A few weeks ago we received a call from the Blue Note jazz club in NYC asking if we would spend a few nights filming a unique act. World-renowned tap dancer Savion Glover would be performing with some special guests, which included McCoy Tyner, Eddie Palmieri, Roy Haynes and Jack DeJohnette. Anyone who has been to the Blue Note knows that there's not a lot of room to spare and the waitresses are constantly buzzing around with trays of food and drink. The challenge then became, how to get the greatest production value, utilizing as small of a footprint as possible.
Because of their quality and size, I used four Sony EX 3 XDCAM HD cameras, linked by time code, as well as a rough feed off the audio board provided by the audio engineer. White balance was preset to 3200K on all cameras for consistency under the club’s unique, amber lighting.
We were allowed to remove three tables to position our cameras. One camera was dedicated to stage front and I was shooting and calling the show on Clear-Com from a small balcony, using three7" monitors clamped on the back of a chair. This left only one table space for the remaining two cameras.
Squeezing two operators with tripods on full apple boxes into a space around nine square feet presented a challenge. First, getting them close enough together to fit and second, getting them up high enough to see over the crowd and constant flurry of waitresses.
Fortunately, one of our heads was fitted with a new set of Manfrotto 536 carbon fiber sticks. Designed more like a still camera tripod capable of using a ball head and rising to amazing heights, it was able to tower over the crowd giving us a clear shot of the stage and even Savion’s feet. It also made it a little easier to position two tripods together, requiring only one set of sticks on boxes.
One other production must for the Blue Note: Make sure to tip the waitresses for their lost table revenue if you want to get out alive.
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