Reflections of the Week

The Busy Season
Summer in the freelance world is known as the busy season. Although I am drifting from time to time, I usually get pretty solid bookings by August. In this case, I attempted a stunt in which I would spend another day with the circus that is the Big Network Show in town, and then run over to a club and record a band that night. Sleep is fleeting when you have early call times, but then spending time unwinding at night (and writing a blog). This week involved a convergence of three different jobs that usually only occur a few times a year. My calendar book is so full it's dripping ink. But then again, two weeks from now I may be dead in the water.


The Big Network Show
As I arrived on set today, I had a hard time thinking of this Big Network Show as reality TV. So much had been prepped ahead of time, not a single hour was left unscheduled (literally). However, what and where the talent interviewed people was somewhat up in the air. The show also is involving the Twin Cities itself as part of the production. The city has welcomed the show with open arms. First stop today was the Vikings practice facility. The Star joked around trying out the different field equipment in the indoor field. Then we visited the locker room. Ziggy Wilf spent a million dollars making the place look like the Rosewood Room. Korey Stringer's spot was still there, now encased in glass and given great respect. Free chewing gum dispensers had about 6 major flavors (I like Juicy Fruit). The two brothers in the family (now at Disneyland) love sports. All major sports club in town were being visited, but so far the Vikings took the cake. A great outpouring of personalised gifts were presented for the family. The Star had problem with pronouncing "The Purple Peter Eaters" (no offence intended).

Sentimental at 100 Decibels
Back on set, there was the most bizarre juxtaposition of an army of worker ants building a new house, while next to them heart-touching interviews were being conducted. It could be dangerous. Yes, everybody wore a hard hat, but sometimes I was inches away from a running power saw, or stepping on a nail gun. Meanwhile plumes of sawdust and dirt contaminate all the equipment. For sound, it was out of control. I am supposed to record audio from people talking while the background of the most unbelievably noisy construction site overpowers everything. The sound is a cacophony of power saws, nail guns, generators, cranes, bobcats, dump trucks, and the 'beep beep beep' of vehicles backing up. The only saving grace is that the loud noise forces everybody to speak at the top of their lungs. Other interviews were of former families involved in previous episodes. These interview spots were in neighbour's yards (again setup well in advance). My day was very technically challenging. All systems were wireless, and had their own radio frequencies. Each person was assigned a frequency and shown on a chart with photos, nicely laminated. When conducting these extra interviews, extra microphones were needed, and needed new frequencies. Meanwhile the Zaxxcom wireless system had discreet channels of it's own, and each camera could tune into a different sound mixer squawking it's unique frequency. The problem was that the Zaxxcom units were glitchy. They were beta units, and still had some bugs in them. Other problems were fodder for the camera. Construction workers were being stung by a beehive in the ground in the backyard. So a bee specialist was brought in. One of the Stars interviewed him as he demonstrated what he was doing. Next to them stood the crew as bees were buzzing around us. I start remembering that they were supposed to give a safety speech on the first day. Nobody seems to care as we videotape (actually burn to DVD) the beehive being flooded with milk.

The 20 Minute Beats
When a Star would interview a construction worker or former episode participant, they would take about 20 minutes (maybe a minute or so in the final show). The crew calls them "beats". I thought about the 20 minutes, and realised it is also the length of an old Beta tape, although they may not be related. But I found out a great trick for getting better material. The Star thanks the guest for the interview and they shake hands. The cameras keep rolling, nobody on the crew says a word. Perhaps it is a bit of improv, but what happens is the guest feels more relaxed and starts saying more personal things, believing that the interview is done. Gotcha. Before they know, a tear comes out, or a heartwarming story is told, or a happy accident occurs. In one case, a family from a former episode was flown in and were set up to paint some boxes for the cameras. There was the baby granddaughter and the grandmother holding her while she painted. Eventually, her hands were completely white with paint. The granddaughter then wanted to hug the grandmother, trying to wrap her arms around her face. I gave out a "whoah" as the girl smeared the white paint on her face. In my ear is the director, watching from the truck. He hears the reaction and asks what's happening, I point to the granddaughter. "Get the Baby! Get the Baby!" the director screams as laughter abounds.


Back Inside
Some final beats were true chaos. Each of the stars needed their moment to put the final touch in each of their designated children's rooms. We did one where I recorded Elmo dolls with customised phrases. Then we were told to setup outside the house. Everybody had to take their shoes off going into the house, so when we were told to to leave the house, I had to set down my equipment and tie my shoes. Within five minutes, we were told to go back inside for another 'beat'. I turn around, put my equipment down, untie my shoes, and go inside. This whole sequence happened two more times. We were told "You're done inside, limo is here in 30 minutes - get out", only to be ordered back in for more last minute 'beats'. Things were being rushed a bit, a severe thunderstorm was heading toward the Twin Cities. During the whole time recording inside, the large crowd outside was being coached to chant loudly. Inside, despite a working central air, it was steamy and hot. Nevertheless, I had to insist that the windows be closed, since the enormous roar of the crowd overpowered everything else.


The Big Reveal
On the last day of the week long stint of this reality-ish TV show, there was what was called "the big reveal". Gone were the worker ants all dressed in blue with white hats. All that was going on was the final decorations being personally chosen or designed by the show's main stars. No doubt these four good looking people possessed the credentials to be national celebrities. What was terribly strange about these people was their obedience to the production. They truly seem like a bunch of misfits, playing on the swingset like they are characters in a Saturday morning cartoon (perhaps their demographics are heavier in the kids age range). What few people know is that stars are characters of themselves, doing re-takes to repeat the hugs and the laughs from a different angle. It doesn't diminish the initial moment, which is always carefully choreographed. One particularly intense moment is called the Big Reveal. This is where the family is shown their new house for the first time. There were no retakes on this, however all the coverage of the 2000 people gathered to part be of the crowd were filmed earlier, chanting for the camera. I was one of about 12 people standing alone in the street as the bus pulled away as the family gasped at the new mansion built for them. And yes, they really do build it in 7 days. The family was truly overjoyed. In the crowd were a volleyball team, the Gopher cheerleaders, and many signs created for the crowd to hold up. Of course, the family saw almost none of that, because they were all staring at their new house in the other direction. What you also won't see on TV is that is was raining during the entire shot. The Thunderstorm was downing power lines and trees in Bloomington, but we thankfully only received a mild downpour here.


Hold the Excitement
Now it was time to go inside. But of course, they could not just run around the house all at once. There was a methodical walking into each individual room. First was the living room and kitchen. Then the office and laundry room. There was a break after that, and I sat around the living room with the family as they waited for their next scene. Previously, they were squealing with glee as they marvelled at their posh surroundings. Now they were just trying to find a garbage can. Other crew members helped look for one, there wasn't any. It seems our celebrity designers missed something. The refrigerator door wouldn't close, turns out it was stuffed too full of food. Pizza was brought in. So the first meal the family ate together in their new house was not even cooked with their opulent new kitchen. It was interesting to hear the family talk off-camera about what was happening. With seven kids (and another one on the way), all that was really happening was that the mother was trying to keep her kids in line, with little time to appreciate their new surroundings. For the kids, boredom came quickly as preparations were being made for the next scene.

In the Bedroom
Then each child took their turn seeing what their new bedroom looked like. These were also no re-takes. Thus, such great importance was put on these scenes that constant vigilance by the crew to stay out of all 4 camera shots was basically a no-fail situation. The truth was they were all pros, and everything went smoothly. What you don't see are the hundreds of scoffs, scratches, smears, splotches, rough edges, loose pieces, and bad smells after a week of hundreds of construction workers parading all over the house. This was a new house, but it looked very lived-in. Two cameramen were planted in each room with the door closed. Then the child was told to go visit their room, probably coached to say what they are thinking out loud. I was down the hall, listening only to her microphone. The girl who's room was designed in a volleyball motif, had a dozen glass hands arranged on her dresser. Very creepy looking if you ask me. When the mother and father checked out their bedroom, the door was closed behind them as well. Problem was, the door knob on the inside broke, and they couldn't get out.

The Jib-Arm Shot
The final shot of the day was the family and the stars playing Volleyball in the backyard. More downtime came from a faulty waterfall in the backyard (it was fixed with Gaffer tape). The yard was soaked once again from the fresh downpour. Feet sank into the liquid sod. It was also a bit smelly out here too, as it was turning into swamp-like conditions. But for now, it was 20 minutes of laughter and glee trying to play Volleyball for the jib-arm camera. Meanwhile, the two young twins were getting into mischief on the playground set. One was learning how to rappel down a rope (freshly slick from the rain). An AD had to become a baby wrangler to keep them from cracking their heads open on national TV. He also had to hide from the camera at the same time.

Anecdotes.
When visiting the Vikings practice facility, I got to suggest ideas for shooting, like the Viking ship and tackle dummies. I also got to wire the Smart looking guy's microphone. He had a hairy chest, and later made a big show of pulling off the tape for the people around him. He gave the hairy piece of tape to me as a gift. I apologised as I realised the tape was stronger than I thought.

The Punky looking guy was asked to carry a box with a logo of a company sponsor. He refused, because he said that the competitor company he was paid to endorse would not be happy about it.

My mixing console that I wear with a should harness weighs about 35 pounds. I have to carry this all day. The cameramen have a large camera, dock, lens, battery, microwave unit (to send wireless video), and a wireless audio unit to carry on their shoulders for an average of 15 minutes at a time. Groans of pains are heard in the afternoon as the shooting day progresses. So every once and a while we try to relax our load. The Flamboyant guy scolded us for using a bed as a place to hold our equipment during a break.

The two lady stars I didn't really get to meet. One was pregnant and seemed less involved. The other wore her hair in pony tails and had a pink carpenters outift (more like a costume). But both of them were showing way more cleavage than any normal person.

Not knowing too much of the background of this program, I could tell that by the 100th episode, they had refined their formula to get the most appeal from the TV audience. They had offset the huge cost (a million alone for the house), plus they garnered the entire Twin Cities to be a part of the event. What was left was paid for by other sponsors based on the show's high ratings.