NEW YORK—The late, great Dick
Clark is gone, but the show he created
40 years ago will rock on in
Times Square on Dec. 31. Ryan
Seacrest will host “Dick Clark’s
New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” starting at
8 p.m. EST, bolstered by live performances
by Carly Rae Jepsen,
Taylor Swift and Neon Trees. And,
as usual, ABC will field a massive
mobile operation to capture the
stars and crowds packing Time
Square, and feeding the action to
the world.
Fortunately for the Disneyowned
net, the locale is also home
to ABC’s New York studios at the
corner of Broadway and West 44th
Street. “We also set up a stage on
Military Island at West 44th Street
with a jib and camera for outside
presentation,” said Ellen Zalk, ABC’s director
of client services. ABC also deploys
shooters with handheld RF cameras to let
the host do on-street interviews with the
public. “There is also a jib and additional
camera on the 7th floor roof of 1500 Broadway
for crowd and ball shots,” Zalk said.
ON THE STREET
“Shooting in Times Square surrounded
by a crowd of almost 2 two million people
has its obvious challenges,” noted Bob Lampel,
ABC’s technical manager. Fortunately,
“the NYPD does a magnificent job keeping
things well organized and providing
secure alleys and access for our two roving
Steadicam units.” These camera units both
are six-person crews with RF camera, RF
audio, RF return video and RF prompter.
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An ABC camera operator on the 7th floor terrace of 1500 Broadway prepares to shoot the “ball” drop. |
ABC plans to use 12 cameras to cover
its talent, guest interviews and the scene
in Times Square. According to Lampel, a
mix of Sony HDC-1500 and “PMW-500 on
sticks” will be used for studio and main
stage coverage. Three jibs will be fitted
with Sony HDC-1500s; plus two Steadicams
with Sony HDC-91s linked via RF
transmitters for street interviews. A handheld
Sony PMW-500 connected to an RF
transmitter will also be deployed, plus an
RF-connected PMW-500 with a Fujinon
XA101 lens located four blocks from the
ball for wide shots.
Audio will be captured using a range
of microphones, including VMC cardioid
mics, Lectrosonic SMVs with MKE2 gold
capsules, and Shure VP88s. Lectrosonic
UM400a digital hybrid wireless UHF belt
packs will be used as well.
GOING TO AIR
Reliably transmitting video and audio
back to ABC’s Times Square studios via RF
is a must. “We utilize a system of antennas
strategically located around the Times
Square grid,” said Lampel. “Some antennas
are powered locally, others, where shore
power is not available—remember we’re
in one of the busiest intersections in the
world—receive power through SMPTE fiber.
“
The signals travel to and from the base
stations, located on the roof of ABC’s Times
Square Studios, via a network of fiber-optic
cable hung from street lamps and traffic
posts in the Times Square area. (Every December,
a massive ad hoc fiber-optic network
is installed in Times Square to support
the event.)
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Spotlights point to the crowd on Broadway and Seventh Avenues, above ABC’s Times Square Studios complex. |
There’s no one proven way to create
this data network. In fact, “These systems
are a constant work in progress and ongoing
conversation at ABC, and continue to
evolve year after year,” Lampel said.
The video and audio are ported to two
HD control rooms in ABC’s Times Square
Studios. Both control rooms are equipped
with Sony 8000A switchers, supported by
6-channel EVS media storage units. “The audio
consoles are Calrec Sigma in Control A
and an API Legacy in Control B,” said Lampel.
AN UNPREDICTABLE SHOOT
Even after four decades, the ABC production
team never takes the Times Square remote
for granted. This is because New Year’s
Eve is one of the most daunting shoots they
face annually.
Among the challenges: “Moving around
becomes progressively more difficult as
midnight approaches, mostly because the
crowd has grown to an unimaginable size,”
Lampel said. “The PA system needed to cover
the area with an endless stream of live music
and other events is run at extremely high
volume, creating a huge hearing challenge
with comms.”
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Dick Clark (R) makes his final appearance at New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2012 with co-host Ryan Seacrest. |
Then there’s the weather, which affects
the crew in the seven day on-site runup to
New Year’s Eve. “Needless to say, the elements
are unpredictable,” Lampel noted.
Despite the madness, “Dick Clark’s New
Year’s Rockin’ Eve” is worth the effort for
ABC. Nearly 23 million watched last year’s
broadcast, marking an 11-year high for the
show—and the last appearance by Dick
Clark alongside Seacrest.
Much as Clark will be missed this year,
there’s no doubt that his New Year’s Eve
Times Square broadcast will continue to
draw huge audiences. It’s a likelihood that
would have pleased the rock’n’roll broadcast
pioneer to no end.
“The bottom line is, it’s a loud, cold,
jam-packed yet magnificent environment
that is probably the most interesting challenge
one can hope to encounter in live
TV,” said Lampel. “Everyone is pressing
closer to the ball, and the energy in the
plaza builds and feels comparable to five
Super Bowls at once.”