I was recently on a two day live event video production at the beginning of this week, and I was really taken back by the amount of production that goes into a medium sized live event. The event was an award ceremony for GE Engineering hosted at the TD Convention Center in Greenville, SC. We got there early in the morning the first day, and I got to see an empty room transform into a small theater.
The scale of this production (in the scheme of things) was only medium sized. To give you some idea, there was a custom built stage, custom truss lighting set-up, four camera operators, two projector screens, and full streaming of the live event through the web.
The amount of equipment that the staging/lighting companies have is phenomenal. Not only did they have a team of 10 people merely to unload all the gear, but they had to have a three story lift to pull the equipment out of the boxes. I was blown away by how much work went into this small set, and could only imagine they set-up for and major concert that I’ve attended. Anyways, then you run power, check lights, focus the lamps based on custom blueprints, run-through effects…and once again run more power, check lights, focus lamps, check audio, check audio, check audio, your day is about over. I would roughly say the whole operation of setting up took about 12 -15 hours, while the event was over in a blink of the eye. The run-time of the ceremony ran about 1 hr and 20 minutes…you do the math. Now the crew is left to take down everything they did and start over somewhere else.
Getting behind the scenes of sets like this in real life, always gives me respect for the productions we see everyday. The next time you are at a concert, or a local theater production, or maybe just watching TV…think about everything that goes into seeing that final product. It makes me think what other things in life can we appreciate more, knowing the “behind the scenes of?” Let us know your thoughts on facebook, twitter, google+, or even through our website Three Point Oh!
If you are looking for live event video production services, check out our demo reel showcasing the work we’ve done at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC.
