A Dakota Fighting Championship event was held at the Bismarck Civic Center this weekend, and I got to run a camera at the event. I alternated between ringside and top camera with another operator, so we both got to have the fun of being right up next to the action. I have to tease the director and replay guy by pointing out that they didn’t predict the right guy to win out of ANY of the night’s eight matches! It was a pretty interesting evening, to say the least.

This is the only way I’m ever entering the Octagon: with a camera. During the matches I shot through the cage, which is basically just chain link that’s rubber coated. At one point the two ENORMOUS fighters going at it threw each other into the side of the ring hard enough to stretch the side out a few inches, making contact with the lens hood of my video camera! Aside from getting my viewfinder pressed up against my face a little tighter, it wasn’t a big deal. Actually it was pretty cool to be right up in the action!

I’m told that KXMB announced last night that meteorologist Hutch Johnson would be leaving, although they declined to say where. Although it was announced last night, it’s been the word in the broadcasting / media community that he’s going to KVLY in Fargo, hired to replace “Too Tall” Tom Szymanski. Since KVLY is owned by the same company as KFYR-TV here in Bismarck, I can see why they’d be reluctant to mention that. Although they apparently mentioned it last night, it’s actually old news. It came up in a conversation with some other TV folks last weekend, actually.

This also brings up an interesting question of mentioning the competition only when it suits them. While I don’t normally see shoplifting stories on KXNet, I did happen to catch this article in which Cliff Naylor Junior was accused of felony shoplifting charges. Perhaps that’s someone in the KX newsroom thumbing their nose at Cliff Naylor and Monica Hannan. I remember KFYR covering stories of Reiten goof-ups, so I suppose it’s all part of the back & forth of competing newsrooms.

Another interesting wrinkle is that KXJB, the Fargo CBS affiliate, is run by the same folks that run KVLY. It’s similar to an arrangement in Bismarck between the FOX and ABC stations. I suppose that limits cooperation between the Fargo CBS affiliate and the ones out west, which are owned by a competitor in this market.

I’m pretty much Switzerland in the whole station vs. station thing, even though I still freelance for the NBC guys sometimes. (I absolutely love the KVLY/KXJB gang, but don’t really know anyone at KXMB.) It might be interesting to watch, but I actually don’t watch much local TV. I’m sure KXMB will work hard to get another meteorologist up to speed to go head to head with Kevin Lawrence (or “K-Lo” as he’s affectionately nicknamed) in time for the winter storm season. Let the competition continue! Oh, and if the industry rumors are true, Hutch…have fun and best wishes in Fargo.

Here’s a view of the 50 yard line at the FargoDome from the press box. I got to be a tape/replay operator for the game coverage on FOX Sports Net this weekend, and NDSU had food spread out for us all the way at the top of the Dome. It was a long hike, but the Rice Krispie bars alone were worth the effort! Obviously the game isn’t even close to starting yet in this picture; there’s so much preparation involved in television coverage of a game like this, I had to take my pictures well in advance of the actual game/show.

Here’s one of the top cameras for the game. These are sweet, and worth a lot more than my house. I rarely operate a camera for shows like this, I’m almost always in the truck. That’s nice, though; I can sit down during the show and see ALL the cameras at once. The truck is the best seat in the house!

Through this helmet run the mighty Thundering Herd, otherwise known as your NDSU Bison. Or maybe just a tape/relay op with his pockets stuffed full of Rice Krispie bars and free Pepsi products on his way back to the truck. Take your pick, but they didn’t turn on the smoke machine when I did it.

The aforementioned “truck.” This one was out of Calgary. They roll in, crank out the sides of the trailer, and lock the inside counters into place. Then we hook up controllers for our equipment, power everything up, and get ready to make television. The camera guys and grips start stringing cable, and there is a LOT of cable to pull when doing football at the FargoDome.

This is the main control room of the truck we used. The computer in the lower left runs the “FOX Box” scoreboard at the top of the screen. To the left of it is the mandatory Bin O’ Candy…no show would be complete without a dizzying amount of sugar available! Ahead of that is the row where the graphics operator sits, and the Technical Director is at the top of the screen. Beside him sit the director and associate director. On the other side of that wall of monitors is my workspace.

This is where I camped out for the day. My replay controller and keyboard are on the lower left, deck controllers center and right, and of course a plethora of monitors. We used three of the four decks as well as six channels of replay. The replay producer / EVS whiz sat behind me at a console where he could compile highlights and stuff for game summaries while doing replays as well. He also taught me a lot about running the “Elvis” system, so I increased my knowledge quite a bit. I’m really thankful to get some bona fide training on this gear…last time I just had the manual! 🙂

And let’s not forget the swag. I love collecting passholder lanyards from the different shows I’ve worked. The passes are neat to hang on to as well, and remember where I’ve been over the years. I’ve come to the point that I feel weird going to a sporting event and NOT having something saying “Total Access” hanging around my neck.

This weekend’s show was a blast and I got even more time on the EVS replay system I’m learning. Since I can’t buy time on one and I have to learn as I go, this weekend was an enormous blessing. I learned enough about my workflow this weekend to feel competent at being an EVS operator in a second-seat capacity. That means as long as there’s a guy in back doing the stuff I haven’t been taught yet (like building highlight reels and interstitials) I’m good to go! Hopefully I’ll get more opportunities to expand my skills and become a full-blown “ElViS Operator” for more shows. This is a hard business to get into. I got into this work in the 1990s, and now that my foot is in the door I’m going to wiggle it around a little. It’s the best kind of work on the planet!

This weekend I got to work as a tapes and replay operator for a high-definition boxing broadcast. I was originally booked as a tape operator and, when the replay guy missed his flight from Seattle, I got to double up on replays too. During our lunch break Saturday I had a chance to poke around a little with my camera, so here’s a look behind the scenes.

Here are the trucks they brought in for the job. I worked in the one on the right, the left is an engineering/utility truck. They roll it into place, slide out the sides, and assemble the control room areas before the crew arrives. Most of the guys flew in Friday, but I camped out at a friend’s cabin on the north shore of Lake Sakakawea that night. We got up Saturday morning, slowly got our morning off to a start, and rolled up to the truck at just after noon.

This is the front control room. Nothing on the monitors right now, as we were still getting everything set up. The technical director, the guy who actually switches between cameras and tape machines, inserting graphics and stuff as needed, sits up front. The director tells him which sources to take and when to put in graphics or replays. Behind him sit the graphics operator, producers, and assistants. On the other side of the wall of monitors is the audio room, and I forgot to poke my head in there.

The next room back is where I worked, the tape room. I had a couple of 1080i HDCAM decks for high-definition broadcast, analog and digital standard-definition decks, and a couple of extra HD decks in case we needed them. The controls for the two replay units are on the counter to the right, where a friend of mine from Grand Forks is setting up the second unit.

The guy at this console “paints and shades” the cameras. The camera operators in the arena worry only about aiming their cameras and operating focus/zoom controls. As far as iris and color balance information, that’s where this guy comes in. He takes care of the fine tweaking on the fly so the camera operators can concentrate on getting their shots.

Engineering routing room. And you probably thought hooking up your stereo was complicated. The routing and communication systems are controlled by a laptop computer, as are the layouts and labels on all the flat panel monitors. For instance, in this show our tape decks were labeled with colors like Red, White, Green, and Blue instead of deck numbers. Electronic replay channels were A, B, X, and Y. On each monitor up front, the names of the camera and replay operators were also on the LED monitor labels.

How about a couple hundred grand worth of camera? There were two of these in addition to the ringside and floor cameras. The circular glass elements of the 72x Canon HD lens on this camera is bigger than a dinner plate. Just lifting the lens onto the body takes two people, as the body of each piece is over a foot square. Once the beefy tripods are set up and the cameras are properly balanced, they pan and tilt very easily. My friend Mike was on one of these.

This was my view for the day. My EVS (commonly called “Elvis” ) controller and inputs are on this counter, with the decks up ahead on the wall. The left monitor is all my input/output sources with vectorscope and clock overlay. The middle is audio and video monitoring. The two monitors to the right are for the second Elvis. The monitor on top of the counter displays all my replay clips for each of the four input channels, where I can then call them up quickly and assign to either of two HD output channels. The controller allows me to jog back and forth, with a fader bar for replay speed.

I was hoping to have more pictures, but the fact that I got the additional duties and needed to self-train on the Elvis system kinda threw a a wrench into that plan. That’s okay, I’ve always wanted the opportunity to add Elvis Operator to my list of freelance credentials. Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to do that again in the future, because it was a lot more exciting than just running tapes. I don’t know when or where these shows will be aired; the standard definition and high definition programs are going to be syndicated, to the best of my knowledge. It was a blast to be part of this crew, and I eagerly await my next freelance call!

It’s that time again: a fresh, new Dakota Beacon is available across North Dakota! Available at Barnes & Noble, many convenience store counters, and dispensers around the city, the Dakota Beacon features local Bismarck-Mandan authors as well as contributors from our region. I particularly like the cover photos as of late 🙂

I have a LOT of readers who are former North Dakota residents, and there’s a section in the Beacon for you. In fact, it’s often my favorite section: R. Schmid’s “Looking Back from the Left Coast” features tidbits from around North Dakota, many of which you won’t find anywhere else. How does he do it? I don’t know, but he sure has his ear to the ground. Local news outlets could learn a lot from Mr. Schmid!

Another of my favorites is the back cover automotive stories by local car buff and former North Dakota governor, Ed Schafer. This month he highlights former President Theodore Roosevelt’s 1910 flight in a Wright Model B airplane. Last month talked about a special edition Chevrolet designed solely to win NASCAR races! That was, of course, back when they actually raced real “stock” cars in NASCAR.

A third series that I look forward to is Tessa Sandstrom’s articles highlighting local landmark buildings. It would be a blast to perform the research she puts into these articles, but it’s also a joy to read the results of her work. She doesn’t have an article this month, but I suspect that’s because of the exhaustive coverage of the WSI scandal. I expect her to reappear in the June issue of the Beacon.

My mom originally discovered the Beacon and gave me a copy with her recommendation to give it a read. I was hooked immediately and subscribed shortly thereafter. In fact, this week I’m renewing my subscription for another year.

The new Dakota Beacon is out and, as always, it’s a good one. If you haven’t checked out the Beacon, I invite you to do so – it’s free! They’re available at many locations. I’ve seen dispenser boxes in front of the Post Office on 3rd and Rosser, by the Denny’s restaurant, and at counters of local convenience stores. Once you read it, you’re likely to send editor/publisher Steve Cates a check for $20 to keep ’em coming to your home. At least you ought to, unless you enjoy being a freeloader!

This is the third episode of the Beacon to use one of my photos on the cover. Sweet! I’m glad I can help out Mr. Cates, as I know the Beacon is his passion just like taking pictures and posting them here is a passion of mine. I also appreciate having my work appear with that of local authors I admire, many of whom are respected educators in the Bismarck-Mandan area.

The new issue of the Dakota Beacon is out! It can be found at Barnes & Noble, at many convenience store counters, and in dispensers at places like the post office on 3rd & Rosser or Denny’s on south 7th.

I love the Beacon. It features articles by many talented local authors and commentators from a perspective that’s hard to get anywhere else. Among the authors are my former Creative Writing teacher from Mandan and former ND governor Ed Schafer.

This issue is special to me because I took the photo on the cover! It was an honor to get a call from Steve Cates, the magazine’s devoted publisher. He has a passion for North Dakota issues and the way his magazine tackles them, much like I have a passion for the lighter side of Bismarck-Mandan. We also share a love of Applebee’s appetizers, and I love when he picks up the check!

I invite you to grab an issue of the Dakota Beacon and see for yourself. Sure, they’re free at several locations, but I suggest you subscribe. Since the magazine first started and my mom brought me a copy to read, I’ve been an ardent supporter and subscriber. Try it out, I’m sure you’ll be equally pleased.

My friend Lance says that some things are funny simply because they’re repeated often enough. That’s certainly the case in our house with the phrase “I made those arrows.”

I got the idea for this impromptu post because I heard *ahem* from my wife in the living room a couple of times during Kevin’s weather. Being a video guy, I’ve naturally got my editing/graphics machine hooked to my entertainment center in the other room…so I grabbed an example.

The story behind these arrows is that…well, I made them. Whoopee, right? There are actually a few things still airing on KFYR that I made before I left there three years ago. It’s just that I annoy my wife with these. Accuweather had just shown up to install their brand new top-of-the line weather system, the Galileo. KFYR has two of them now, by the way. Anyway, the Accuweather guy was dismayed to find out that wind arrows were missing from among all the graphics in the machine. Kevin and I had already made sure that all the “First Warn” stuff had been made, so I dashed into my office and belted out some quick & simple arrows. The rest is history.

Now that I think of it, the Accuweather guy took the CD with those arrows on it, probably to use for future Galileo installs. Funny, I never saw a royalty check…