OT: What I do when I'm not slinging lead downrange

[alfsauve]

Okay, only logged about 72 hours this week.  We wrapped up DNow at noon today.

For those wondering:  Responsibilities for a show are divided into 3 areas for technical things.   Sound, Lighting and Video.  Typically Sound and lighting are on the floor somewhere between the middle and the back of the room.  Video can be anywhere, but space and cabling considerations usually dictate where.   We're up on the running track of the gym, partially so we can see the action.   We could be back stage or in another room.

I was responsible for Video in this event.  3 cameras, two graphics computers, 3 projectors and screens and a "live stream" to the internet.

Here's the camera switcher.  Anna, is my director and calls the camera shots.  She has three camera monitors and a "preview" monitor.   When she "takes" a camera it then appears on one of the two screens on the left.  That is a switch used to overlay words onto the screens and directs what goes to the projectors themselves.    It really isn't all that complicated.  Anna has just four buttons (cam 1, 2, 3 or black) to press and on button which causes the switching to happen.   The screen switcher really only requires two buttons.  Either "effects" or "dissolve".   The trick isn't the technical part, it's the artistic part.  Know when to switch what.



On the left side (from left to right) is a computer used mainly to generate word overlays (for songs), then in the middle is a computer sending out a LiveStream of the whole show to the internet, and then my main graphics computer which sends out the majority of what's seen on the screens.   I use a house musician to keep up with the words, so I can concentrate on the other tasks.



And here's the "front of house" position with sound on the right and lighting on the left.   The guy in the middle is my regular sound engineer (Matt), but for this show he was stage/floor manager.   (Sorry it's a little blurry)    The lighting guy and sound guy are contractors which took a load off of us.   They've both traveled with big time names and are super good at their jobs.



Matt, Anna, Alan (my boss) and I have worked many shows together including 100+ live TV shows.  So rather than just one person "calling the show"  (giving directions), we do a give and take.    Gets kind of confusing to contractors who help us though.  Took the lighting guy one night to adjust, but he said we do it so smoothly, rarely ever contradicting one-another.

Here's the feature band,  "the Museum"





OKAY:  One last thing.  My boss is a classical artist.  The youth department wanted  a Jesus "picture" that they were going to cut into little pieces and give to  all the students.   The students were to write what Jesus meant to them on the back and return them.    The pieces would then be glued back together to form the picture.   I had a better idea.   Had my boss paint Jesus in UV paint which isn't visible under normal lighting.   So the students had no idea what the mosaic would look like.   Here it is right after it is hauled out on stage the last night.   And that's all the students thought it was, just a splatter painting.




And here it is with all the lights dimmed and the UV lights (top and bottom) turned on. 




Thanks for letting me brag and show off.  It's not as cool as what deepwater or TW do, working with/on boats, but I love being in that seat and running a show.   I love the smell of grease paint and the roar of the crowd.   (Yes, I grew up in Sarasota with a lot of circus folks.)

[Magoo541]

Looks like a cool job in a BIG church.