Dancing with the Stars
Interning on season 33 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars equipped me with a holistic understanding of live television production. I had the chance to work closely with the production and creative teams, collaborating directly with the Technical Director, Lighting Designer, Creative Director, and others to see how all the departments come together to make a live broadcast happen.
Working closely with the Technical Director allowed me to gain hands-on experience in the booth, learning how they read and execute scripts while troubleshooting in real-time.
To the left, you can find two videos of me TDing for a contestant performance as well as a troupe performance.
Working with the Camera Operators gave me the opportunity to directly operate the Steadicam(photos below), crane(photos below), and pedestal cameras. I learned not only the technical aspects of controlling the rigs and cameras but also how to coordinate camera movements in sync with the action in a busy studio environment.
On the right is a troupe performance where I am operating the Ped Cam.
Additionally, working with the Lighting Department taught me to create and interpret lighting plots, program and operate lights, and use GroundControl(check below for pics) for follow-spots. I also gained knowledge in channeling and powering lights, to ensure everything runs smoothly during the production. From my time shadowing the Creative Director, I gained valuable insights into the broader vision behind the scenes, observing how they orchestrate all departments to bring a cohesive artistic vision to life on screen.
