By: Joe Scacciaferro CEO/Founder of Ferro Productions

The morning following the fire was spent with our core leadership team meeting off site in an effort to form the recovery plan.  For well over an hour we mentally recreated the entire facility room by room.

Collectively we were able to map it out in exact detail noting all items throughout the facility.  This exercise left us confident that when we gained access to the site we would be able to pinpoint areas to search for particular targeted items. We thought we were going to get in there and become the human embodiments of side-scan sonar and ground penetrating radar!  Well, you know what they say about the “best laid plans”… We failed to truly comprehend the effects of total structural devastation by fire.  There were no longer any landmarks standing. There were no indicators of any kind from the existing interior structure.  No walls, no doors, NO NUTTEN!

Our offices were on the second floor of a two-story brick professional building.  Pre-fire, you would walk up the stairs to the second floor landing then into our lobby.  From there, you would enter our outer offices.  To the left were our storage rooms, directly in front you would enter the adjacent office areas, where you would find the edit suites, a conference room and workstations.

Now, climbing up the rubble filled staircase you found yourself on the second “level.”  Instead of the familiar painted walls of the hallway, entrance to doors for other businesses, carpeted floors and acoustic title ceilings there now stood one immense area of black debris. At first your eyes were unable to process anything but ash and chard embers.  There were no discernable remains from the past. No way of understanding where you stood in time or space.  Under your shoes laid three feet of Black Death, scorched remnants of the structure’s framing, blackened ceiling fixtures and piles of burnt roof shingles.  As your gaze moved upward towards the ceiling, the unusual and, given the circumstances, unsettling sight of a blue sky with white puffy clouds suddenly struck you.  The entire roof and ceiling had been reduced to rubble beneath and in its place was a magnificent Spring sky.

We moved forward carefully, placing our feet as if walking out onto a frozen lake.  Our eyes slowly adjusted to the surreal blackened surroundings.  We instinctively spread out looking for possible markers to help reconstruct what seemed to be miles of embers and debris into something that resembled our familiar surroundings.  The silence of the crew in the belly of the beast was deafening as we began the search.  Slowly the silence turned to whispers. The whispers to a simple exchange of words which then gave way to conversation, “I think this is the front office door!”  “Well if that’s the door, it means over there should be an edit suite”.  “If that’s true, then camera storage should be somewhere around here.” Piece by piece we reframed our fallen offices.

Once we had identified the perimeter of the space, we began digging through the black water socked muck beneath our feet.  Utilizing the map we had created earlier in the day, everyone went after the critical items first.  In hindsight, it was interesting to note how and who, went looking for what and where, given their jobs and responsibilities within the company.

The emotions we experienced were mixed together like a a frat party cocktail; Somber remorse for our loss; Excitement to see what we can find; Hope that all was not lost and Fear that all our hopes would be lost amongst the reality of the ruins we were sifting.

The first large item found was our “WOODEN” laminated display cases. “WOODEN” being the operative word.These cases were custom fabricated by Calzone Case Company. One of the founders, Vinny Calzone, has been a friend for years and I always admired their products’ quality and durability, especially on the road, but this was RIDICULOUS.  The wooden laminated cases stood covered in soot and ash BUT they STOOD. INTACT!!! What magic had been fabricated into these cases???  An easy answer that I didn’t have to dig to deep for.  It’s the 40+ years of Calzone craftsmanship and experience in building arguably the finest cases on earth and in SPACE.  Why did I include “SPACE”… because it’s TRUE!  When your done reading this, check out their website www.calzonecase.com  “So whether you’re traveling by surface vehicles, aircraft, or space shuttle, having the Calzone advantage will help insure your success.”  They are not kidding!!

Displayed in these very Calzone cases were our Emmys. Our Credentials. Our laminates, collected from years of participation in the entertainment industry’s most memorable events. We had highly prized autographed items and a dozen framed book covers co-authored by me years ago. Thankfully, the 2 Super Bowl rings that were kept there on and off times were NOT party to the disaster. 

At first I was astonished to even see the cases. There they stood, waiting for us tocarefully remove the mounds of collapsed debris covering them. Then holding our breath, we pried open the doors that were, forced shut by the collapsing roof.  Once open, we found the Emmys!!! Charred and tarnished, yet still standing now seemingly reaching for rescue.

 “F**K  YEA !!!” could be heard for miles. It was our first resounding cheer which bellowed victoriously from the ruins. With hope restored, we continued the dig.  During the hours that followed there was a constant swing of emotions. Long periods of silence driven by loss and disappointment suddenly broken by a shout of “HOLY SHIT, look what I found”.  We had now become so accustom to our surroundings that the scorched earth we stood in somehow became the familiar surroundings of our office.  Items that earlier had been hidden from site, now seemed extremely obvious.  

For hours we found nothing that was salvageable. Video monitors melted into a small ball of plastic, gutted black-scarred tape machines, microphones and stands left only as metal frames.  Randomly we came across items that seemed “Showroom New” that appeared to be brought into the building after the fire. 

The unexplainable randomness in which fire destroys is astonishing.  Sitting alongside a pile of black ash laid a brand new ream of white copy paper.  So perfect was the paper that we saved it as a starting point for our new office!  A few feet away we uncovered a set of business cards.  And Lou couldn’t have been more excited when he found a new LiveScribe Echo Smart Pen in the original bubble wrap, untouched! He even shouted out “I CLAIM, I CLAIM” reminiscent of when we were kids and found something/anything in a group setting that once “claimed” didn’t have to be shared.

Mostly our search revealed loss and disappointment rather than victory.  Then suddenly, two miraculous finds from opposite ends of the building.  First, was a set of Beta tapes pulled from under the blistered wreckage.  In typical Matt Swenson style, there was a simple snicker followed by, “NO WAY! Dude your not going to believe this” as he handed me the tapes.  Not only were the PLASTIC tape cases untouched but the tapes themselves were amazingly unaffected. The value of these tapes is

immeasurable.  They contained footage shot at ground zero and throughout NYC on 911 and the week that followed. They were left the day before the fire sitting in a wooden cabinet as they were about to undergo edigital transfer.  The cabinet was reduced to ash. The tapes remained together and safe.

 The second find was a black melted backpack buried deep under the rumble. This bag contained every professional keepsake collected by Frank Scacciaferro; Credentials from two Super Bowls, world music tours, etc.  Frank has been working professionally on the crew since the age of 13.  He has risen to the highest level of the pro ranks.  The night before as we literally watched the blaze in front of us, it seemed that all the records of those astonishing career accomplishments were gone.  Now, here we were starring at a  molten mass that can only be assumed to be the total destruction of the bag that contained those relics.  This, now confirmation they were all gone. Frank, knowing that those mementos were contained in a smaller vinyl bag within the backpack, cut the melted outer fabric away to reveal the inner bag.  Allin hopes that at least something would remain.  To all our astonishment the inner bag was in PRISTINE CONDITION!  Quickly unzipping the inner bag revealed each and every credential in “immaculate” condition!  IMPOSSILBE!! YET REAL !!

 The balance of the day was filled with those contrasting moments.  Arri and Kenoflo lighting cases buried, melted and faintly recognizable yet when we pried them open, the fixtures were either untouched or slightly soot covered.  A similar fate befell the cameras kept in Porta Brace bags.  The bags were destroyed but within the cameras outwardly seemed to be spared the dramatic effects of the flames and heat.  

Piece by small piece we collected what we could.  Whether it be a memento reminding us of better days or precious hard drives containing years of irreplaceable footage and interviews.  Each and every item wasgently carried out from the fiery tomb and placed loving outside in the parking lot to be photographed as if we were uncovering ancient relics from a forgotten civilization. Even the “toy” shelf which held our collection of random Match Box cars, mini action figures, a remote helicopter, a magic trick or two and even over sized pair of Mickey Mouse hands gave up one or two salvageable items.

As night fell, we moved our treasures off site for cleaning, restoration and/or salvaging.  The mixed emotions that started and remained with each of us throughout our day had not left.  We were physically and emotionally leaving with far more then we had arrived with, yet the fact clearly remained that  when we left the space, we were leaving so much more then we were taking, including our company’s home for the past several years. So much has been created there andnow so much is to be created and recreated elsewhere.