Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1474752
18 PRODUCTION SOUND & VIDEO – Fall 2022 When I was a kid, I wanted to be an A2. Said no one. Ever. Perhaps a cowboy, a fireman, or an astronaut. A teacher, a musician, or an athlete. Back then (the 1950s-60s), maybe a small percentage wanted to be a TV cameraman. But an A2? No way. Admittedly, I didn't know this job existed until 1981 when I started doing shows at KTLA. By then, I was approaching thirty years old. A few years later, when I left the station to begin freelancing, I had gained knowledge. Not exactly expertise but I had some skills. You could say I was making a run at Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000- hour rule. Now, some 60,385 hours into my post-KTLA career, I am happy to report that I'm still learning. Retention is a bit problematic at times, but I still enjoy the challenges, especially of a big, difficult, live TV show. By the way, if anyone reading this is a Gladwellian scholar, forgive me if I have misused the rule, I have enjoyed some of his books, and many articles in The New Yorker, an esteemed publication where my singular contribution can be found in the Caption Contest number 355. This year, because of some complicated COVID shenanigans, the 64th Annual Grammy Awards show was held in Las Vegas, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. We traveled to begin the setup just a few hours after wrapping the Oscars. You remember the Oscars, doncha? The MGM has been a familiar location for many award shows, but never the Grammys. There was a bit of a learning curve … 'nuff said. Personally, I learned a couple of things on the technical side, and one big lesson about show organization. The three-and- a-half-hour live show (it comes with the gift of a three-and-a- half-hour dress rehearsal), consisted of nine awards, a couple of pre-taped segments, and sixteen musical performances divided between the A, B, and Dish (house) stages. The tech- nical lessons were provided by Denali (production truck), Audio Engineer Hugh Healy, and ATK/Claire Global Project Manager/FOH Production Mixer Jeff Peterson. Hugh's lesson was about a piece of equipment called the Lance Box, used to send audio signals on a single strand of fiber in both direc- tions between the split world near stage and the production truck. It is often used for emergency backup mixes in case a console has issues during a live show. Jeff taught us how to properly set up a DiGiCo rack (the brand of audio console used at FOH and Monitor positions) to send Madi signals to the Pro Tools operators. The Madi streams include all the vocal mics individually, which can be accessed by the Pro Tools operators for tuning purposes. Watching the excellent engineers teach these tasks is educational. Both follow Einstein's rule: If you can't explain it to a six year old or an A2, you don't understand it yourself. For me, retaining the information is a challenge that, on some days, might require a Vulcan mind meld. The organizational lesson I learned was about the importance of paying attention to the entire show, and how one segment affects another. I'd been looking at each performance as an individual entity. That works fine for rehearsal, but on show day, when everyone is dressed in black (a side note, the only other place you might see this many people dressed in black is at an art gallery), the show becomes the sum of its individual parts. I won't go into the details of what I missed or how it affected the action, but thanks to the stellar work of the A-side and B-side A2's, all seventy-five inputs for the performance in question were patched, line-checked, and ready to play right on time. Of course, six minutes later, that one was pushed off stage and two other bands arrived. Live TV, gotta love it. A recent exchange: Edward Nelson: "Hey Ric, did you know this show is going to be live?" Ric: "Yes, I know." Edward Nelson: "Are you nervous?" 2022 Grammys Patch World Ric Rambles by Ric Teller Ric's Grammy credentials