31-Aug-2011
Live Event Filming Bank Holidays!
Last Friday our Production Co-Ordinator Bettina and myself were sitting in the office nursing a couple of hangovers from our intern Nick's leaving drinks the night before. It must have been around 5:30pm and the bank holiday weekend was just about to suck us up as the phone rings.…
“Does Phink TV do Live Event Filming?” the voice on the other end asks.
“Yes Suur!” I respond, realising how much Nurofen I had taken looking at the empty capsules on my desk…
“Good!...I need 5 cameras, 1 crane and some one to do the live vision mixing for this Sunday and Monday at Hammersmith Apollo!”…
“Ok” I say…“Let me call around and see if I can get the crew together.”
Suddenly my hangover is lifted like OJ Simpson's conscious will never be and I turn to Bets who’s already making calls looking for Live Vision Mixers. I make a call to our Jib Op who’s on a month long excursion around South East Asia but reckons he’s back Saturday night and can be at the Apollo first thing Sunday! Then I get hold of James at Focus 24 as he’s closing up and tell him we need 5 EX3 kits dropping off Sunday at Hammersmith? As always he pulls a grand father clock out the bag and sorts the kit, agreeing to drop the consignment before seeing his beloved Spurs get whooped 5-1 to Man City. We book in the great George Maysbury and Mike Hopkins to back us up on cameras, but the vision mixer is proving a tad difficult at such short notice.
After calling and emailing anyone that ever gazed upon a Live Vision Mixer or has an inkling what live event filming is about, we eventually find an engineer, a mixing desk, talkback units and enough cables to reel the Titanic back to Liverpool… I call the client and confirm “We’re ON!”
When we get to the Apollo Sunday morning things start to become more apparent, its an AfroBeat Festival with the likes of Wizkid, PSquare and headliners Dbanj & the Mo-Hits (all of which are now on constant rotation in the office, “WE ARE AFRICANS!”) I firstly meet with Anthony, the straight talking stage manager and agree where we can set up our kit and Jib and get to work. The first night goes smoothly but it becomes very obvious very quickly we’re going to need earplugs for the next night!
That Monday (while I should of been pointlessly shopping or at the cinema enjoying my Bank Holiday!) I’m shooting in the pit just front of stage. We have Ady Directing the live vision mix in my headset screeching over broken English and over excited oestrogen:
“MARK, we’re coming to you, hold it steady,steady…. Ok George over to you now…steady.. STEADY!” and so on until I swear he says:
“OK, Kanye West is coming on”… I’m thinking “What!!!” while concentrating on my STEADY mid shot. Low and behold Kanye appears running towards the front of stage for a rendition of “All of the Lights.” The volume in the room times by 10 and I like to think I keep my composure. They finish the track and Kanye places he’s chain over Dbanj explaining to the crowd that he’s the newest signing to his label “GOOD Music” (Getting Out Our Dreams) bridging the gap between African and Western artists.
What a way to round off a hectic weekend and just another day live event filming for Phink TV.
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