Well guys, this is my last Trauma blog this season... so I'll try to make it a good one.  As some of you may have seen on NBC's Today show interview with Natalie Morales, I suffered a traumatic injury myself! Luckily, it was during the season finale.



I was shooting a scene where Casey (Marisa's ex-boyfriend) gets into a fight in the streets of North Beach.

Here we are shutting down the neighborhood, and another pic of where the fight takes place - in the MIDDLE of the street.



It was scripted that Marisa "stands to the side," but when the cameras started rolling I jumped in and got involved!

The director loved it and said, "Keep doing that!" So, we did 12 MORE TAKES.

Apparently, I fractured my finger on the FIRST take.  But, I was so JACKED UP ON ADRENALINE that I didn't even notice! When we cut, I was taken to the ER for X-rays.

I felt like one of the patients on our show!

The next day I was on Today talking about my FRACTURED FINGER. It was pretty funny because I broke my MIDDLE finger so the Today show producers kept reminding me not to accidently flick off the camera (while showing my injury) during the interview.



In tonight's episode, you'll also see Marisa and Casey shoot guns.

Here, I am learning how to hold the gun correctly with our firearms expert. Can you see my flesh-colored bandaged middle finger? Hopefully, you won't notice it in tonight's episode.



I'll end my blog with two pictures of beautiful San Francisco.

I took this one on a rainy day with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.



And, I took this one on a sunny day at our home base on Treasure Island.



Thanks again for all your comments!

If you want to follow me during the season break, or interact with more fans and keep current with Trauma - you can check out my website www.aimee-garcia.com or the official Trauma Facebook fansite at http://www.facebook.com/traumanbc.

Enjoy tonight's season finale! 

As you know, we shoot in the ACTUAL STREETS of San Francisco, and in tonight's episode you'll see a couple more cool neighborhoods. The first is the Mission, where Marisa grew up.



The Mission District, also commonly called "The Mission," is named after the sixth Alta California mission, Mission San Francisco de Asis... San Francisco's OLDEST BUILDING, located in the neighborhood. The Mission District even became home to the FIRST PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL STADIUM in California when "Recreation Grounds" opened in 1868.  Shooting in front of a mural in the Mission.

Tonight you'll also see an AMAZING stunt! A woman FALLS DOWN THE STAIRS.



Can you tell that only the LAST stair is REAL CONCRETE? The other ones are fake FOAM.
 
Stunt stairs



In order to avoid injury, our stunt coordinator padded the concrete stairs with foam pads that are the EXACT color of the stairs.

Here they are making the foam pads to look identical to the surrounding concrete, and attaching them to the stairs.  Crew padding the concrete stairs for a stunt

In this same shot, you'll also see the P.O.V. of the girl falling. In order to simulate this angle, the camera department PUT A CAMERA INSIDE A WOODEN WHEEL, AND put another camera on the SIDE of the same wheel.




Then, they ROLLED the wheel and THE TWO CAMERAS DOWN THE STAIRS!

Our director of photography (at the top of the stairs) was a little nervous the camera would break, but the camera made it down safely.
 The camera simulating a POV

And because San Francisco is such a TOURIST town, we also had to have a scene where a Bzzz Tour car gets in an accident. Here's a pic I took after the stunt happened.



Well, thanks again for all your comments and enjoy tonight's episode!

"Frequent Fliers" is the term paramedics give to people who abuse the system and call 911 to get free drugs (usually morphine) and a warm bed... or people who just need some company. Tonight the frequent flier is played by Richard Kind, who, you might recognize from the Oscar-nominated "A Serious Man," "Spin City" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm."









You'll also see an incident at a stable. Not to give too much away... but when the horse "kicks" the jockey, rest assured that no one (including the horse) gets hurt.

Instead, we used this fake "horse leg" to kick the actor.



BUT, real horses had to work this episode too.

One thing the trainers had to do was get the horse used to the "white board," a board that acts as a light reflector. At first the light bothered the horse, so three days before shooting, the trainer would hold the white board to get the horse used to it by the time it was on set. Here he is training the horse on Treasure Island (notice the Bay Bridge in the background).


Well, thanks again for all your comments and support.

Enjoy the episode!

Welcome back!

In tonight's episode, you will see INSANE moves from an amazing dancer. She pretty much stunned the whole crew with her GRAVITY-DEFYING pole work.

At one point the camera cut in the middle of her routine, so one of our production assistants told her she could rest and come off of the pole. She didn't come down; instead, she said she was fine where she was -

5 FEET OFF THE GROUND
Holding up her ENTIRE BODY
At a 90-degree angle from the pole
... with the BACKS OF HER KNEES!

We shot the scene at Centerfolds in North Beach, San Francisco.

Tonight's episode showcases some of San Francisco's most beautiful architecture, including the Palace of Fine Arts. It was originally built in 1915 for the World's Fair in celebration of the completion of the Panama Canal. It's pretty impressive, and unlike any other building I have seen in California.



Helicopter in front of Palace of Fine Arts





Here is my P.O.V. of what I see when we're shooting on location and while I'm waiting between takes.



View from inside helicopter

Thanks again for all of your comments! Yes. It's great to be back :)

In tonight's episode, you'll see a car fall onto a pile of junkyard cars. As with most of our BIG STUNTS we had ONE take to get it right.

I took this picture right before the car fell. The vehicle was hanging from a large crane, and made quite the impact.

Unfortunately, it doesn't just fall on a pile of cars, but on a human HAND.

Our make-up department did an AMAZING job creating a "severed hand." They made a life cast of the actor's hand in a special silicone. Here are pictures of the process:

Step #1: Casting hand in special silicone

Step #2: Casting hand in prosthetic grade alginate

Step #3: The special silicone skin casting of the arm - demolding.

Step #4: The sculpture of the arm.

You can't tell but the actor's REAL hand is in a fist position in a plastic underskull.

In tonight's episode, we also have a special guest star -- Kevin Tighe, who is known for his role as firefighter/paramedic Roy DeSoto on the NBC-Universal TV series Emergency! (1972 to 1977).

Well, thanks again for all of your questions and comments, and enjoy tonight's episode!

In tonight's episode, not only does Marisa GET A NEW PARTNER, she also has to do MORE MEDICINE (not Marisa's favorite thing). Here's a picture of me learning where to put my hands for CPR from Dr. John, our medical consultant. HE IS THE BEST! He consulted on "ER," and always helps us to be as medically accurate as possible.

OH, and I practiced SO MUCH that the wardrobe department made me wear KNEE PADS. I actually wore them for the scene too because we did so many takes. (Hopefully, you won't notice them in tonight's episode).

And, if you're wondering how the CAR WINDOW got SMASHED, the crew took a HAMMER to the car.

Yes. It was a REAL HAMMER and yes, it was real glass.

Now, if you're wondering where all of that post-accident SMOKE comes from--it comes from our wonderful smoke operator. The director kept yelling

"Too much smoke!... Not enough smoke!"

And, of course the smoke operator has to stay out of the shot. But, during a couple of takes the camera caught the smoke operator...oops.

As for the deer, it's from Animal Makers in Moorpark, CA. It is considered faux taxidermy. Made out of real fur, but everything else is fake. Glass eyes, silicone tongue, and urethane foam make up its body. The fur is from several different pelts. It took them about three days to put it together.

And of course, my helicopter. It never gets old... especially if it's glistening in front of the Bay Bridge. I love this city!

Welcome back!

Tonight's episode showcases the FIRST time Tyler and Boone work a call in the HELICOPTER. As you can see from the picture, it was a little bumpy for them. In fact, Tyler ended up with SO MUCH FAKE BLOOD on his face we had to cut in the middle of a take, because his contacts were soaked and he couldn't see for five minutes!
You won't see THIS much fake blood on Tyler's face tonight, but I just wanted to show you a picture of a great outtake.

However, in tonight's episode you guys WILL see a bank robbery. Our set dressing ("set dressing" is the art of adding objects to a set for a more realistic simulation) and art team converted a closed OUT-OF-COMISSION bank into an OPERATING bank. They had to create all of the artwork and bring in furniture and plants to give the closed bank an "open-for-business" feel. It took two days to dress the bank and bring it to life. All of the teller counters and permanent cubicles were already intact so it made it a lot easier to "dress."

Why is the SWAT team in this episode?

SWAT joins paramedics on site if the 911 incidents involve HOSTAGE SITUATIONS or when suspects have barricaded themselves in a building. They use military tactics to deal with heavily ARMED suspects. They search the building and SECURE THE SCENE before paramedics are allowed to work on victims.

AND, I still can't get over the beautiful views of San Francisco. The city is so beautiful it's hard to take a bad picture. The weather, bridges, ocean and greenery make it different than any other city. I snapped this one when we were shooting near the Bay Bridge.

Well, thanks again for tuning in and let me know if you guys have any questions.

It's GREAT TO BE BACK and ENJOY TONIGHT'S EPISODE!

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, this is the church where Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe took their wedding pictures in 1954 and where DiMaggio's funeral was held. This is also where Rabbit, Tyler, and I pick up a patient in tonight's episode. Built in 1884, St. Peter and Paul's Church has been featured in many films, including Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry" and "The Ten Commandments."

Ducks, turkeys and chickens guest star on tonight's "Thanksgiving" episode.

A local farmer brought in 12 turkeys, 12 ducks and 20 chickens. They worked for four hours. Lucky!

For tonight's episode, we not only rented livestock, but also an old decommissioned 747 AIRCRAFT from an airplane graveyard outside of Los Angeles.

You won't be able to tell when you look at the plane tonight, but the FRONT section is from a BRAND NEW plane that had just gone out of service. The REAR TAIL section is from AN OLDER plane that had already been used in many films, so we were able to SET IT ON FIRE (literally).

This episode rocked my world, literally. I was hanging from a 160-foot construction crane, six stories high. And, yes, the helicopter was rocking.

The helicopter (and I) hung over a tank that was

60 feet wide
5 feet deep, and contained
100,000 gallons of water.

One of my favorite San Francisco neighborhoods will be featured in tonight's episode -- North Beach! If you haven't been to North Beach, it's the "Little Italy" of San Francisco. Home to Jack Kerouac, birthplace of Joe DiMaggio and where he took his wedding pictures with Marilyn Monroe (we actually will shoot in front of the church in an upcoming episode), and one of the most loved neighborhoods in the country. North Beach is full of history.

I love the Italian food, culture, and Marisa's CAR! (Apparently she has a thing for Italians too).

You can only see the BACK of it in this picture, but it's an Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce. It's a stick shift, and I learned how to drive it the day of, so hopefully they'll cut before I stall the car.

As you can see in this pic that I took between takes, the production of Trauma takes over the city streets... today North Beach.

How do you flip a 3.5 ton ambulance?

You clean out the back of the rig, attach giant pistons under one side, and then FIRE PISTONS AT THE GROUND to flip over the ambulance at the moment of impact.

Do not try this at home.

Like I've said before, most of the stunts are REAL (versus computer generated). For example, the car that crashes into Nancy and Glen's rig tonight was going 35 MPH at the moment of impact. There is a good chance that the ambulance would have flipped naturally, but to be sure and also add to the visual exhibition, the pistons were used to flip the ambulance shown above. It's fun to watch at home, and unbelievable to watch in person.

MASQUARADE BLOG

Tonight is our Halloween episode, and there is no better place for it than San Francisco. There is no shortage of action in this city, and you would think that Marisa had done or seen everything there is to see after serving in the Army. However, driving a beat-up ambulance, flying a mermaid, and becoming a medic somehow never made the list.

Rabbit and I do arrive by AMBULANCE in this episode, and you'll see me drive this beat-up rig. I couldn't see ANYTHING, so I had to look out the SIDE window.

Today I walked into the make-up trailer and saw a dummy waiting to be touched up for his big car crash scene. You might think I was surprised, but on the set of Trauma you have to expect ANYTHING: prosthetic fingers, wigs, and of course, fake blood... this time it was a narcissistic hunk of plastic...

...So I waited my turn.

We shoot in the streets of San Francisco or on Treasure Island, so the LOCATIONS are real. Sometimes we aren't.

Tonight's episode kicks off with the "eyeball scene." (You'll see why we called it that tonight. Let's just say it's nasty). In this scene, Marisa is out for a jog when she hears two cars collide. This is what paramedics call an MVA or (Motor Vehicle Accident).

Trauma is a very physical show...

I'm glad I was keeping up with my cardio because THE NIGHT BEFORE shooting, I got a new scene. It said, "Marisa sprints down the Embarcadero... running like someone who is used to pushing themselves."

I immediately started stretching.

Tonight, there will be an "incident" at a street fair, and we touch down the copter on the now trashed "Embarcadero" (the eastern waterfront roadway of the San Francisco Port). In fact, it looked SO TRASHED, that when a couple of local joggers saw the set they asked if everyone was okay.

It didn't just LOOK real, it FELT real, maybe that's because the action you'll see tonight WAS real.

Between the wind, dirt and blood, we felt like we were in a war zone. And, not to give anything away, but YES that is a real car tonight.

As you'll see in the first episode tonight, this show is fast and intense. From shutting down a major freeway in San Francisco for five days, to our EMT ride-alongs, what you see is what you get.


Marisa's helicopter landing in the middle of the I-280 freeway

Hey guys, it's Aimee Garcia. I play the EMT helicopter pilot on NBC's new show Trauma, Peter Berg's action-packed medical drama about a group of heroic EMTs in San Francisco.

Cast of Trauma standing in the middle of the 280 Freeway in San Francisco

By now, I'm sure you've seen Trauma promos with helicopter crashes and tanker explosions. And, you're probably wondering how many of those stunts are real, how much of the show is computer generated, and if we're really shooting in San Francisco. Well, I decided to write this blog to give you guys behind-the-scenes access to each episode and answer your questions.