Wow, looks like quite the event!

Wow....looks like a lot of fun....

Ariel is a great guy to work with!

Thanks for sharing all this with us.

I'm curious about the card readers that we can see on the left & right of the camera in pictures 3 & 4 posted by Paul.
You were able to download the cards directly from your shooting locations ?

-
Frederic

fdldb wrote:
I'm curious about the card readers that we can see on the left & right of the camera in pictures 3 & 4 posted by Paul.
You were able to download the cards directly from your shooting locations ?
Frederic


Frederic,

Yes - we download the images from the camera positions via Firewire 800 readers (and extended length cables and reapeaters) Two per photographer position (one as a backup) and we usually tether the center camera via FW400.

This allows for minimal footprint (sans CB), faster than USB performance for multiple cards (15 seconds to d/l all 3 cards simultaneously) and no worries, power issues, etc with having a laptop(s) near the stage - and allows for more chimping by shooters if needed as well as no runner hussling back and forth.

Cracking good thread! Any more behind the scenes pics? and did you have to bring long those big comfey looking chair things? They look awsome!

Merv

I don't have any more pix of the operation or staff. Maybe others took some.

For the most part, we were quite cramped in two of the three venues with:
- 3 DVD burning boxes
- 12 DVD replication towers (12 bays each)
- 2 servers
- 10,000 discs
- table for sleeving and storing all burned discs
- and 2 downloaders for one venue

All packed in an area about 10x12 - so it wasn't always pretty - but functional.

Ironically, the one place we had plenty of room (and light) was the building without enough power, so we spread ourselves out to an unfinished portion to grab more power outlets (that they originally told me were independent circuits)

The chairs are from Target (game rocker) - over a year ago, when they were $35 each and before they added sound to them. VERY comfortable when we have to sit on the floor for 4-14 hours - giving us rock-a-bility to shoot higher with ease. And normally we're so close that we have our feet on the mat, but for TV crews, we had to clear the sight lines and be back a bit.

My arms hurt for you people...

Hammy's other half here... You guys ROCK! We couldn't do this without an incredible team!

Amy

I've said it before and I'll say it again ...If you ever get the chance to see Hammy's setup in action do it!

Wow, that is some output and workflow Hammy! Geeze!

One day event or several? 20 hour days?

Thanks Ryan!

Shane,
For me, it was 10 days of building computers, DVD replication towers and packing, setting up in 3 different venues, running the show for 3 effective days plus two more for opening day and a final day with convention and party which we covered.

The 'main' event was on Saturday where we burned around 14,000 DVDs that day alone - with Sunday following up with only 6-7,000 and the other days making up the difference.

Hammy wrote:
Thanks Ryan!

Shane,
For me, it was 10 days of building computers, DVD replication towers and packing, setting up in 3 different venues, running the show for 3 effective days plus two more for opening day and a final day with convention and party which we covered.

The 'main' event was on Saturday where we burned around 14,000 DVDs that day alone - with Sunday following up with only 6-7,000 and the other days making up the difference.

Hammy.
Wow making my head spin...its a good kind of tired after an event like that I am sure.
Would love to be a part of something like that someday.Was there on line sales after the event for people that could not attend from around the world? Or just at the event itself?

Good job everybody
pacdzyne

pacdzyne wrote:Was there on line sales after the event for people that could not attend from around the world? Or just at the event itself?
pacdzyne

Jeff,

We had a few sales print sales at the event - but I don't know of any sales online yet - there may be a few.

Fact is, though, that every competitor got a disc of full resolution images (release included) for free. That doesn't leave much incentive to purchase prints at our prices compared to printing their own - or making a copy of the disc and sending it to relatives anywhere.

Hammy.

Hammy,
You know I read that(free DVD)too, but it went right over my head until you just now spelled it out again...lol sorry about that.
A pros touch at pp before printing would go along way, but unfortunetley like you mentioned it doesnt seem like folks are willing to pay for that this day and age.
There's just gotta be a way to harness post event sales online to the mass's, some kind of incentive... sombody just has'nt come up with it yet. If anybody can do it, it will be the pros here on FM. lol
Thats was quite the production you pulled off down there. Would love to see some of the action shots done by the "Dream Team" you assembled. Maybe even one of yourself ("The Wizard") in action if it exisit's.
Come out from behind the curtian and take a bow...lol.
Jeff

Does anyone know when this event will be on ESPN? I'd sort of like to set the DVR and see what this looked like from a different camera.


Woops...just found it.

Looks like this info was added to the IASF web site a couple of days ago.


ESPN2 will air the All-Star Cheerleading and Dance Worlds for the first time on May 31, 2009

1:00 - 2:00 pm Eastern
2:00 - 3:00 pm Central
3:00 - 4:00 pm Mountain
5:00 - 6:00 pm Pacific

This is a tentative date, any changes will be announced through the USASF website.


ESPN2 will re-air the All-Star Cheerleading and Dance Worlds on June 8, 2009.

3:30 - 4:30 pm Eastern
4:30 - 5:30 pm Central
5:30 - 6:30 pm Mountain
6:30 - 7:30 pm Pacific

pacdzyne wrote:
Maybe even one of yourself ("The Wizard") in action if it exisit's.
Come out from behind the curtian and take a bow...lol.
Jeff

None of me that I know of... I was too busy getting back to back FastPasses to Space Mountain! ooops - I hope my crew doesn't read this!


pacdzyne wrote:
A pros touch at pp before printing would go along way, but unfortunetley like you mentioned it doesnt seem like folks are willing to pay for that this day and age.
There's just gotta be a way to harness post event sales online to the mass's, some kind of incentive... sombody just has'nt come up with it yet. If anybody can do it, it will be the pros here on FM. Jeff

I'll agree that us doing the printing can net a slightly better picture - though we strive to get it all right in the camera to minimize that pp'ing. However, seeing as we 'sold' 243,000 images over the weekend, I really don't want to print all those!

Jeff

None of me that I know of... I was too busy getting back to back FastPasses to Space Mountain! ooops - I hope my crew doesn't read this!

DOH !!!



I'll agree that us doing the printing can net a slightly better picture - though we strive to get it all right in the camera to minimize that pp'ing. However, seeing as we 'sold' 243,000 images over the weekend, I really don't want to print all those!

I guess I am still not grasping the whole magintude sometimes of the volume that your dealing with,untill you put it in perspective with #'s like 243,000 images. That would be alot of cropping, fo-shizzle.
Alot to be learned and absorbed from everybody here on FM. Thanks for sharing.

Scott,
Thanks for the air times I will be waiting to watch this and pass the info on to others interested..

Jeff

For those that shot Canon at the event.. PP would be necessary. For those that shot Nikon... it's print ready babe!


Scott... thanks for the info on that. I searched hi and lo on forums and ESPN to find the air times and it seemed like no one knew. You da man!

When is your iPhone NOT in your hands? =)



Come to think of it...I'm not sure when mine isn't in my hands, either. Nevermind. =)

Very impressive. Could not even imagine the work that went into that.