Anycast Training and HD Mini Studio Training

On 9/18 Captain Orion and I went to help setup the Anycast station for the recording of a band at a local venue. It was a great setup and the vibe was really cool. I ended up switching the entire first show and half of the second one. Since we have done live shoots such as this we assumed that the people we assisted were prepared. They were not.

They showed up 45 minutes before the show began. We had to setup 3 cameras, 3 COMMs, the Anycast, and connect the mixer and one of the cameras with the audio booth. This included unloading and unpacking. Cables had to be connected, placed, and gaff taped down. All of the batteries were not charged so that led to cameras going off during the performance which will be a nightmare when it comes to the editing process.

All in all it was sort of smooth once we got going. Before I go any further I would like to outline briefly how we handle shoots like this. We normally will arrive an hour or two before the event starts. We will unpack everything that we can and double check all of the cameras. We usually have the camera that is capturing audio on AC power. We have an extensive production checklist as well but I won't go into detail about that.

All tapes are labeled beforehand. When we begin to use hard drive packs we will simply use a pre-printed label for each drive. We white balance and check all camera settings once everything is connected and everything is in working order. We will then tape down all of the appropriate cables using gaff tape. We will also meet one last time before shooting to iron out any last minute details. We will sync up all cameras so that we are recording simultaneously.

All tapes are kept by each individual until the show is over. I usually collect all tapes immediately after we stop shooting as well. We will normally have drinks and Captain Orion will take care of all of the camera men and back them up during the performance if there is an issue. Pre-production meetings are nice but since we all have other obligations it means that constant, clear communication is a must before, during, and after a shoot.

Well, at the shoot last Friday we had none of that but were there simply to setup and ended up performing extra duties. I had no idea I was going to switch but I love what I do and did not mind. Our goal is always customer satisfaction. We received the best compliment afterwards from all of the camera personnel that it was really fun. There were some jerky camera movements but it was their first time doing an event like this. All in all it was great but we want to emphasize that it's important to plan and take care of all details before doing a shoot with multiple cameras out in public. Things are not controlled like they are on a set and you will have to deal with the unexpected. That's why people hire us as we are experienced and we want to share our knowledge with the world.