- Marian Herzog: Welcome to the PBS Wisconsin
remote production truck!
Our production team
has been traveling across the state
since the 1960s,
capturing events and performances
to share with you.
These productions range
from live coverage of the Martin Luther King Day Celebration,
State of the State speech and inaugurations at the Capitol,
the UW Varsity Band Show,
musical performances at the Overture Center,
and performances around the state,
like Michael Perry on the Road
and Holiday Concert from UW-Eau Claire!
- Russ Awe: Through the decades,
PBS Wisconsin has had three different remote trucks.
The current truck is about 36 feet long
and weighs 20 tons,
which is a little more than three elephants!
Can you imagine that?
It has about 24,000 feet of cable
connecting all of the equipment.
That's four and a half miles of cable!
The artwork on the outside of the truck
was created in collaboration with Cricket Design Works
and aims to celebrate the diverse people and places
across Wisconsin.
The truck gets about six miles to the gallon of diesel fuel
and has a straight six-cylinder engine.
You need a Commercial Driver's License, or CDL,
with air brakes to drive it,
and PBS Wisconsin currently has
four people on staff who can drive the truck.
- Andy LaValley: The truck is divided into two segments.
The back portion is separated from the front
so that the audio engineers
are able to work in their own soundproof space.
Up to 48 microphones can be brought into the mixer
at one time.
These microphones, along with other prerecorded elements,
are mixed together to create the final audio product.
In this space,
the engineers also manage the intercom system,
so the entire crew can communicate
to ensure an efficient production.
- Andrew Lohr: The front segment of the truck is divided further into sections
for engineering,
directors,
technical directors,
producers,
graphics operators,
and other personnel as needed.
The video engineer is responsible for
all video coming into the truck during a production.
This includes cameras operated by the PBS production crew,
as well as any additional video feeds.
The video engineer must ensure that all cameras look the same
and that they look
as true to what you would see in real life as possible.
They do this by adjusting the color and exposure
of all cameras in real-time.
A typical production will have
seven operated cameras and one external video feed.
Our truck is wired to allow for 10 cameras using Triax cable
and up to 12 Robotic cameras or feeds
using coax cable.
- Veronica Plum: The record engineer records program and cameras
in ISO, meaning "isolated recordings,"
so they can be edited together in post as needed.
There are various recording formats and devices
in the truck.
We can record a DVD, digitally on PIX Sound Devices,
which are made locally here in Wisconsin,
and by utilizing EVS technology.
EVS is a live replay server
and is the industry standard for sports replay.
It can also be used for other purposes,
such as in a live political debate.
While the debate is happening,
the record engineer can clip out sound bites to edit together
and play back live during the post-debate analysis.
- Al Barcheski: Next to the record engineer is the technical director.
They operate the video switcher to select
which camera, video source, or electronic graphic
is placed into the program.
- Deb Piper: The director is the one who calls these shots
and decides which camera is used and when.
They watch all of the camera shots on a large monitor wall
to decide which camera has the best angle.
The director is talking on headset
with all of the camera operators, floor managers,
and everyone inside the production truck.
- Janice Stone: When the team is recording a musical performance,
a score reader meets with the director weeks before the show
to help determine which instruments to feature
at certain parts of the score.
The director plans which camera shots will happen
at each moment during the music
and notes that on the musical score.
During filming, the score reader sits next to the director
to follow along with the score
so the director knows exactly when
to take the camera shots that have been planned.
This helps the director stay in the correct place in the music
while also helping camera operators frame up their shots.
- Jen Hadley: Sitting in the second row, behind the director,
are the graphics operator and the producer.
The graphics operator
selects which graphics are put into the program.
This can be names of songs, performers,
or the score of a game.
Sometimes, the operator needs to be able
to update this score or name
live in the moment.
They also create the credits,
which are rolled at the end of each program.
- John Gerbig: The producer is in charge of the overall production
and makes sure everything takes place according to plan.
They watch all aspects of the production
and take notes on timings,
alternate shots that might get used in edit,
and any mistakes that will need to be fixed
before the program airs.
- Russ Awe: The EIC, or Engineer-In-Charge,
is often on the move,
but when they are able to sit,
they are located next to the producer.
They make sure
everything coming into and leaving the truck
looks and sounds good,
and if something doesn't,
they try to figure out what can be done
to correct or fix the problem.
- Marian Herzog: Everyone on the PBS Wisconsin team works together
to produce the television programs
that are brought to your screen!
Thank you for taking this tour
of the PBS Wisconsin remote production truck,
and keep an eye out for us on the road.
You never know where we might be next!
[delicate piano]