Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Sound of Music: On Stage, On the Small Screen

16/01/2014

NEW YORK NBC's live broadcast of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic The Sound of Music last month did more than garner high ratings. It also served as a testament to the challenges involved in elaborate live stage productions a type of program little seen on national television over the past 50 years.

A cameraman follows Carrie Underwood on The Sound of Music Live! set.

The crew that set up, rehearsed and pulled off The Sound of Music Live! wanted to create a hybrid, a live TV broadcast that looked like a movie, with no audience, according to Robert Dickinson, the production's lighting designer.

They've deemed it a success with few noticeable glitches, despite the pressure of a primetime, three-hour, major network broadcast that was the first live broadcast of a Broadway stage show since CBS aired Cinderella, starring Julie Andrews, in 1957.

The challenges at hand were daunting, not the least of which turned out to be that so many million sets of eyeballs (18.5 million the night of the show, with 38.2 million having seen some portion of it since the initial broadcast), were focused on their local NBC stations that night, for a show that was presented by a 300-plus cast and crew from Grumman Studios in Bethpage, N.Y.

While the production was criticized in some circles, given some issues with the sound mix, for instance, the production made history.

Without question, it represents a new genre of live TV broadcasts, said Dickinson. From a designer's perspective, to do something without current precedent is quite a thrill.

SHOOTING SPACE

The crew started rehearsing together in late October in two of Grumman's (the birthplace of the Apollo lunar modules) seven studios, building six sets on 39,000-square-foot Studio 3. It also rented Studio 2 for hair, makeup and placing mics on the actors.

Twelve Sony HDC-2500s were used throughout: seven were on pedestals, including four with Fujinon 22 x 7.2 lenses, the other three with Fujinon 27 x 6.5s; then three on Steadicams and two were on TechnoJibs, with all five cameras using wide-angle Fujinon 13 x 4.5s. In addition, each lens was fitted with a .5 GlimmerGlass filter, with the cameras shot at 30 psf (instead of 24p) to make the shot look a little less crisp, said Director Beth McCarthy.

Given the use of the dozen cameras on the set during the live (aside from the orchestral elements of the music) show, the utmost care had to be taken to ensure that nothing like a crew member tripping over a cable and possibly pulling a plug in doing so bad happened.

The cabling, believe it or not, was just the usual 500-foot rolls, said Bob Muller, the broadcast's supervising technical director. What was unusual is that all of the cameras were wired, [though about 62 Shure RF mics, with 15 BTR wireless mic systems, were also part of the production].

Using 12 wired cameras was challenging, because we had to block one scene at a time, then move the cameras we were using for the next scene without disconnecting any of the others, Muller added.

Pulling and reconnecting the plugs wasn't an option. We couldn't disconnect them, he said, because you run the risk that a camera might not come back up.

IN THE MIX

As for blocking off shots, utilities did a great job, Muller said. As the scenes were blocked, they were making diagrams of which camera would be used for each scene, then positioned. Then they figured out which camera would be moved first or second, to prevent the cables from getting tangled.

Also in the equipment mix much of it included in All Mobile Video's 53-foot HD Double-Expando Epic truck were two 6-channel EVSs, an Avid DekoCast for the opening titles and (scantly used) animation, and a Sony MVS-8000 switcher. The show was mastered on SR and each camera was iso'ed on HDCAM, with scenes dumped to a Cinedeck for NBC to upload into the PIX System.

That was akin to uploading dailies for NBC's West Coast executives, Muller said, noting another challenge was the production's use of 6.5 megawatts of power from several Aggreko generators for the broadcast.

As for the music mix, Klaus Landsberg, the senior production mixer, discussed the biggest challenges in working on the hybrid production that included so many open mics.

David Chase, music director for The Sound of Music Live!

I was basically handling the sound mix in a room that wasn't built with TV production in mind, Landsberg said of Grumman, noting the use of Cedar DNS1500s to quell the ambient sound, some of which came from fans on some of the almost 1,000 moving lights, with more than 1,700 instruments used for the show, total.

Remember, there hadn't been a live Broadway show on network TV in more than 50 years, when boom mics [which were available, just in case, as was a keyboard player in case ProTools failed, etc.] were common, Landsberg said. For this production, I was told that no mics were to be seen on the air.

To achieve that end, the sound crew employed those 62 Shure U1 and U1 Micro wireless mics very carefully, along with a Studer Vista 8 digital console with five digital layers. Also in the mix were DPA 4061 capsules.

The unusual surroundings meant that Landsberg had to address situations a mixer usually wouldn't have to. We even had to watch for things like sounds echoing off of the habits of the nuns, he said. Generally, I don't like adding to any sounds because, when you add frequencies, the sounds start getting tinny and jumps out at you, especially dialogue.

So, he said, it's better to just carve off the frequencies in that range so everything sounds natural.

RISK PAYS OFF

Mark Weglinski, the audio playback engineer, worked with the QLab, a digital audio playback system that is typically used on Broadway. It's reliable and gives letter- perfect c
LINK: http://www.tvtechnology.com/news/0110/sound-of-music-on-stage--on-the-...
See more stories from tvtechnology

Most recent headlines

13/03/2025

FCC Chairman Carr Launches Massive Deregulation Initiative

WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...

13/03/2025

SDVI Integrates Rally With Spectra Vail

SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...

13/03/2025

FCC Approves Gray's Acquisition of KXLT

ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...

13/03/2025

NAB Show 2025 Exhibitor Insight: Blackmagic Design

TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...

13/03/2025

Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice

Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions. ...

12/03/2025

Como o Impacto Cultural e Financeiro da Indstria Musical Define Seu Sucesso em 2025

O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...

12/03/2025

Cmo el impacto cultural y financiero de la industria musical define su xito en 2025

Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...

12/03/2025

Nourish Mind, Body, and Soul This Ramadan With Spotify

Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...

12/03/2025

How the Music Industry's Cultural and Financial Impact Define Its Success in 2025

Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...

12/03/2025

FAST now transcends back catalog content

More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...

12/03/2025

Viamedia Adopts ShowSeeker Pilot To Streamline Ad Workflows

GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...

12/03/2025

Mediagenix Appoints Wael Yasin as Sales Director Central Europe

BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....

12/03/2025

Omdia: Global Online Consumer Expenditure to Hit $6.6 Trillion by 2029

LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...

12/03/2025

Comcast Technology Solutions Upgrades to Interra Systems BATON Version 9

CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....

12/03/2025

Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering

Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering Brie Clayton March 12, 2025 0 Comments High-capacity switch enhances existi...

12/03/2025

DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol

DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol Brie Clayton March 12, 2025 0 Comments Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...

12/03/2025

SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally Sweden 2025

SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally...

12/03/2025

Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations

Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations A total of $17,000 will be distributed among the Boston-based nonprofits. By Madd...

12/03/2025

Offering a broad umbrella for IP standards

TVBEuropes Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a you...

12/03/2025

Warner Bros Belgium takes a new approach to its post production workflows

The new process has significantly enhanced operational efficiencies, with automation freeing up creators to concentrate on higher value tasks By Matthew Corrig...

12/03/2025

Another VFX company suspends operations

Jellyfish Pictures, which has offices in London and Sheffield, said it has been battling hard in the face of strong headwinds over the last 12 months By Jenny ...

12/03/2025

Bitcentral to Showcase AI-Powered Innovations for Smarter...

Visit Booth #W2213 to Experience the Latest in AI-Driven Content Discovery and Workflow Automation Bitcentral, a leader in media workflow solutions, is set to ...

12/03/2025

Jeff Lilly Named WGN-TV Director Of Technology

CHICAGO Jeff Lilly has been named WGN-TV director of technology effective March 17, 2025, according to Ric Harris, WGN-TV vice president and general manager....

12/03/2025

Survey: Consumers Want More Shoppable TV Experiences

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. A new study from LG Ad Solutions indicates that consumers want more features that would allow them to shop for products on the connected T...

12/03/2025

IP Showcase To Focus On IP, Broadcast Tech Convergence at 2025 NAB Show

BOTHELL, Wash. The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) will once again present...

12/03/2025

Comcast Boosts Internet Speeds for More Than 20 Million Customers

PHILADELPHIA Comcast announced that it has upgraded Xfinity Internet speeds for more than 20 million customers for no additional cost....

12/03/2025

Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14

Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14 Brie Clayton March 11, 2025 0 Comments Makin' Waffles with Elly Wade During Marc...

12/03/2025

Ross Video Strengthens Cloud Leadership with Appointment of Aaron Tunnell

Ottawa, Canada - March 12, 2025 - Ross Video is pleased to announce the appointment of Aaron Tunnell as Business Development Director, Cloud Solutions, reinforc...

12/03/2025

VEON to release 4Q 2024 trading update on 20 March 2025

12 Mar 2025 VEON to release 4Q 2024 trading update on 20 March 2025 Dubai, 12 March 2025 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital operator, today confirms ...

12/03/2025

Getting Set for the Winter Olympics: Inside SVT's Ongoing Software-Based Production Evolution

Getting set for the Winter Olympics: Inside SVT's ongoing software-based pro...

12/03/2025

Seamless SMPTE 2110: A Discussion on Making the Move to IP Less Painful

Seamless SMPTE 2110: A Discussion on Making the Move to IP Less Painful Leaders from Netflix, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, LinkedI, and Megapixel address ...

12/03/2025

Opening Doors of Perception: Meta's Ajit Ninan on Rethinking AR/MR Perceptual Displays

Opening Doors of Perception: Meta's Ajit Ninan on Rethinking AR/MR Perceptua...

12/03/2025

Sky Sports Unveils Exciting Plans for 2025 Formula 1 Coverage

With the 2025 Formula 1 season set to begin in Melbourne on March 16, Sky Sports is gearing up to deliver its most comprehensive F1 coverage yet. Following a th...

12/03/2025

Unicanal and Trece TV revolutionize Digital TV in Paraguay with Rohde & Schwarz transmission solutions

Unicanal and Trece TV revolutionize Digital TV in Paraguay with Rohde & Schwarz ...

12/03/2025

Honoring Service, Celebrating Sport: Rohde & Schwarz UK Sponsors NavyFit Rugby Double-Header

Honoring Service, Celebrating Sport: Rohde & Schwarz UK Sponsors NavyFit Rugby D...

12/03/2025

FOR-A America Introduces Top of the Line HANABI Series Switcher at NAB 2025 Exhibition

New HVS-Q12 Represents a Quantum Leap in Switcher Design...

12/03/2025

Telespazio and ABS Expand Partnership to Deliver Tailored C-Band Connectivity Solutions for the Brazilian Market

Telespazio and ABS Expand Partnership to Deliver Tailored C-Band Connectivity So...

12/03/2025

Congratulations to all our clients who have achieved TAG certification through our independent validation

ABC conducts independent audits across the TAG programs. In the March 2025 TAG s...

12/03/2025

Moonlight: Thales Alenia Space to develop the space segment of the navigation system orbiting around the Moon

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Moonlight: ESA program to create a satellite con...

12/03/2025

Thales among the world's top 100 most innovative companies for the 12th year, according to Clarivate

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn In 2025, Thales ranks among the top 0.01% of the...

12/03/2025

CCPC sponsored TV series The Complaints Bureau returns to RT One

Consumer show back following hugely successful first series 10 March 2025 Following a hugely successful first series, The Complaints Bureau returns to RT ...

11/03/2025

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Amel Guellaty, the Writer-Director of Where the Wind Comes From

By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...

11/03/2025

Salsa's Rhythmic Revival: A New Generation Discovers the Genre's Timeless Appeal

Salsa is making a comeback, captivating new listeners with its infectious energy...

11/03/2025

Canada's Own Rupi Kaur Curates the Latest Edition of Local Spot, Revealing the Songs and Artists That Shaped Her

For many people, music can serve as a reflection of their roots and upbringing. ...

11/03/2025

ST Engineering iDirect's Public Safety Solution Wins MSUA Satellite Mobile Innovation Award 2025

The solution delivers reliable, scalable and secure connectivity for critical pu...

11/03/2025

Weigel Broadcasting Taps Harmonic for Cloud-Based Playout-to-Delivery

SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced that Weigel Broadcasting has deployed Harmonics VOS Media Software, which offers playout-to-delivery capabilities, inclu...

11/03/2025

Wheatstone To Unveil Linux Audio Driver At 2025 NAB Show

NEW BERN, N.C. Wheatstone will introduce a Linux audio driver for its WheatNet IP audio network during the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, at the Las Vegas Convention...

11/03/2025

Study: Women's Sports Are a Big Win for Advertisers

NEW YORK A new study finds that as TV viewership for women's sports surged by 131% in 2024, the programming also saw a 56% year-over-year increase in ad im...

11/03/2025

Al Sharqiya prepares for Ultra HD with FOR-A

Powerful switcher for news studio FOR-A, a cutting-edge video broadcast technology company backed by more than 50 years experience, has installed its HVS-1200 ...