Grease Live Control Room Split Screen

This Associate Director is unbelievable. Her name is Carrie Havel and she worked on the Grease Live broadcast and did a great job. I just wanted to show a split screen of how complicated it is to put a show like this together. I don't own the rights to this footage but just wanted to share how good she was.

[@dadev3]

She's calling out music measures. That's the way it SHOULD be done. Cameras are choreographed just like the dancers. They have assignments...just go with that musical flow. Would love to get back to doing this!!!

[@JasonKurtz1992]

I'm pretty sure she's calling out cue numbers.

[@tgapmamakat]

@@JasonKurtz1992 It's both. She called the camera, then the number of beats until their cue. In between she was counting beats and measures.

[@whailman]

I want a rhythm game about working backstage at a musical.

[@rockcandylove123]

As a broadcasting major, I can't appreciate this enough

[@Electrat]

Big respect to Carrie. I did some of this many years ago an a live UK show. It's lots of fun but terrifying. If you miss one beat you can get left behind very quickly and it's very hard to catch up. Makes my heart race thinking about it.

[@joncampos5551]

Electrat I’m totally lost. What’s up with all the counting?

[@heyitsblinded]

Jon Campos she’s counting the measures in the song(the cues are on certain beats of the song)

[@arvincharles]

She's counting measures. She'll say how many bars (sets of 4...1, 2, 3, 4 / 2, 2, 3, 4 / 3, 2, 3 4 / 4, 2, 3, 4) until a camera change. Then she'll call out that number or letter for the camera, then how many bars until the next shot change or camera move (ie whip, etc).

[@TebWeb_Innovations]

This is impressive even for those of us who make a living in the technical side of broadcasting. Incredible job!

[@shigeolincolntaco]

If you watch @1:06 on the little screens before she calls "whip" you can see the crew putting a skin on the car....love tv magic.

[@itscamillataylor2775]

nice catch, i wondered how they did that!

[@Giabella1]

It reminds me of what I did for our Super Bowl for ABC. I had a camera put in the control room while Craig Janoff directed .Later on I put the whole thing in a 2 box. I should post it. Thanks for posting Carrie the public and many in broadcasting just down understand that there is television and there is real television!

[@baylinkdashyt]

+Martin Bell Oh please. And tag me. :-)

[@pf2879]

Post it!

[@ccevideo]

+Martin Bell Agree - would love to see that post - it gives us small time directors inspiration to get better at our craft!

[@WorldBabs]

+Martin Bell Please post. I'm a media arts student currently taking TV Production. I'd LOVE to see a pro in action.

[@Giabella1]

Sorry at this moment I do not have time to do this.....evenually

[@patrickwumbo6890]

Wow. This looks way harder than piecing it together in Premier or Final Cut

[@WorldBabs]

+Patrick Wumbo No kidding! Doing it in Premiere Pro would be a cake walk compared to this. Wow. Live to tape is scary territory!

[@tekvax01]

except this was live to air!!! even scarier!!!!!! ;P

[@slyngn7847]

They practice for for it, but even so I imagine it be like playing DDR and Guitar Hero at the same time.

[@jlawrence39]

Scary :O

[@MFnAdamBomb]

@@tekvax01 I remember watching this live and the sound cutting out during the school dance competition scene

[@Operation_Bagel]

That's some sick freestyle

[@HamRadioNow]

Carrie, you make me proud to work in TV, behind and in front of the camera.

[@carolinemay889]

I first read this and laughed cause my name Is Carrie.. Blonde moment lol

[@dirciahernandez8591]

My respect to Carrie Havel, she had a big responsibility and she did a great job because she put passion in it. She enjoyed it, and when you are responsible, put passion and love in what you doing, it result easier and enjoyable, I LOVE IT.

[@DasStanzy]

My professor showed us this in a broadcast TV class. Blown away.

[@charlotted1321]

SO much respect, this is insane, these poeple shouldn't go unnoticed, how did she even

[@jimc5096]

As someone who spent just over 5 decade3s working "backstage" in the world of tech our job was to remain noticed. The audience isn't paying all that money to see us, they are coming to see the talent and the results of the hours of work the stage crew puts into the show to make everyone and everything look and sound good. If you want to see what it's like find your locat Community Theater and see if you can volunteer for the stage crew. It takes no experience as all of your training will be OJT and, it where many directors, actors, designers, craftsmen, technicians, and artisians got their start.

[@QuaintRiddleCharlie]

Always a pleasure seeing what goes on from behind the scenes. Carrie Havel is amazing! The show was great!

[@heydeho67]

OMG THE GIRL CALLING THE SHOTS IS A ROCK STAR!!!

[@jbd3984]

Her call real time live on a National broadcast is remarkable--there is no room for error--yeah the TD had a lot of this loaded- but damn tell me you could nail this the way she did--great fun thank's for the post Charbs

[@SuzanneCitere]

Carrie Havel you deserve an Emmy!!

[@johnnyballenatl]

Actually, it was Alex Rudzinski who won an Emmy for directing Grease Live (and beating *Beyoncé* , of all people).

[@fad23]

As a teen, I was really interested in the TD job. Did just a touch of public access work, then shifted toward performing. But this video makes my fingers tingle.

[@fad23]

I love this video so much. Grease Live is certainly a superhuman feat of television!

[@LauraReda]

It's greased lightning time and I love grease live because it's the best musical ever watched 👀

[@manuelorozco7760]

The Greased Lightning sequence was staged in EPIC fashion. Alex Rudzinski who did the TV direction for Grease has been chosen to do TV direction for Hairspray Live on NBC and work with stage director Kenny Leon!

[@jimc5096]

I'm a stage guy who has called musicals and I think I stick to the the EASY calling of a stage how. Great job Carrie!!! I wish I had a 10th of you talent.

[@ToledoWingNut]

Live! In other words, a one shot deal. Brilliant work!

[@JacobTrowbridge315]

Watch the opening of Grease is the Word. All one tracking shot. Cameraman was the real MVP in the opening!

[@manuelorozco7760]

Indeed and that was one of the stars of the show.

[@CouchIssues]

thank you so much.... a tribute to her skills and as you said, seeing how much work goes into a show like this. Also - how COOOOLLLL!!!! lol

[@aatragon]

Tremendous! great show! And thanks for giving the AD a shoutout; she is great. Kudos to all.

[@vanessawyeth9037]

This one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.

[@sarahpresley1172]

Thanks for posting this!

[@MikeDownes]

brilliant brilliant video shows off so well the skills of live control video switching..

[@WorldBabs]

Just amazing. Thank you for posting this. Our TV Production professor was so impressed with this, he showed it in one of our classes last month. Geez, live to tape is scary intimidating territory!

[@visaman]

Barbara BogaRosh It was live to air, not tape.

[@JimmySlaughter]

This is very interesting to watch. I work in sports, so we hardly ever see anything that is as pre-planned and rehearsed as this was. Just watching the TD flip pages and punch sources is wild. I wonder what their contingencies were, in case someone had lost their place, or if a camera had gone down.

[@visaman]

+Jimmy Slaughter It was raining on the night of the live broadcast so the final scene was moved inside at the last moment. Live TV!

[@godmode9]

so cool to see behind the screens! she definitely knows what she is doing. (oops this is my hubby's account and he does this for work)

[@klreeve123]

Awesome! Great work. Love the camera cuts to beat.

[@JordiekinsxxReal]

Incredible!

[@nessgem]

This is hysterical.

[@russellboroviak7925]

very talented

[@probablyhina]

Just one word - woah.

[@CaptnKrys]

I love this!! I want this job.

[@bigdaddylee8019]

ikr. better than hospital shit career

[@kiki13450]

If you know nothing about music technically then this may be more confusing.

[@ArvinTorrente]

+SnickersDoodle5 I'm no music technical but I do understand that most of the number is the beats of the music while the numbers higher than 8 are usually camera cues.

[@jamesfarrell4597]

@@ArvinTorrente Actually I am pretty sure the numbers higher than 5 are the bar numbers. If you watch, the numbers increase every time she comes to them, then she starts at either 1 or 2 to count the beat in the bar.

[@esluv2laff]

Damn! @CarrieHavel you are a BEAST!. I don't know where you are right now but I hope you are getting paid well.

[@jecoupasombrado3057]

amazing

[@heyitsblinded]

Did not even think of someone having to cue each individual camera angle. Props.

[@JustSomeBloke1]

Amazingly slick. Very very good, and yet if you look at the output screen you'll see they still manage to get another camera in shot at 1:24 just proving that nobody is perfect!

[@aly8950]

this job seems hard af

[@troyjansen1]

Does anyone have a copy of the technical script? I would love to see it

[@1ramises]

fuck that's so hard wow

[@darthstarkiller1912]

I just HAD to know that they changed that car so quickly!

[@laurencenoble3629]

You can actually see them do some of it if you look at the screens on the right. I'd assumed they swapped the whole car but it looks like they're just putting red panels over the top of the white ones

[@howarsjonsen9440]

Reminds me of Broadcast News (movie) - She Is This Good. ...watch it.

[@dcashley303]

Ian Hinck sent me here... GT TIME!

[@Toke3164]

Ian Hinck from GT Time sent me here ....anyone else ?

[@rubengalvez7450]

TOP!!!!!!!!

[@meavid]

Ian Hinck from Gametrailers sent me.

[@domg8063]

Me too :)

[@davidluther6450]

Wow

[@jamesbynum3399]

Man! TD and cameras did a great job keeping up with the commands! Why are 2 of the cameras lettered instead of numbered... Steadicams maybe?

[@Dorpington]

+James Bynum She appears to be calling shot numbers, not camera numbers. In the teens, the sequence goes: 12, 13, A, 14, A, B, 16, 17. Perhaps they used letters for last-minute changes rather than re-number all the rehearsed shots. Or the letters could be camera designations, and they just call the camera designation rather than the shot number for last-minute changes.

[@lececamara]

GREAT!! that was fun to watch! 1,2,3,4...fucking A!

[@lukav7348]

camera choreo is hard!

[@javarielewis7257]

whoah, what is she calling out? light cues? or camera cues?

[@Charbs20]

+Javarie Lewis Its all camera cues.

[@Dorpington]

+Javarie Lewis Mostly she's counting the bars and beats of music between camera moves or shot switches. Each bar (or measure) in this song has 4 beats. When she's counting slowly, it's bars; counting quickly, it's beats. Other numbers, letters, and commands are the shot numbers and camera moves. Sometimes she makes a hand gesture when the camera cuts to a different angle. For instance, at 1:08 she says "Five bars, two beats. Two... three... four... doors two three four one two WHIP." That breaks down like this: - "Five bars, two beats." She calls out how long before the next camera move. - "Two... three... four... doors" Counting out those five bars. The 1st bar finishes while she speaks, and "doors" is a command that coincides with bar 5. - "two three four one two WHIP." She switches to counting beats, increasing her rhythm. First she counts the 5th bar's beats ("two three four"), then the next two beats of the next bar ("one two"), then she issues the command "Whip" and you can see the camera whip pan over to the revealed car. Simple! Right?

[@PierreElRey]

+Javarie Lewis I think it's the decimals of pi, not sure though...

[@rfinkels22]

@@Charbs20 Not "All" actually. She is calling the set/automation cue where the garage doors open. Lighting cues may come with the camera shot cues so those may be called indirectly

[@wonderlasting]

Wow, she's counting all the beats to coordinate with the cameras, etc. My goodness that is a lot of speaking in tempo.

[@senigalliaprod]

I assume the shots are pre-loaded in the switcher and the TD is just hitting the take button as Carrie calls out the shot numbers. So there is no need for the TD to keep track of the shot list and preset the next camera.

[@Dorpington]

+senigalliaprod This is my interpretation as well.

[@SimonFoxVids]

+senigalliaprod Watch the TD's fingers and the Preset and Program monitors, you can see him manually switching both.

[@senigalliaprod]

+Simon Fox Oh yes, it does look that way. I didn't look closely. He is also following along with Carrie in the log. They rehearsed that a few dozen times I imagine.

[@DrMisiakk]

GT Time

[@sirsimon16]

they think role of a tv person easy oh hell no

[@lizabehr_CaritoVel]

OMG... is wonderful ... but I dream of seeing Grant Gustin as Danny Zuko ... @ grantgust

[@laurencenoble3629]

It seems like the camera goes as she calls it if not before. Surely she should call it slightly early to give time for the operator to fire the cue?

[@visaman]

Laurence Noble This was live, each cue had to be precise. She was counting down the beats between shots to cue the switcher and the actors.

[@laurencenoble3629]

@@visaman That's what I'm saying. She can't be cueing the switcher because by the time he hears her cue and he presses the button it would be too late. I've never done anything quite like this but I call lighting cues for theatre which is similar. In my work it's crucial to call the cue slightly before the beat. It's the only way to be precise. If you call it on the beat all the cues will be late. I understand that this is different and the switcher obviously has to know his cues as well but I'm trying to understand the exact purpose of her roll. Is it just for the camera ops' benefit?

[@visaman]

@@laurencenoble3629 She said she was teaching a class in TV direction, and the orginal video was for her students, and it was leaked online, this is an enhanced video that someone made at home. Yes, it would be for the camera operator, if the had them, most camera work is done in the control room now. 20 years ago I took a workshop in studio camera work for a community tv station, and the director would be in my ear telling me to sweep, just like she does.

[@rhen1173]

Squint and watch when the camera switches on the director's monitor (right side) instead of the program view on the left side. The split screen video here isn't in perfect sync, and the left side is just a hair ahead of the control room video. You can see it more clearly if you run the video in 1/4 speed. Everything's right in line with the director's calls if you focus on the control room only.

[@SAINTOBVIOUS]

Whats the point of voicing the bars? I understand camera shots - but who exactly is the bars for?

[@chungscott416]

anyone here because of Do姐?

[@sebbaron]

Still didn't get what she was actually calling - cameras, lights?

[@zionous]

She calls the live camera cuts.