A Day In The Life Of A TV Production Crew

WORKERS TELEVISING THE CONVENTION ENDURE DEMANDING JOBS, DESPITE LITTLE RECOGNITION
by Lisa Caruso
Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008
http://www.nationaljournal.com/conventions/co_20080826_6444.php

It's a thankless, often back-breaking job with long hours and little recognition. But the camera operators, sound technicians, and other professionals laboring anonymously behind the scenes are an indispensible part of delivering television coverage of the conventions to millions of viewers.

Rhone Hamilton started work Monday at 2 a.m. after sticking around until 8:30 p.m. Sunday. By 11:30 a.m. he had been on his feet and in the hot the sun for hours, with several more to go. Freelancing for Fox News, Hamilton operates a 22-foot jib -- a still camera mounted on a crane -- gracefully maneuvering the 1,000-pound apparatus nearly 360 degrees to capture sweeping aerial shots or zooming in for a close-up of distant scenes.

"It's not all about brawn. Anybody can come in and slam [the jib] around. I have to be smooth with it, almost dance with it," says Hamilton, who attributes his fluid style to his training in the Chinese martial art tai chi.

But frustrations abound. Hamilton's assistant, Rick Solis, relies on energy drinks to get him through a long day. But Red Bull won't help the newlywed placate his wife. Transplanted from Venezuela since their August 8 wedding, she "is getting all ticked off" over his relentless schedule, Solis says.