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| Shooting in the pit: Music pounds your chest while the intercom headset blasts with the sound of your director calling the show... chase your subject around the stage while experiencing full contact action with security personnel and media photographers. At a humid August show in the Midwest, keep your close up as flying bugs land on your body and stick. Mingle with the fans before the show and assure them, "No, you really don't want to come to the afterparty and hang out with a bunch of sweaty guys". |
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| A massive strike begins just after the last note is played as 50 or more workers come alive..but the video crew is the first out. Take a shower (at least I did!) and hang out with a bunch of guys in black... unless there are visitors. Consider eating but it's midnight and you're hungry. Party sometimes into the early hours as the overnight voyage begins. Don't fall out of your bunk! |
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| Hopefully you have smooth roads and a skilled driver for a restful night... dream you're doing the luge... wake up in a strange parking lot or basement and eat breakfast in the venue with your friends in black. Observe your crewmembers boldly facing another day, some of whom can't even fall sleep on a moving bus. |
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| Ignoring the distraction of being in a mysteriously new but nearly identical work environment, report to your "office" and review the site and your plan. Today it's "front of house". A plan is developed to serve the needs of the lighting and audio crews with their boards, and our cameras, while minimizing the seat kill behind you.. |
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| On the last leg of the Avril tour I took over the longlens position at front of house. My new projectionist assignment meant learning new skills. This camera position is a more serene and precise show experience than the pit assignment. It's kind of like high speed driving - concentration, experience and a soft touch are essential. |
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In the afternoon, work onstage with other departments properly incorporating your gear within the entire setup. Have some laughs with Butch Walker and his band before sound check.. install the drum camera, test your systems then take a break till showtime.
And the cycle repeats itself... |
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| Unless you have a travel day! Midnight is when your day off begins. You've got choices... stay up and party with your friends or go to bed so you can get up early to see the sights.. or both! As a bus traveler you can't keep your bus waiting, or you could get "oil spotted". Hopefully you'll pull into town around 1pm so you can explore and relax. It could be Halifax, Budapest or Nagoya, Japan. |
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| Our Japan tour didn't use tour busses at all and we stayed in an excellent hotel every night. We either flew to the gig the morning of the show or took the 170 mph Shinkansen train. Another great experience! Getting oil spotted here would be a disaster! The young fans there were friendly and endearing. Exchanging respectful "bows" with the citizens suited me well. |
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