Ode to the Students and Bill

I have been following your summer adventures ever since my trip to the CMA Music Fesitval in Nashville and have enjoyed reading about your experiences. I apology for the lateness of this entry but I decided this morning that I would make the time to write to you.

I enjoyed talking with many of you during my visit and could see clearly in your eyes what this experience meant to you. I also had the opportunity to talk to many of the seasoned veterans in the video industry with whom you interacted with during your week in Nashville. They were very impressed by your skills, work ethic, and your love for the profession. I credit your instructor, Bill Callison, for lighting that fire in each of you and I credit each of you for taking that burning ember Bill ignited and turning it into a roaring flame. I encourage each of you to continue to share and talk about your experiences and the difference it is making in your life. It's time that more people learn about "Purdue's well-kept secret"! If you are so inclined, a quick note to the Dean of your College would do a lot to help Bill, Professor Lawton and I to solidify this program as a legitimate experiential learning opportunity at Purdue.

I am very proud of each of you and do take great satisfaction in seeing each of you grow into industry professionals! Seeing you succeed reinforces in me why I got involved in the higher education process. To me the true measure of someone's life is if, when it is all said and done, he/she made a difference in someone else's life. Both personally and professionally, I feel rewarded in knowing that my small contribution in helping facilitate these internship experiences is helping make that kind of difference for you.

To my friend and colleague Bill, sometimes you are a bit unorthodox in how you go about it but you have a wonderful gift for imparting knowledge and exciting the students about the TV/ video/ and film profession. Your strong belief in the Demming principles show in your teaching style and it is obvious, at least to me anyway, that you are making a significant contribution to the students' future. Keep your head out of the ice water and remember to get your paperwork done :-)

I thought I would share a few pixs from Nashville. Hopefully they won't seem like a tribute to Adam and Tommy alone. They just happened to be there in front of my camera a lot :-) I look forward to talking to all of you again very soon.

Steve Hall
Director
Hall of Music Productions

Brain Freeze

let me just say, that after sticking my head in the ice water 4 times in a row, i got one hella brain freeze. absolutly one of those "don't try this at home" things
Bill

It's a fessstival!!

It's a little late on the post but I thought I should still put a little something up about this past weekend. I thought I'd be taking care of the regular business at this gig like I have been in the past gigs in the 2 years I've been working for Bill. But after a literal last minute call from the boss, I found myself getting ready to do my first editing job. I had to acquire a long list of equipment, load up the car and head up to Farwell, MI. For the next 4 days, I was either out and about filming people at campsites, shows, artists and exciting events or I was editing all of ther footage into sequences that would later be used during the one hour set changes.
Bill had me edit two 40 minute segments that included corporate commercials, PSA's, and stand ups by our talent, Chris Meyers. I was able to befriend Tim from The MOOSE radio station and he hooked us up with 15 great country songs to go along with all of the audio. In the downtime, I edited a nice little piece of the entire weekend into one 4:30 "Music Video" to go along with Rascall Flatt's "Life is a Highway". I think the songs upbeat feel went perfectly with the weekend and worked out great.
This particular weekend taught me so much- esspecially in a professional aspect. I'm so glad I'm in this program here at Purdue, there's nothing like it anywhere else!

Final Pictures!

Here are both groups with Bill, who went individually with all four of us....

PICTURES!!!!

Here is Katie.....

PICTURES!!!!

Here is Will....

PICTURES!!!!

Here is Cory....

PICTURES!!!!

PICTURES!!!!

After a long day Aaron, Cory, Will and Bill thought it would be a good idea to dunk their heads into our cooler before the last act of the night... here are the pictures of that.... I am also in them, but I was a wimp through the first round, but eventually did it, and it was awesome!! --- ENJOY! -- Katie

this is Aaron...

here is one of erin giddy with anticipation of doing the "da yoopers" show

here is a pic of cory working the stage right side at the first mountain fest, i think this was Carrie Underwoods show

katie's headset (my side of the story)

what katie is talking about in the blog below is the "com" system the director uses to talk with the cameras. in show mode, her mic, out on her camera in the front of the stage has to be off, or it kills the system with noise. (the camera guy's actually wear special noise cancelating headsets like airline pilots so they can hear me talking to them, it's essential for a good show)
so, when hers screwed up, she was on her own. luckily, she was in front, by the sound boards, so she could see the screens, (she also has the ability to see the "program video" feed in a pic in pic inside her viewfinder)
she did an awesome job chasing the composition around in thirds so her shots were allways able to blend with others, and always pushed out of her own live shaots right on the beat. i could lead her and knew how she was going out of a shot, and with those ROCKIN hand held guys, could always get somebody where i needed them to blend the shots.....hmmmm...
it was almost like it never happened at all........
Great job Katie!!!!
B

Holy S#@!...what the F&%$ do I do now?

One of the craziest things that has ever happened to me on camera occurred during the Mountain Country Music Festival. It was the night I videoed Carrie Underwood and Gretchen Wilson. Carrie Underwood’s performance went off without a hitch. After our 20 to 30 minute break, I had just gotten back on the Front of House camera for Gretchen Wilson when I heard Bill yelling about an open microphone over the intercom. This sort of thing happens all the time, so I double checked to make sure everything at my end was off and taken care of. But the yelling did not stop. To put this in perspective when a microphone is open on the end of the camera it is extremely loud on every other end. It can be tremendously painful, depending on what is going on at that given time.

As Bill continued to shout over the noise coming through the open mic, I once again double-checked everything I had, including my mouthpiece. When I brought it closer to my face, I discovered that it was my microphone that was open. Though all the buttons said it was off, a definite malfunction in the camera, my mic was in fact on. Here is where the apprehension, and much needed quick thinking came in. I had to do something, there is no way we would have a successful show if that mic remained open and would be killing the ears of everyone else. So I just took the initiative and ripped my connector out of the camera and swung it around my neck. I would now be doing the entire Gretchen Wilson performance without any guidance from my director.

If you read Bill and Cory’s blogs, in them, they discussed how we were growing as a team and how at points it was like we were reading each other’s minds across the stage. There has never been a truer statement, especially on the night of Gretchen Wilson’s show. Having lost my com completely I had to rely on my own instinct and I had to also work with my team and play to their styles, while simultaneously guessing what my director wanted. Being in my position, I knew what my job and responsibilities were. Now, to be completely honest, I was pumped and anxious all at the same time. The show went on and we all acted as one. Our moves transitioned into one another’s like they were destined to be there. It to me, was one of our best shows.

When it was over, I did not regret a single move. Knowing and understanding the team so well, I knew that we had close to a flawless show, if not completely flawless. I have to thank Bill, Cory, Will, and Aaron for all their hard work during that time. They are truly my “A-Team” and without them, we could not have done such a great job. Thanks a lot, and I love you guys!

--Katie...see you all at Rockfest!!!

cory rocks

Cory, you rock! you will have a blast at MT rockfest...
B

Farwell MI

Now that we are home from our first of two gigs at the new venue, and having to wait about 2 1/2 weeks till we go back, I am already wanting to go back. Like Bill said, we are all working very well as a team, and everything seems to just come together when we are at these gigs. It also really helps when you know the music for fills and the way the progression of the songs go. I got a big taste of this when we were shooting Shooter Jennings at this last festival. Being raised on southern rock I can not wait to try my skills on Deep Purple, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard and the many others that will be at our next festival. If anyone wants that URL, it is www.mtrockfest.com

Cory Mascari
Purdue Intern

"thats how we fix it"

So, both Gretchen Wilson's and Carrie Underwoods people were very happy with our shows. As was Leann Rhimes. The kids are really getting good at what they are doing and seem to be able to comunicate with each other across the stage. (even though I know they are just listening to the director and watching their returns)... they are really starting to work as a team.

it's scary sometimes to see how the shows are coming together, but all these guy's have some musical talent in them somewhere, and it manifests itself in the way they get in to a shot and loose it. not to mention that when the performance is not happrning, (see below in the blog for scary load out stories!!!) their work ethic is top notch.

now if i could just get them to post on the blog....

hey Ben thanks for the post!!! looking forward to seeing you back here friend..
let me take a moment to tell you each how proud i am of you...you are fast becoming one of the nations "A" teams in this business

stay tuned readers for some pics, and we still have the two best festivals to go! Mt Rock Fest, and Blues by the Bay, right on the shores of Maryland's Sandy Point State Park...
Bill

somebody needs to post pics of us sticking our heads in the cooler. (remeber my Brain Freeze)
B

GRAZIE MILLE

That's Italian for thank you very much--for the blog (thanks, Danny) and for all your posts (everyone). And, of course, to Bill without whom none of this would be. And to Q for his words of wisdom--regardless of the grammar and syntax :):) Seriously, I am delighted to read that the program continues to be so rewarding for all of you.

Unless you object, I want to have this blog linked to the FVS webpage. Your sincere, unexpurgated words are the best ad for our program!

This is or can also become a great means of communication between and among those involved.

For example, Bobby tells me that there are spaces in his intro to editing course. You will need this course if you want take Jason Doty's filmmaking course in the Spring! And you will also need it if you want to take the advanced editing course in the Spring.

IDIS 491F: Introduction to Non-Linear (Digital) Editing .

Bobby Chastain

Thurs 6-9 pm

What else? I apologize for not having responded to your posts sooner. I have been ruck-humping my way back home across the Alps (some of the most beautiful mountains in theworld) from die hutte on Dachstein's glacier (Austria) to the rifugi of the Gran Paradiso (Italy)--largely without access to the internet. As soon as I figure out how to post a photo and send it by telephone modem, I will do so.

Again, thanks for everything. I look forward to seeing you soon (I should be back on campus by Tuesday, June 26).

BL

Vortex of fun

It’s the first day of the Country Mountain Festival; it’s the first gig in this brand new venue in Farwell, Michigan. The stage is really nice because it looks like a huge hanger with three doors on the front. When the middle door opens completely they reveal the stage that jets out to the crowd. The other two doors to either side cover up the stage left and right of the stage. It has the general and lawn seating with the lawn seating stretching up a huge hill. I have been told that when it starts to rain and gets really muddy the crowd does its own belly flop contests. Everyone can’t wait for the gig to start this is going to be a lot of fun and great chances to work on camera and back stage. The concert goers have started to arrive and our job is about to start to bye for now.

-Will Cabral

A New Venue and a New Experience

We’re on the road again, but this time we are in Farwell, MI. We are all set, as of today for the first ever Mountain Country Music Festival. Having the CMA Country Music Festival behind us, I believe we all feel a lot more confident in what we are doing. It took us Tuesday and Wednesday to do a majority of the load in. Today we put the final touches on everything, checked all the cameras and double-checked to make sure everything was okay.

We are getting ready for the first show, which is tonight. Having never had done this event before it will be really fun and exciting to see how things will go. We have a lot of big acts coming. Some duplicates from the CMA Fest, and then some local bands so it should be an exciting gig for all. If you want to see who is on the line up check out the following website.

http://www.mtcountryfest.com/

Got to go work!

Katie Worden

Final Thoughts on CMA Fest

CMA Fest 2007 is over and I am somewhat saddened to have left Nashville, even after the never-ending load-out. I went down to CMA Fest expecting to learn a little about live event video and watch people do there jobs. I did not expect to be working alongside industry professionals to help build systems for the control room and, thanks to Bill, run camera for some of the biggest acts in country music. The students that went down to Nashville made the show run and without them I am fairly sure CMA Fest would not happen. Everyone worked hard and did an amazing job and I can not wait until Mtn. Rockfest and Blues by the Bay.

Ryan Weaver
Intern

off to michigan

okay....so it's been just a few short days we have all been home but i hope you all had time to do your laundry......cause guess what?.....were heading out again!!!
this time it's the mountain country fest...in Farwell MI.
details to follow!!




(sure would like to hear from somene else on this blog)
(e mail me if you need the password)
(Billc@purdue.edu)

a late post fron Katie

katie had this setting on my desktop since Sunday. i am just now getting around to posting it...
b



Hey ya’ll from Nashville, TN. It is now the last day of the CMA Music Festival (Sunday), and time has just seemed to fly by. Every single minute has been jam packed with hard work, good times and learning experiences. I have truly enjoyed my time here. Though it is not over yet. I have been able to run the front of house camera for some of the biggest names in country music, such as Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bently, Brooks and Dunn, Big and Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Leanne Rimes, Alan Jackson, and Reba McIntire, to name a few.

I am going to admit to all of you when I arrived last Sunday, and took the first walk around the field, I had major butterflies in my stomach, I had done gigs before, but nothing like this. I had only heard stories about CMA Music Fest. Though everyone always talked about how much hard work went into it, they always had smiles on their faces and talked about what a great time it really is. These stories got me more pumped up about being able to come. I am extremely thankful for my time here and the opportunity that was given to me by Bill. My daily routine consisted of working the River Stage during the day doing various tasks, running cameras, engineering, etc. and then at night coming over to LP field and running the FOH (front of house) camera.


When you get here and look around for the first time and see the size of the stage and the entire set up, it could seem to be a bit overwhelming. But you get so energized by what you are about to embark upon. I literally feel as though I got here yesterday, and it has already been a week. Everyone has been really nice and helpful, and GREAT to work with especially Shawn (he wanted to be in my blog). I have been having so much fun. I learned a lot about real life situations and really big shows.

I am about to go out on camera for the last time here. Then comes load out. Which is my favorite part of gigs, just because of the energy that goes into it all, no matter how tired you are after a long week of working really hard. Everyone gets a second wind and we just fly through it, most importantly, with smiles on our faces the entire time. I am really happy to be here and to have had this opportunity and I am already looking forward to next year. Nothing could keep me away from this. This is truly the experience you need. You know whether or not this is the life you want to live after all of this finishes. I already know my answer and we are not even done yet.  Take care!

q is a sexy devil

Q, you sexy beast!!! you forgot to tell everyone you are a seasoned vet of this gig. trust me folks, he knows what he is talking about! This one really is a killer And his name really is just Q, kinda like the "James Bond" guy.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

So first and foremost, I would like to thank everyone that came out this year and worked their butts off. I don't think you students have any idea how amazing every last one of you is. You guys did an amazing job. I do hope you all learned something... whether it be to coil feeder in a figure 8 so as to not create an electromagnetic field that will interact with out pieces of gear or just how to interact with other people in the industry(the far more important thing to learn). Bear in mind however, that even with an experience as great as this one, the UPENN gig some of you did and the other up comming festivals you'll still never know it all. I learn something every week, sometimes everyday out in the field. Basically what I'm saying is get those degrees (which are really just pieces of paper proving you can and will learn) and turn them into Benjamins (not Lawtons, I'm talking about making Bills (not Callisons, Hundos)) Ok now that I've butchered the living crap out of the english language I'll end by saying thank ya'll once again for all your help this year. I look foreward to seeing and hearing from many of you in the future.

-q

P.S. Ben if you ever read this please for the love of God forgive my inability to read and write above a 4th grade level.

Last day

well, it's the end of day three of four show days, the kids are hanging tough, and doing way better than expected. tomorrow we will be doing the last show of the gig and loading out until about three AM. we will let you know how it goes!
B

My First CMA Music Festival

In the past six days I have learned an great amount about video production and the business as a whole. Some of the great things I have taken away from my experience, is that it is important to take responsibility for whatever task you are assigned, because the results of that task reflect you. Such as if you are a handheld operator on the stage, you could see that show as your show, and how you shoot it reflects you as an camera operator. In these past six days, I have also grown a lot closer to the rest of the video crew and this has enabled me to learn how my other crew members work and make it easier for the crew to gel as a whole and work together smoothly to produce a great show. This event is definitely a benchmark to find out whether or not you really want to be in this business. It may require the most work of any show so far, but it is also the most rewarding. I've been rewarded in very valuable experience, as I have ran on stage handheld camera and pit camera for multiple sets of the shows. This is an event I will definitely attend again and again as it is like nothing I've seen before.

-Aaron Hebda

DAY 3

here we are at day 3.... the students are having a great time, and the learning experience is great. Oh yeah...and were also doing a show!
(BL how's Italy? give us a post!!:)

Bill..

You Just Have to Jump Right In...

The CMA Music Fest is the first thing I've ever done like this...(talk about a killer first gig)!! This is my fourth day here and so far I've run one of the FOH cameras at the Riverside stage and now I'm helping cut clips for the highlight role. It's shown on the big LED screens, right before the night concerts kickoff. It's awesome to have a hand in something like that.

I haven't taken Bill's class yet...so everything I'm learning is really new to me. But I've met a lot of really neat people who are taking the time to teach me along the way.

Stephanie Mae

Purdue Intern

Thousands of Fans

A performance photo from last night.

This one time at a gig...

Having aquired experience over the past two years at various gigs I decided to work specifically on my camera engineering skills. The advantages of this program is flexibilty and the emphasis on self-motivation. I saw the oportunity to work in the control room and took it and I was greeted with open arms and allowed to have a learning curve during a high profile gig. This has been a great experience and the program has always catered to my hands-on-learning-preference. This is much more valuable than a regular classroom setting. I've always preferred to jump in the water and learn to swim.

Julian Dorsett
Intern

Rain Rain Rain

Yesterday it rained for the first time all gig. Luckily we had all properly prepared for it, only later that day had we resussed the FOH (front of house) cameras to make them water proof. Thankfully it only rained for about an hour so here at the stadium we didn't have much of an issue, but it shut down the river stages for a fair amount of time. I also had to chase down some hum that we found running through the signal in the plasma screens for the VIPs...we conquered that task as well. Finally by the time show started I was all settled in and ready to run the pit camera, which thanks to Bill I was able to do once again for Montgomery Gentry with Ted Nugent, Sarah Evans, and Jason Aldean.

-Zack Clevenger, Purdue University Intern

Finally got out of the control room

Its Saturday here at CMA Fest 2007. Yesterday, I got out of the control room for the first time and ran long lens and pit cameras at the Riverstage. I am really impressed how well everyone works together during the show and the level of quality of video. At riverstage the majority of the camera work is students and it looks fantastic. Friday's night show was amazing. Ted Nugent made a guest apperance last night and the crowd went crazy. I get to run pit camera tonight and am really looking forward to it.

Ryan Weaver
Purdue Intern

working hard, and it's paying off

Along with Cory Mascari, this is also my second year here at fan fair. We both came into this week knowing a little more than coming in last year. The new interns are so hard working and it's been such a pleasure working with everyone. Seeing some of these new kids learning the ropes and catching on quickly is so cool to see. The show went great last night -everything was so energetic. The adrenaline you have at these shows is something remarkable. We're having such a great time here, and the good news is, it's only the second day! We're working hard, and it's paying off!

Tommy Beardmore, Intern

Kids Rock

Just wanted to let everyone know that I have heard good things from all around about how great the students are. People from top to bottom say they ROCK!

-Bill

Lots of Lights

Throughout the three days of load-in we set up cameras, I hung LED walls and Versa Tubes, ran lots of cables, and pushed lots of cases. During the process it was enjoyable to slowly see everything take shape, even more so once the trusses were finally raised and we could see the stage in all of its large and bright glory.

Last night we were able to see all of our work pay off, as the LED walls lit up with our camera feeds and the Versa Tubes pulsed with light. When the performers stepped on stage and the audience started singing and dancing to the music, knowing that our work is what let them see the artists larger-than-life on four large walls and follow along was most satisfying.

-Adam Dodge

2nd Show Day Begins

After a short night of sleep, we're off to a good start on the second show day. The show last night went pretty well but it hardly matters today. The weather, acts, and crew will all be different. Incoming rain means all the equipment has to be bagged and weather-proofed. Fortunately the control room is inside, but the cameras, cables (with expensive ends), and various screens outside are vulnerable to wind and water damage. More updates later....



-Danny

Camera Op: First Time in a LONG LONG time

So last night I asked Bill if it would be a possibility to run one of our pit cameras during Alan Jackson and Reba's set (mostly due to the fact that Kelly Clarkson was performing a surprise appearance). The last time that I had ran a camera was a Purdue basketball game sometime before spring break so needless to say I had been suffering from withdrawl. Thanks to Bill he was able to get me on camera for both of those sets and it had to be the most amazing experience ever. Being a camera op for live music performances is so different from shooting college basketball games. I must say that I deffinitely love shooting live music more and I can not wait for the rest of the nights here at fan fare (with any luck I'll get on camera again.

-Zack Clevenger, Purdue University Intern

Fan Fair

This is my second year being able to participate in Fan Fair as a student intern, so I knew more so what to expect. While I am writing this, Dierks Bentley is performing his first song. Througout the day our crew has run the video at the river stage for the eight and a half hours of music, then made everything rainproof just in time to get over to the main stage to help relieve camera positions here. I knew the main things we had to do here, so a lot of what I have learned delt with getting a better understanding of fundamentals and leadership with regards to the students that this is their first year. I am looking forward to the rest of the week and having a great time while I'm at it.

Cory Mascari
Purdue Intern

More from CMA Fest day 1

This is the first day of CMA fest and it has been a long one. The concert at the LP Field is officially under way and there are alot of good acts coming up tonight. I am a huge country fan so I am very excited to be seeing all the performances, and am especially looking forward to seeing Kelly Clarkson sing with Reba tonight, and Carrie Underwood perform tomorrow night. So far today I have been working on the River Stage, which had a lot of good performers. I started off the day working as a tape operator, so I had to watch the tape decks to make sure they were recording. Then as the day went on I got to run the Front House Camera which was really cool becasue that was my first time running a house camera for a show. Since it was a smaller stage, it was a good chance to get hands on experience and a good way to get practice operating the camera and following the directors orders. It was a good day today and I am looking forward to next 3 days.

Val Arias
Purdue Intern

Welcome

Greetings folks, welcome to our Blog. We are kicking off day one of four show days on our little week long adventure. I invite you to check back often as I expect the students will be updating about 18 hours a day. we will also be doing three more music festivals this summer, and will keep this Blog running so you can share in this experience with us. Stay Tuned, and check back often!

Bill Callison
Instructor

Fourth Day

Today is the first day of show. After three hard days of work I have learned a lot. The last two days I have built a tally system and COM system. It was a lot of hard work and included staying in the control room for the majority of the day. I did not really know what I needed to do when I started, but the systems sucessfully worked. I am looking forward to the rest of the week.

Ryan Weaver
Purdue Intern

River Stage: Gig Kick off

Today (Thursday, June 07, 2007)is the first day that the shows kick and fans begin rolling in from all over the country to see their favorite bands. Up until now we have been loading in both the coliseum and river stages. We've built cameras, ran triax, signal, and power lines, set televisions and plasmas, built racks, pushed boxes, built LEDs and Versatubes, and had an excellent time doing so. This morning, at 7am, we loaded up the vehicles and headed over to the river stage to begin prepping gear and cameras for the show that was going to start in only a few hours.
Up until the first live shot we were running chasing ends trying to engineer problems and configure cameras of multiple issues, but in the end it came together and now the show has been running solid for several hours. At 5pm this evening students will begin making their way back over to the coliseum to help with the main stage show tonight. Check back later to view pictures and hear from other students about what we're doing and how much fun it is here.

-Zack Clevenger, Purdue University Intern

Hello from the 2007 CMA Music Fest

Welcome to Purdue Film and Video Studies: On the Road. The Film and Video program at Purdue University is one of the best-kept secrets of the predominantly engineering school. Some of the highlights of the program are the numerous trips students take over the summer with Bill Callison, a 25 year veteran of the video industry. Despite being away from campus, students have rich and unique learning experiences on that put them ahead of the curve in a fast-paced, demanding industry.

The CMA Music Fest takes place in Nashville, TN at LP Field (where the Titans play) and the River Stage across the bridge. The festival starts on June 7, but Purdue students were at the gig loading in video gear on June 3. Since then they have finished loading in the River Stage and the first show has started. Please check back soon for more updates, pictures, and more about the Purdue Film and Video program on the road.

-Danny Purdue, Purdue Film and Video Graduate