One day in the limelight

VPD Class 050-10 in action in the DINFOS TV studio.

I always forget how nervous a camera can make a person.  It's like a switch gets flipped when the recording starts.  I feel it a little, but it's nothing compared to what my classmates go through.

American Forces Network broadcasts from stations all over the world.  Some day we could end up working in one.  That'd be sweet.

We recently spent one day in one of the TV studios to get a taste for running a military television production from top to bottom.  Everyone spent time in the control room, behind the camera, and yes, in front of it.

"NOOOOOOO!"

Sergeant Dea helps two targets, I mean anchors, prepare for their 2-minute newscast.

As usual, we were given a quick lesson on each area then jumped right into it.  Some were mentally prepared.  Others...were...not.

Gibson prepares to read off the teleprompter during her stint as news anchor.  MC1 Deleon acts as floor manager.

The first thing one realizes when acting as news anchor is:  "It's not as easy as it looks."

Sit up straight.  Don't move too much.  Speak slowly.  Look at the correct camera.  See that little white square at the top of the camera?  When that lights up you look there.  When I was anchor, whoever was up in the control room had me looking at a different camera like every 5 seconds.

Piece of cake.

Dettling watches his monitor while Cpl. Elorza hopes he's in the shot.

The job of cameraman isn't too hard.  The cameras are set up on wheels and the focus/zoom controls are on the handles.  We really didn't move them much, just a bit of zooming in and out.

Sergeant Bellamy, one of the students, prepares to direct the entire production.

My Cybershot and I were in a fight the whole day, and I struggled to get properly exposed/focused shots in the lighting.  The control room, with all its bright screens, was a challenge.

The jobs available in here were sound (turn up/down mics/music), switcher (switch from one camera view to another), and director.  The director talks to the floor manager, who talks to the cameras.  He also gives orders to the control room staff.

It's pretty hectic.  Some one may have cried.

At the end of a successful production day, Corporal Elorza calls his mother to tell her he's number one.   

Cpl. Elorza likes having his photo taken.  And that's great for me.  It makes my blog photos much more interesting. Here he's pretending to yell at someone up in the control room...or wherever that phone goes.