A scene in the
video, shot on the backlot of the city's Universal Studios, features a
flooded street with teenagers standing on the roofs of submerged cars.
It also calls for Stapp, 28, to row a small aluminum boat past the cars
while singing. "All of a sudden, this 120-foot camera crane slowly
started tipping over," one source said. "It was coming down into 1
million gallons of water that had been pumped on the set, bringing with
it wiring and electrical equipment. It was about to hit the water when
some stagehand threw an emergency shutoff switch. Another two seconds
and Scott would've been fried along with the extras and safety divers."
In the end, three extras suffered very minor abrasions. Call it blind
luck, but some smart guy on the set decided to build the emergency
switch just hours before the shoot.