Hey everyone, I'm going to be late for work, so I can't really write too much right now. The best part of the day yesterday was perhaps getting to sit in one spot during the majority of the keynote speakers. I didn't have to punch old women or straddle prosthetic limbs, I got to just hang out at our platform with my cameraman and shoot everything from there. It was quite nice.
Obama surprising everyone with his presence was also quite cool. I think there's something to be said about the entrancing aura that surrounds an individual running for president, regardless of if you're a huge fan or not. It was insane. I can only compare it to an NFL game, cuz that's exactly what it's like. People shouting for Team Obama during the playoffs for President after winning the Democratic Divisional Championship. Look for more later tonight.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Day 8: Round 2
Well after going through the madness twice, I can definitely say that I'm not looking forward to work today. Don't get me wrong, my gratitude for doing this is still extremely high, but I had to shove through spaces that no person should ever try to get through. I mean, I crawled through the legs of a Governor I think. I know I definitely touched Tim Kaine's but, unintentionally, but I still did it. I'm just glad I'm not claustrophobic.
It would have been an interesting day if all I did was arrive at work, and then leave. Why? Because I walk in the door and who is standing there before me.... Charles Barkley!! He's flippin' huge man. Unfortunately I didn't get to meet him at that time because I had to head off to work, but after being on the floor a bit, he appeared again. He actually sat down wit Wolf Blitzer and talked about the convention with us. He also wanted to play on the Magic Wall with John King so he and King goofed around while a huge crowd gathered. He spoke with King off to the side about his desire to run for Governor of Alabama, but I don't know if he was serious or not. I got to meet him briefly in passing right after he went off-air. His hand engulfed mine. It was enormous, probably more like a walrus flipper. After Charles left, everyone was back to work and we started running around on the floor. The day was crazy as usual, but nothing truly spectacular occurred until the Virginia Governor took the podium to give his speech. The place starting going nuts as we drew closer and closer to Hillary's speech. I was front and center for the speeches preceding Clinton's address, but right before Hillary's video was shown, we had to move to the podium to shoot something. I was grateful that I made it out of the madness, but right before she unveiled herself to the world, our director shouted at us to get down to the podium and to get a shot. I thought "do you see how many people are down there! There's no way!" My cameraman thought the same thing, but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.
We were down there amongst the most fanatical of Clinton supporters, and we got some good shots, but not without some of the dirtiest and evil looks I have ever received. Cutting in front of people and standing in the way is part of the job, but not so fun when you have Hillary's passionate "champions" rallying together to rip your head off. I'm not saying I was scared for my life, but I was scared for my life.
After that, we called it a day and headed back to the CNN grill, where all CNN staff get to eat there for free! That's free food, and an open bar. Don't worry everyone I only had a beer, but it was terrific getting to stuff my face. It was just like Campbell's.... MMM MMM Good. I gotta get ready for work, so I can't write up the winners and loser of Tuesday. Hopefully I can do it for today's events. Tune in to CNN, because let's face it, Anderson Cooper is just too good looking to pass up. haha
It would have been an interesting day if all I did was arrive at work, and then leave. Why? Because I walk in the door and who is standing there before me.... Charles Barkley!! He's flippin' huge man. Unfortunately I didn't get to meet him at that time because I had to head off to work, but after being on the floor a bit, he appeared again. He actually sat down wit Wolf Blitzer and talked about the convention with us. He also wanted to play on the Magic Wall with John King so he and King goofed around while a huge crowd gathered. He spoke with King off to the side about his desire to run for Governor of Alabama, but I don't know if he was serious or not. I got to meet him briefly in passing right after he went off-air. His hand engulfed mine. It was enormous, probably more like a walrus flipper. After Charles left, everyone was back to work and we started running around on the floor. The day was crazy as usual, but nothing truly spectacular occurred until the Virginia Governor took the podium to give his speech. The place starting going nuts as we drew closer and closer to Hillary's speech. I was front and center for the speeches preceding Clinton's address, but right before Hillary's video was shown, we had to move to the podium to shoot something. I was grateful that I made it out of the madness, but right before she unveiled herself to the world, our director shouted at us to get down to the podium and to get a shot. I thought "do you see how many people are down there! There's no way!" My cameraman thought the same thing, but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.
We were down there amongst the most fanatical of Clinton supporters, and we got some good shots, but not without some of the dirtiest and evil looks I have ever received. Cutting in front of people and standing in the way is part of the job, but not so fun when you have Hillary's passionate "champions" rallying together to rip your head off. I'm not saying I was scared for my life, but I was scared for my life.
After that, we called it a day and headed back to the CNN grill, where all CNN staff get to eat there for free! That's free food, and an open bar. Don't worry everyone I only had a beer, but it was terrific getting to stuff my face. It was just like Campbell's.... MMM MMM Good. I gotta get ready for work, so I can't write up the winners and loser of Tuesday. Hopefully I can do it for today's events. Tune in to CNN, because let's face it, Anderson Cooper is just too good looking to pass up. haha
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Winners and Losers from Monday
WINNERS:
John Hickenlooper - Already a state wide favorite as Mayor of Denver, he was a smooth talker who avoided the Democratic buzzwords, and spoke with a real message and honor for his city to host the historic event. He is young, and possibly setting himself up for a future run at a federal position.
Reg Weaver - He leads the nations largest teacher's union, and made it clear what was most important to him... education. He spoke with passion and relayed to the troops that Obama cares about education. I don't know O's stance on things with education, but Weaver set the tone for the rest of the night and was the first big bang of the convention.
President Jimmy Carter - Rather than promoting himself, or Obama, he promoted the need to treat other humans the way you want to be treated. It's simple, but he was able to deliver it in a video presentation that was inspiring, and called all, regardless or their stance on political issues, to reach out to the "least of these" and care for the needy and the poor. A class act from a classy guy.
Ted Kennedy - What else is there to say. Not even brain cancer can stop this guy. His devotion to be present yesterday embodied his persistence over the years for the causes he believed in. Regardless of whether you agree with him on those beliefs, it must be said that he is admirable, and by speaking yesterday, bumped Michele Obama off the headliner list and rose as the shining point of the night.
Michele Obama - Even though Kennedy almost stole all of her thunder, Michele still found a way to make some noise with a moving speech empowering people of all backgrounds, and showing that her story and her husband's story were "the american dream." Sure there were plenty of people weeping from her speech and those who seemed to be unusually toucher by her words, but she did a terrific job of doing what she was supposed to do. And that was promote her husband. She's a natural public speaker, and comes off very genuine and transparent. Nice way to end it.
LOSERS:
Nancy Pelosi - I didn't know that brainwashing tactics were still a part of politics, but Nancy proved me wrong last night with her "John McCain is wrong" speech that wrung in the ears of all who were there. Her strong words were only backed up with mediocre points, and it was evident that she is not the most comfortable public speaker the Dems have. Funny coming from a person who's official title has speaker in the name. And she doesn't look right holding that gavel either.
Jesse Jackson Jr. - He was assigned to discuss the story of Barack Obama and how his story is the American story, but if you didn't know that, you might of thought he was supposed to talk about his own story, and his father's story. He is an empowering personality, and terrific public speaker, but I couldn't help but feel he wasn't willing to step aside on this one, and that he wanted people to think about him, more than Barack. His references to past segregation and racism were moving and showed how far we've come as a nation, but then he went further and discussed his own family's strife during those times, rather than continuing on about Obama. He's a good speaker, I just don't think he was all out for Obama as he should have been.
Claire McCaskill - Whenever you are introduced by your children, it's a dangerous risk to take because those who introduce you have the ability to set the tone for your speech. In this case, not in a good way. Her son Ryan spoke for several minutes before she was introduced, and in doing so, I believe, he killed the mood and only received applause when mention his grandmother or mother. I'm very critical when I see young people like myself speaking at such big events, so I'm probably being a little bit of a jerk. But anyway, Claire also delivered a lackluster presentation focusing on her state of Missouri. Her ideas were good, but I think they could have been delivered with more poignancy. Maybe now I'm just looking for problems, haha.
John Hickenlooper - Already a state wide favorite as Mayor of Denver, he was a smooth talker who avoided the Democratic buzzwords, and spoke with a real message and honor for his city to host the historic event. He is young, and possibly setting himself up for a future run at a federal position.
Reg Weaver - He leads the nations largest teacher's union, and made it clear what was most important to him... education. He spoke with passion and relayed to the troops that Obama cares about education. I don't know O's stance on things with education, but Weaver set the tone for the rest of the night and was the first big bang of the convention.
President Jimmy Carter - Rather than promoting himself, or Obama, he promoted the need to treat other humans the way you want to be treated. It's simple, but he was able to deliver it in a video presentation that was inspiring, and called all, regardless or their stance on political issues, to reach out to the "least of these" and care for the needy and the poor. A class act from a classy guy.
Ted Kennedy - What else is there to say. Not even brain cancer can stop this guy. His devotion to be present yesterday embodied his persistence over the years for the causes he believed in. Regardless of whether you agree with him on those beliefs, it must be said that he is admirable, and by speaking yesterday, bumped Michele Obama off the headliner list and rose as the shining point of the night.
Michele Obama - Even though Kennedy almost stole all of her thunder, Michele still found a way to make some noise with a moving speech empowering people of all backgrounds, and showing that her story and her husband's story were "the american dream." Sure there were plenty of people weeping from her speech and those who seemed to be unusually toucher by her words, but she did a terrific job of doing what she was supposed to do. And that was promote her husband. She's a natural public speaker, and comes off very genuine and transparent. Nice way to end it.
LOSERS:
Nancy Pelosi - I didn't know that brainwashing tactics were still a part of politics, but Nancy proved me wrong last night with her "John McCain is wrong" speech that wrung in the ears of all who were there. Her strong words were only backed up with mediocre points, and it was evident that she is not the most comfortable public speaker the Dems have. Funny coming from a person who's official title has speaker in the name. And she doesn't look right holding that gavel either.
Jesse Jackson Jr. - He was assigned to discuss the story of Barack Obama and how his story is the American story, but if you didn't know that, you might of thought he was supposed to talk about his own story, and his father's story. He is an empowering personality, and terrific public speaker, but I couldn't help but feel he wasn't willing to step aside on this one, and that he wanted people to think about him, more than Barack. His references to past segregation and racism were moving and showed how far we've come as a nation, but then he went further and discussed his own family's strife during those times, rather than continuing on about Obama. He's a good speaker, I just don't think he was all out for Obama as he should have been.
Claire McCaskill - Whenever you are introduced by your children, it's a dangerous risk to take because those who introduce you have the ability to set the tone for your speech. In this case, not in a good way. Her son Ryan spoke for several minutes before she was introduced, and in doing so, I believe, he killed the mood and only received applause when mention his grandmother or mother. I'm very critical when I see young people like myself speaking at such big events, so I'm probably being a little bit of a jerk. But anyway, Claire also delivered a lackluster presentation focusing on her state of Missouri. Her ideas were good, but I think they could have been delivered with more poignancy. Maybe now I'm just looking for problems, haha.
Day 7: It Starts
The convention started yesterday, and I don't think anyone could have prepared me for the madness that ensued for roughly 8 hours straight. I'm sure many of you watched the Convention from home regardless of your political affiliation, but for those of you who did not see what it looked like, just picture a thousand chickens running around in a living room. If you can picture that, you've got what it's like on the convention floor. I don't know who's in charge of floor passes, but whoever they are, they need to be fired. Every person and there mom was on the floor just walking around aimlessly and getting in the way. Now I understand if they're delegates than they deserve to be there, but I just wish there was a better system then the one implemented currently. I had to push old women and shove through mass swarms of people just to keep up with my crew. It was madness!
I'm not whining or complaining, I'm simply relaying to you the insanity of the convention. Don't get me wrong, it was an awesome sight to see and experience. I don't have to be at the Pepsi Center until about 12:30 in the afternoon now because we don't have much need for floor units before the convention begins, so I was able to sleep in yesterday which was nice. I left to go to work and like I expected, I had to go through some serious security. There were three checkpoints just to get to the CNN headquarters, or the CNN Grill as some of you have seen on the television. When I first arrived, the Wall engineer, Josh, had me help him again by setting up the RSS feed for CNN's Political Ticker, and sending it to this guy so that we could have it flashing up at the CNN Grill too. I was in a world of different languages. The techno talk is definitely something I need to work on. I found another problem with the "baseball cards" for the wall, and I went back to checking all the states on the floor map, and as I was checking them John King came up and we chatted some more. It's cool how I'm just one of his helpers now.
But then before I knew it, it was showtime. At first we did some shots with our reporter on the floor Jessica Yellin, but then after the center became completely full, it was a mad dash to get shots of crazy supporters, politicians, and to set up shots for the headliners like John Legend, Ted Kennedy, and Michele Obama. Before the convention began, I was able to meet and hang out with Dave Modell, Art Modell's son, and he let me put on his Super Bowl Ring! I think it was bigger than my head. The thing was enormous. After chatting for a bit, he asked about the magic wall, so myself and Josh tinkered on the Magic Wall and showed off our skizzills. Dave actually gave Josh his card because he is thinking about taking that software and design and using it for NFL coaches. It was fun listening in to his ideas and just getting to meet him. As a Ravens fan, I was stoked.
Now there were a lot of different people I met or brushed shoulders with, such as Madeline Albright, Caroline Kennedy, Omarosa, some WWE Wrestler, John Legend, John Roberts, as well as some other politicians I didn't know off the top of my head. It was madness, but so much fun all at the same time. I won't lie, I'm excited to see the speakers tomorrow and experience the atmosphere, but I'm definitely not looking forward to the craziness of running through mobs of people. But hey, I'm interning with CNN at the DNC, I can't complain.
It's the chance of a lifetime. Look for me today, I know some of you saw me last night on TV.
I'm not whining or complaining, I'm simply relaying to you the insanity of the convention. Don't get me wrong, it was an awesome sight to see and experience. I don't have to be at the Pepsi Center until about 12:30 in the afternoon now because we don't have much need for floor units before the convention begins, so I was able to sleep in yesterday which was nice. I left to go to work and like I expected, I had to go through some serious security. There were three checkpoints just to get to the CNN headquarters, or the CNN Grill as some of you have seen on the television. When I first arrived, the Wall engineer, Josh, had me help him again by setting up the RSS feed for CNN's Political Ticker, and sending it to this guy so that we could have it flashing up at the CNN Grill too. I was in a world of different languages. The techno talk is definitely something I need to work on. I found another problem with the "baseball cards" for the wall, and I went back to checking all the states on the floor map, and as I was checking them John King came up and we chatted some more. It's cool how I'm just one of his helpers now.
But then before I knew it, it was showtime. At first we did some shots with our reporter on the floor Jessica Yellin, but then after the center became completely full, it was a mad dash to get shots of crazy supporters, politicians, and to set up shots for the headliners like John Legend, Ted Kennedy, and Michele Obama. Before the convention began, I was able to meet and hang out with Dave Modell, Art Modell's son, and he let me put on his Super Bowl Ring! I think it was bigger than my head. The thing was enormous. After chatting for a bit, he asked about the magic wall, so myself and Josh tinkered on the Magic Wall and showed off our skizzills. Dave actually gave Josh his card because he is thinking about taking that software and design and using it for NFL coaches. It was fun listening in to his ideas and just getting to meet him. As a Ravens fan, I was stoked.
Now there were a lot of different people I met or brushed shoulders with, such as Madeline Albright, Caroline Kennedy, Omarosa, some WWE Wrestler, John Legend, John Roberts, as well as some other politicians I didn't know off the top of my head. It was madness, but so much fun all at the same time. I won't lie, I'm excited to see the speakers tomorrow and experience the atmosphere, but I'm definitely not looking forward to the craziness of running through mobs of people. But hey, I'm interning with CNN at the DNC, I can't complain.
It's the chance of a lifetime. Look for me today, I know some of you saw me last night on TV.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Day 6: The Beginning of the End
Possibly one of the longest days of employment I've ever experienced, but still an enjoyable and memorable day. I biked my way to work at about 5am and then didn't leave until about 9pm. I slept very well last night, but at the same time I couldn't seem to sleep in as much as I would have liked out of sheer anticipation for what's going to be happening today. The first day of the DNC! Let's get back to what happened yesterday before I get too ahead of myself.
We began on the floor of the convention bright in early to shoot Wolf Blitzer's Late Edition. It was a special late edition, and when I say special, I mean it was an extra 2 hours longer than usual. We ran around offering different camera angles and getting batteries when the cameras were about to die, but other than that it was a smooth operation. Something I did fail to mention in my previous submission was that during testing for The Late Edition the night before, I was playing with the camera and just looking around the convention floor, but before I knew it some CNN International reporter stepped in front of me and told me to shoot him so we could set up a shot and check the audio and sync! I could hear the director in my ear piece and I actually got to shoot a real CNN reporter to set up a shot with our $60,000 camera! It was nuts. One of the other cameramen took a photo of me doing it so I could prove it. It was crazy. I think it would be awesome to be a cameraman, but at the same time, those things weigh about 50 lbs and cameramen are always on the road because they HAVE to be there in order to get the shot. Journalists can just write about the shot.
Anyway, after we shot The Late Edition, it felt like noon but it was only about 9am, so I knew I was in for a long day. We had a break where we tested some shots, and then we had rehearsal for tomorrow's festivities from 1-5pm. Rehearsals are interesting if you're a cameraman because you're talking with directors and other units on the floor or on the platform, but for us humble runners, it's not much of anything. We hang around until our guys yell "battery!" And then we jump up out of our chairs like a freshman who just got picked in the seniors game of dodgeball.
During that time however, I was able to mess with the Magic Wall some more. It's engineer Josh and I were hanging out as he was tinkering with the program and I caught something that seemed wrong. We were programing these "baseball cards" which held statistics for each state as it was mapped out on the convention floor. Each card has the state name, electoral votes, voting results from the primaries, and past voting results from 2004 and 2000. The problem was, each card did not say 2004 and 2000, each card said 2004, and 2004. I caught the problem and Josh let out an emphatic swear. But after calming down, he actually showed me how to change the baseball cards and program the remaining states into the wall, and he allowed me to do it! I know it may sound dumb, but it was awesome later that day seeing John King using the baseball cards for the states, and knowing that I programmed them into the wall. It quite a while to finish all the states, but nonetheless, it was ridiculous just getting to work with it. Josh offered me a job in New York to be his assistant on the wall, but he admitted that I need more IT work in order to carry the workload this job demanded. Not to mention I still need to graduate.
After that we took another break, shot a convention floor special, and then called it a day. I got on camera a couple times unintentionally... ok maybe slightly intentionally, but my whole family saw me and that was quite funny. I feel ridiculous getting excited about walking by the camera, but I think it's just cuz I can't believe I'm here, and having people see me solidifies the fact that this is not a dream.
I have to go get ready for work today and for the first day of the convention, so I will hopefully post again tonight. The convention starts today!!!
Awesome.
We began on the floor of the convention bright in early to shoot Wolf Blitzer's Late Edition. It was a special late edition, and when I say special, I mean it was an extra 2 hours longer than usual. We ran around offering different camera angles and getting batteries when the cameras were about to die, but other than that it was a smooth operation. Something I did fail to mention in my previous submission was that during testing for The Late Edition the night before, I was playing with the camera and just looking around the convention floor, but before I knew it some CNN International reporter stepped in front of me and told me to shoot him so we could set up a shot and check the audio and sync! I could hear the director in my ear piece and I actually got to shoot a real CNN reporter to set up a shot with our $60,000 camera! It was nuts. One of the other cameramen took a photo of me doing it so I could prove it. It was crazy. I think it would be awesome to be a cameraman, but at the same time, those things weigh about 50 lbs and cameramen are always on the road because they HAVE to be there in order to get the shot. Journalists can just write about the shot.
Anyway, after we shot The Late Edition, it felt like noon but it was only about 9am, so I knew I was in for a long day. We had a break where we tested some shots, and then we had rehearsal for tomorrow's festivities from 1-5pm. Rehearsals are interesting if you're a cameraman because you're talking with directors and other units on the floor or on the platform, but for us humble runners, it's not much of anything. We hang around until our guys yell "battery!" And then we jump up out of our chairs like a freshman who just got picked in the seniors game of dodgeball.
During that time however, I was able to mess with the Magic Wall some more. It's engineer Josh and I were hanging out as he was tinkering with the program and I caught something that seemed wrong. We were programing these "baseball cards" which held statistics for each state as it was mapped out on the convention floor. Each card has the state name, electoral votes, voting results from the primaries, and past voting results from 2004 and 2000. The problem was, each card did not say 2004 and 2000, each card said 2004, and 2004. I caught the problem and Josh let out an emphatic swear. But after calming down, he actually showed me how to change the baseball cards and program the remaining states into the wall, and he allowed me to do it! I know it may sound dumb, but it was awesome later that day seeing John King using the baseball cards for the states, and knowing that I programmed them into the wall. It quite a while to finish all the states, but nonetheless, it was ridiculous just getting to work with it. Josh offered me a job in New York to be his assistant on the wall, but he admitted that I need more IT work in order to carry the workload this job demanded. Not to mention I still need to graduate.
After that we took another break, shot a convention floor special, and then called it a day. I got on camera a couple times unintentionally... ok maybe slightly intentionally, but my whole family saw me and that was quite funny. I feel ridiculous getting excited about walking by the camera, but I think it's just cuz I can't believe I'm here, and having people see me solidifies the fact that this is not a dream.
I have to go get ready for work today and for the first day of the convention, so I will hopefully post again tonight. The convention starts today!!!
Awesome.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Day 5: The Anchors Have Arrived
Many of you know that I have recently become obsessed with CNN anchormen, specifically Anderson Cooper. Well today, I was blessed with the opportunity to not only be in their presence, but also shoot footage with them in it and get to speak with them about journalism and politics.
Today I was able to meet Wolf Blitzer, and even though I didn't officially meet Anderson Cooper, I was able to speak with his producer and really just experience an amazing opportunity while being part of the CNN community. It was an awesome time. We started the day at about noon, but the problem was that the Light Rail shut down at an earlier spot in the city than I had originally anticipated, and because of that I was forced to go through an in-city college so I could get to work on time. I was actually running a little late despite leaving an hour early for work because the light rail trains were taking forever! I got to our CNN office but the secret service decided that they had to weed out every single member of the press, so I had to wait in line for about 20 minutes, but fortunately I cut in line in front of about 200 people because I saw some other interns for CNN. I then had to rush to the Pepsi Center in order to make it on time for our shooting of The Newsroom, where I first ran into Wolf and Gloria Borger or however you spell her name.
I spent most of my time hanging out around the anchor platform, but the highlight of my day came when John King started going to work on our magic wall, and I was right behind the wall in the background of the shot. I was texting my friend Jeff telling him about what was coming up next, and in doing so, Jeff started watching the show, and then saw me on TV. It wasn't a big deal, but it was really cool talking to him as he was freaking out cuz he just saw me on TV. Really a good time, I wish more people could experience what I get to see. It's really a dream come true as far as my journalistic aspirations are concerned.
To be honest, I'm getting used to all the stars and the glitz and glamor, but it's still humbling. Tomorrow I have to be at work at 6am, or 8am Eastern Time, so I'm going to hit the hay. Look for more tomorrow, or leave a comment if you wish to know something specifically. I'm sure I'm leaving some stuff out. Miss you all from home.
Today I was able to meet Wolf Blitzer, and even though I didn't officially meet Anderson Cooper, I was able to speak with his producer and really just experience an amazing opportunity while being part of the CNN community. It was an awesome time. We started the day at about noon, but the problem was that the Light Rail shut down at an earlier spot in the city than I had originally anticipated, and because of that I was forced to go through an in-city college so I could get to work on time. I was actually running a little late despite leaving an hour early for work because the light rail trains were taking forever! I got to our CNN office but the secret service decided that they had to weed out every single member of the press, so I had to wait in line for about 20 minutes, but fortunately I cut in line in front of about 200 people because I saw some other interns for CNN. I then had to rush to the Pepsi Center in order to make it on time for our shooting of The Newsroom, where I first ran into Wolf and Gloria Borger or however you spell her name.
I spent most of my time hanging out around the anchor platform, but the highlight of my day came when John King started going to work on our magic wall, and I was right behind the wall in the background of the shot. I was texting my friend Jeff telling him about what was coming up next, and in doing so, Jeff started watching the show, and then saw me on TV. It wasn't a big deal, but it was really cool talking to him as he was freaking out cuz he just saw me on TV. Really a good time, I wish more people could experience what I get to see. It's really a dream come true as far as my journalistic aspirations are concerned.
To be honest, I'm getting used to all the stars and the glitz and glamor, but it's still humbling. Tomorrow I have to be at work at 6am, or 8am Eastern Time, so I'm going to hit the hay. Look for more tomorrow, or leave a comment if you wish to know something specifically. I'm sure I'm leaving some stuff out. Miss you all from home.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Day 4: Lights, Camera, Action!
Well it's Friday, and today was the first day we actually shot live footage while working alongside studio anchormen to bring the public live feeds from the floor.... and it was awesome!!
However, one of the joys of such an occasion does not come without it's downsides, such as having to be at work at 3:45 am. I rode my bike through the city of Denver at an ungodly hour of the night and arrived at our CNN headquarters right on time. After prepping the camera's and checking the audio and sync, we headed out onto the convention floor and prepared our shots for American Morning. Probably one of the coolest things about the morning was that I got to meet and hang out with CNN reporter Joe Johns. We shot several live feeds for CNN International, and American Morning, and then followed it up with some "look live" shots where we imitated live feeds and Joe Johns simulated discussions with anchor people even though there was no one else on the end of the line. We had some down time so I decided to talk golf with Joe and we discussed clubs, scores, and our similar tales of not hitting it past the women's tees, and being forced to play with our pants below our knees. He got a huge kick out of that. I found his notes hidden under a table in the center and returned them to him later in the day, I think I got some "intern points" for that too. woo hoo.
The rest of the day was rather dull for the most part. We wrapped up the morning shoot around 7 am, so I biked home to sleep until about 10:30 because our next rehearsal started at 11 am. Some of the interns and I got suited up in reporter gear to test the lighting, sound, and sync, and then we sat for a long time waiting for the studio people in New York to get ready. During that time however, I got to meet one of my favorite political personalities for CNN, John King.
My CNN contact and cameraman, Jay McMichael, gave me a heads up that John King would be arriving soon, and that I should head over to the magic wall in order to possibly meet him. I went over there and was invited again by Josh (the wall engineer) to play around on it. People began to joke about how good I was on the wall, and before I knew it, John King was standing next to me saying "where's this intern that seems to know everything?" One of the cameramen motioned towards me and John turned and introduced himself saying "Hi, I'm John King, and I'll be retiring now since I hear you are going to replace me!" I introduced myself and then laughed, still slightly starstruck by the fact I was casually chatting with John King! We then proceeded to play around together on the wall and he showed me some more tips about how it works and other more interesting ways to access information. I learned from the master himself!
One of the crazy things about King is that almost all of his work on the wall is on the fly. He'll come up with an idea in the middle of the show, and then motion to the directors and cameramen that he'll be moving, and he just gets up and goes to town on the wall. I expected a little bit of freedom, but originally, I thought it was much more rehearsed. He's an expert at voting tendencies per county, and almost knows every county in every swing state because of his work there over the past few elections. It's amazing. He's a really nice guy, and he is unrelenting in his search to find out who Obama's VP will be. Seriously, it's the only thing he even thinks about, said his Producer Laura.
We then shot some live feeds with John for The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. One of the highlights of the day for me because I received a text from my friend from SU Steven telling me that he saw me on TV. I knew that I would possibly be in the shot because I was guiding the cameraman on the convention floor, but because John King walked down with us on the floor, the producers panned out to some wider shots which included myself and the floor cameraman. I almost got clocked in the head when our cameraman panned wide 180 degrees, but fortunately some volleyball drills have kept me agile enough to stay out of the shot.
We hung out the rest of the day rehearsing, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting. It sucked a little, but who can complain when they're meeting top CNN personalities and getting to learn from the best. This has been a tremendously humbling experience, and I'm thanking God everyday that I get to do this.
ps- Put your money on John King to be the first one to declare who Barack's VP will be. Trust me on it.
However, one of the joys of such an occasion does not come without it's downsides, such as having to be at work at 3:45 am. I rode my bike through the city of Denver at an ungodly hour of the night and arrived at our CNN headquarters right on time. After prepping the camera's and checking the audio and sync, we headed out onto the convention floor and prepared our shots for American Morning. Probably one of the coolest things about the morning was that I got to meet and hang out with CNN reporter Joe Johns. We shot several live feeds for CNN International, and American Morning, and then followed it up with some "look live" shots where we imitated live feeds and Joe Johns simulated discussions with anchor people even though there was no one else on the end of the line. We had some down time so I decided to talk golf with Joe and we discussed clubs, scores, and our similar tales of not hitting it past the women's tees, and being forced to play with our pants below our knees. He got a huge kick out of that. I found his notes hidden under a table in the center and returned them to him later in the day, I think I got some "intern points" for that too. woo hoo.
The rest of the day was rather dull for the most part. We wrapped up the morning shoot around 7 am, so I biked home to sleep until about 10:30 because our next rehearsal started at 11 am. Some of the interns and I got suited up in reporter gear to test the lighting, sound, and sync, and then we sat for a long time waiting for the studio people in New York to get ready. During that time however, I got to meet one of my favorite political personalities for CNN, John King.
My CNN contact and cameraman, Jay McMichael, gave me a heads up that John King would be arriving soon, and that I should head over to the magic wall in order to possibly meet him. I went over there and was invited again by Josh (the wall engineer) to play around on it. People began to joke about how good I was on the wall, and before I knew it, John King was standing next to me saying "where's this intern that seems to know everything?" One of the cameramen motioned towards me and John turned and introduced himself saying "Hi, I'm John King, and I'll be retiring now since I hear you are going to replace me!" I introduced myself and then laughed, still slightly starstruck by the fact I was casually chatting with John King! We then proceeded to play around together on the wall and he showed me some more tips about how it works and other more interesting ways to access information. I learned from the master himself!
One of the crazy things about King is that almost all of his work on the wall is on the fly. He'll come up with an idea in the middle of the show, and then motion to the directors and cameramen that he'll be moving, and he just gets up and goes to town on the wall. I expected a little bit of freedom, but originally, I thought it was much more rehearsed. He's an expert at voting tendencies per county, and almost knows every county in every swing state because of his work there over the past few elections. It's amazing. He's a really nice guy, and he is unrelenting in his search to find out who Obama's VP will be. Seriously, it's the only thing he even thinks about, said his Producer Laura.
We then shot some live feeds with John for The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. One of the highlights of the day for me because I received a text from my friend from SU Steven telling me that he saw me on TV. I knew that I would possibly be in the shot because I was guiding the cameraman on the convention floor, but because John King walked down with us on the floor, the producers panned out to some wider shots which included myself and the floor cameraman. I almost got clocked in the head when our cameraman panned wide 180 degrees, but fortunately some volleyball drills have kept me agile enough to stay out of the shot.
We hung out the rest of the day rehearsing, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting. It sucked a little, but who can complain when they're meeting top CNN personalities and getting to learn from the best. This has been a tremendously humbling experience, and I'm thanking God everyday that I get to do this.
ps- Put your money on John King to be the first one to declare who Barack's VP will be. Trust me on it.
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