CCM Behind The Scenes

Interview with a Soon-to-Be Legend

2010-04-17T20:22:00.009-07:00

Jared Haskell on his last day, with his grip from last year and this year's blogger
(That is to say, Jigga and me)

In addition to being a tremendous event, the New York BattleCry was also the last day of work for staff DP Jared Haskell, who heads back to Texas just long enough to figure out what's next.

Up first? Seeing Atlanta with the members of Unhindered.

Here with a look at his last job is Jigga himself.

By the way, working with Jigga has a way of rubbing off on you. After working as a cable-monkey grip for him for a single weekend, I still have the habit of wrapping my power supply over-under every time I pack up my computer A FULL YEAR LATER. He's a great DP and an amazing guy all around, and it's been a blessing to work with him for the last sixteen months.

The Beginning of the End...

2010-04-17T19:14:00.007-07:00

The final session...

Be the Love Encounter

We have reached the end of the event. Unhindered did a big final set, complete with confetti cannons, after Ron Luce gave his "Listen to Love/Be the Love Encounter" message. And the live show wrapped up right on time, with Kemtal Glasgow giving the final exhortation on-air.

Now it's time for clean-up and load-out. I've already helped Logan pack up the lights from the crow's nest, and now breakdown at the tape truck is go. Let the wild rumpus start!!

(Also, can I just say that Anna is way too kind in her assessment of my posts? Anna, you did an edited mini-highlights piece yesterday. No matter how many videos I put up, yours put mine to shame. But thank you so much anyway.)

A little poetry from the event..

2010-04-17T18:20:00.002-07:00

So Tyler and I were just sitting in the team room, watching as people prepare to load out, since the event will be getting over soon.. And I was talking about how sometimes I can be very random and that I would probably just post random thoughts and poems that I wrote off the top of my head.. So he said, go for it.. So here’s a little poem that I’m making off the top of my head about this weekend.. There will probably be a rhymning scheme, but it won't probably be that good..

Ode to BattleCry

The weeks, the months we prepared and slaved..

Never compared to what we had to brave..

Hard work and long days..

Oh you helped us perservere in so many ways..

Finally the day of the event came..

I don’t think I’ll ever be the same..

From speakers like Ron Luce and Mike Guzzardo..

They was definitely no Ricky Ricardo..

But they came and they won peoples hearts for the Lord..

Not a person this weekend was ever bored..

The bands and special guest blew our minds..

They were definitely very good finds..

But now alas it’s coming to and end..

I’m pretty sure we all made a life long friend..

His name is Jesus and he died for me..

So thank you BattleCry because now I’m free..

Whoa..! A little corny but defintely not phoney.. Watch out I’m speaking in rhyme this sure isn’t a crime.. Unless I’m just really bad at it then that’s not so rad.. I hope you had a lot of fun.. There’s some more post to come, oh yeah we’re not done..

Enjoy the Night.. Please don’t get in a fight..

(okay I’m done with rhyming..)

Anna

Interview with a Staffer

2010-04-17T17:40:00.002-07:00

Lauren Baize isn't your average CCMer. In fact, she's not an intern -- she's a staff member, working as acting coach and Sterling College representative! This weekend, though, she's jumped into the event with both feet, working as tape supervisor to make sure all our footage comes back the way it's supposed to be.

... which, past problems suggest, is pretty much the most important thing ever.

Way to go, Lauren!!

Makeup time!

2010-04-17T17:30:00.002-07:00

So I’ve had quite an exciting time. After dinner I was able to help out in the interview room and be in there while my fellow CCMer, Keshia Weaver, produced the interview with Canton Jones. It was so awesome to hear him talk about how his wife keeps him accountable in their relationship and in his profession, hear him talk about his kids and his business and him reaching out for this generation.

After the interview I got a total makeover. I was able to visit my very good friends Aspen Henry and Kristina Kutscher and get a make up makeover from them.. Not only did I get my whole face done, but in the process I got my hair curled by, Shannon Haack, and got a very nice and soothing hand massage. If I must say anything it would have to be this, these girls are really good at their jobs and if you ever need makeup done, go see them.

Update Time

2010-04-17T17:12:00.008-07:00

Oh my goodness. Can I just say right now that Tyler is a blog updating machine..? I’m proud of my 5 updates. And then we’ve got Tyler in the corner over here pumping out a update every minute it seems! Good job, buddy. You are one talented writer. I guess that’s what you get when you stick a writer/producer on blogging. Me a lowly editor can barely keep up with him! But hey, it’s all good, we all do what we can. And this blog is looking pretty spectacular.

Let me tell you a few things that I have been able to witness at today’s event.. I was able to slip into the arena while Nick Vuijicic was speaking.. If you just see him that alone is amazing, to see how God has used this man’s life and his situation to speak to thousands.

Another thing that I was able to see was HeeSun Lee the spoken-word rapper.. It was very cool seeing her rap. Yeah. (I’m not to sure how to describe.) Why don’t you just watch this clip to check her out.

Also for your enjoyment, here are some more pictures for you to see first hand what the event is like.

HeeSun Lee doing her Spoken Word

Shannon Haack enjoying her break while listening to Nick Vuijicic

Another picture of HeeSun Lee

The crowd

Mike Guzzardo talking to the crowd

Another shot of the crowd

Tyler and I working hard

Ron Luce speaking

On a Lighter Note...

2010-04-17T17:01:00.003-07:00

"Where are you, Christmas? Why can't I find you?"

Remember when I said Kristina had a quirky sense of style? Perhaps this is no more apparent than in the discovery of Kristina Lou Who, who is no more than two.

Just in case the event was starting to seem a little overwhelming, every now and then you come across a little gem like this picture, which reminds us what the truly great thing about working in media is... it's entertainment. Sometimes it's inspirational, moving, informative entertainment -- and sometimes it isn't something like this. But no matter what, our work in entertainment always has two things going for it.

1) It can be used to bring glory to God;
2) It's FUN!

Case in point...

I saw this on posters around the concourse, detailing the events on the schedule for the IZOD Center, and the placement of our very own "Acquire the Fire presents the Greater New York BattleCry" in the scheme of other events made me laugh. So I had to pull out my cell phone and take a picture... which is currently my cell phone wallpaper.

That's right. Last week was Stars on Ice, this weekend is BattleCry, and Monday is WWE Raw. That's almost as good as this summer, featuring Doo-wop... followed by Megadeth.

Is it just me, or is this one of the funniest, most random combination of things in a very, very long time?

A Video from our Fearless Leader

2010-04-17T16:43:00.005-07:00

This exclusive clip of the inner workings of the TV truck comes to us courtesy of Doug Rittenhouse, director of the CCM program and executive producer of all the great stuff we put out.

Inside the Production Truck during the broadcast of a Live Event at the Izod Center in the Meadowlands. This is just part of a team of 75 people that it took to produce more than 15 Hours of Live Television.

For more from Mr. Rittenhouse, check his Twitter feed... he's got a lot of TwitPics up from the event.

And, while you're at it, follow CCM Studios on Twitter, too!

Interview with a PA

2010-04-17T15:30:00.003-07:00

Shannon Haack wasn't content to just shoot a simple interview -- she hijacked the full-broadcast interview room for her own literal moment in the spotlight.

Of course, a simple blogger's inexperience with video work on his personal digital camera was still our downfall, and the zoom suddenly kicked in by accident about halfway through.

In any case, she takes her moment to shine and shares a bit about what "production assistants" actually do... and how the weekend's been shaping up from the viewpoint of the corridors of power.

Interview with a Grip

2010-04-17T15:16:00.001-07:00

Caleb Lennie shares some of the "adrenaline rush" that comes with running cable for Jigga at LiveCam 3, a position near and dear to this blogger's own heart, since I did it last year.

"Another Update for the Text Nation"

2010-04-17T14:36:00.011-07:00

If you've been to an ATF or BattleCry lately, you've probably seen a time when the big screens are given over to "Shout-Outs" from text messages. If you're watching the live broadcast on satellite TV or GodTV.com, there's another set of Shout-Outs that goes up there.

But have you ever wondered how, exactly those go up online?

Well, for the two different environments, there are two different systems, though they work pretty much the same way.

A texting-computer operator connects a phone -- with a SIM card dedicated to this specific task, though we got 14 calls to the text-only number before the event even started last night -- to the computer, and feeds the texts into a program designed to pull them off and organize them. And, obviously, to filter out things like swear words.

From there, the operators can feed the texts into the graphics programs for the projectors, feeding them straight through, changing up the order, or inserting their own in case there's a lag in cell service. (Sadly, often there is a lag as the phone gets a little overwhelmed with volume.)

In the course of this tour, a crack team of CCMers has been assembled to handle the texting computers, growing from one outgoing staff member to three young interns, and Michael Mistretta, Phillip-Michael Fletcher and Margo Kittok have become superstars as they put up salutations from attendees up for thousands of others to see.

For the NY event, two separate texting stations are needed.

One, which serves the in-arena texts, is run from "Video World," where the ministry team processes graphics and videos to run on the screens in the event. Margo is working this station for this event, occasionally throwing in shout-outs to the full slate of fellow CCMers in the crowd.

For a chance at showing up on this bank of Shout-Outs at this evening's session, text 903.504.1202.

On a completely different processing software is the TV-text station, which is outside by the TV truck, where CCM has set up their recording station to handle the tape copies of everything being broadcast.

Between running around doing PA work, Phillip has been on the broadcast station, handling the bumpers as needed by the director for an audience of potentially millions, all around the globe.

For a chance at showing up there, text 903.521.6848, though remember all applicable country codes if texting from outside the United States.

It Starts with One Thing...

2010-04-17T13:21:00.011-07:00

Jan. CCMer, GFX guru, still photographer and excellent bus-bunkmate John Manalo

As noted before, one of the keys to being successful in the media world is the flexibility to adapt to a new plan. On a very similar note, I posted from Hamilton in October that the hallmark of the media lifestyle was a willingness to do whatever was needed, since "the show must go on."

You put the two together, and you quickly realize that there's a skill that comes in very handy.

Some people have it, some people don't.

Media folk need it.

It's called multitasking.

In addition to running this blog, along with my lovely editrix and friend Anna Crowley (a co-blogger so awesome she even brought me a cookie last night), yours truly has been, at various times, a lighting grip (running "sun gun" for Walk-n-Talk shots -- see more on that from a Hamilton post -- or a stageside prayer from Ron Luce during last night's altar call) and a GFX assist (as noted in previous posts, working on the opener video). Plus, I'm credited as a writer, since I worked on the creative team for this year's tour, and I supervised re-writes of the drama for the NY venue (though most got changed back). And, on top of that, I produced the latest event-specific promo and appeared in some of the drama videos. So I'm pretty much all over.

But it's not just me. It's almost everybody.

John Manalo, my bus-bunkmate and January GFX guy, estimates he's had five separate jobs this weekend. Graduate Alex Clark, editor and all-around fix-it-man, has been on standby for anything and everything that might need his attention. His job, he would say, is to "save the day."

Both Clark and John, in fact, were called in to help set up the Honor Academy breakout, currently in progress. The breakout space simply wasn't big enough after the Global Expeditions moment, so, for the afternoon, it was moved outside -- to a space that looked more like a wedding setup than an informational meeting (or, at least, it would have given that impression had it not been set up under a bridge to the racetrack).

John is actually the third person this weekend to be assigned to the one-man post of CCM's official still photographer, after Amber Boehler and Michael Mistretta, pictured below.

This picture is for Michael's mom, who pretty much told us we needed to put up another picture of him.

The beauty of this arrangement: A single weekend is giving lots of us the chance to gain loads of varied experience, in things we may already know and in things we've never done before, as well as showing off how well CCM works with the rest of the event as a whole.

And for those who have managed to stick with one job… well, the view's not bad for them, either.

Caleb, running grip for Jigga on Live Cam 3, watches Unhindered's acoustic set

Interview with a Promo Rep

2010-04-17T12:33:00.005-07:00

Casey Flores isn't technically a CCMer. But we're proud to call him one anyway. He's with Teen Mania's Honor Academy, so he was assigned to our admissions and promotions team, and he's a vital part of the CCM experience, helping bring new potential CCMers into the program. Along with a few others -- like Kristina, as mentioned before -- under the guidance of Gail Rittenhouse, he is the voice of CCM, if you will. And for a lot of people who are attending events from the Encounter tour, he's also the Face of the place -- he's the first person associated with the program that they're going to see.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
--Hebrews 12:1

In the videos meant to represent the "Great Cloud of Witnesses" who interact with the angelic characters of the drama, Casey gets to play the only Biblical figure who gets to interact with a human character. Appearing to Zack Brahinsky in a dream and inspiring him to assume the superheroic mantle he never thought himself capable of shouldering, Casey plays Gideon. (For those who don't remember, Gideon was the hero who rose up from being the least son of the smallest family of Israel in a time when they all hid out like cowards, threshing their wheat inside winepresses in case the Midianites came to steal it, and led an army -- cut down to size by God -- against the Midianites with only trumpets and clay pots. And won.)

The scene in the drama tends to make a pretty hefty impression (made even more amazing by the fact that, during the many shoots it took to get right, poor Casey was recovering from pnuemonia).

Here, he talks about his experience with the promo booth, and his brush with fame.

A Special Event Calls for Special Guests

2010-04-17T12:11:00.008-07:00

The New York event, being our second live broadcast of the tour, gets special billing from its guest speakers. Where we normally have sessions led by Mike Guzzardo and Joel Johnson, ATF's go-to speakers and quite good speakers in their own right, the New York event calls for some extras.

Mike Guzzardo in this case is joining April Hernandez, who spoke last at last year's event, as emcee. April is best known for playing Eva in the movie "Freedom Writers." This morning, the sex-and-relationships talk that's included in every Teen Mania event was given by Lakita Garth-Wright, abstinence advocate known on the speaking circuit for her catchy and sometimes scandalous turns of phrase (notably "no ringy, no dingy") and known to the United States Congress lobbying for abstinence education. And currently onstage is Nick Vujicic, a man born with no arms and no legs, who still travels the world inspiring people blessed with "normal" stature to take full advantage and live the life God has planned for them.

(You can check him out at lifewithoutlimbs.org.)

One of the biggest advantages to working an ATF or BattleCry -- when awesome sessions like this come along, you're there to see it. Oh, yeah, and to broadcast it to the world at large.

Jigga gets a good shot of Nick as he looks out to the crowd

Interview with the Makeup Crew

2010-04-17T10:29:00.002-07:00

Aspen Henry and Kristina Kutscher were pretty much fearless already.

For eight months, Aspen has been the only girl in CCM's acting track, and came in only to meet the daunting job of the Master Tech Script for North America's largest youth conference and its eight-month, 30-city tour.

Kristina still serves in our promo department even after moving over to production, where she's blazing her own trail as our first real music composer. (Not to mention that, with Sam Davis helping come up with content for NEXT YEAR's ATF tour, Kristina's had to shoulder casting responsibilities.)

So who better to be the team that comes face to face with ALL the talent, charged with helping the likes of Joel Houston and Bishop Hezekiah Walker relax and be comfortable to take the stage?

Also, they're both known for their wonderfully quirky sense of style, so who better to help them look good for the stage and for the TV cameras?

Best of all, who better to help us all focus on the spiritual development you find even in the most hectic workday, seeing everything you do as worship?

Interview with a Driver

2010-04-17T10:20:00.002-07:00

Wes Trost is many things.
He's an editor.
He's our dolly-cam operator.
He's the broadcast director's son.

But gifted with navigation he isn't.

Everybody is staying relatively close by (CCMers are staying on a bus in the parking lot, in fact, though some of the film crew is in a hotel down the road), but Wes managed to end up at Newark Airport -- twenty minutes away -- and it took him two hours to get back.

And yet... the enthusiasm never dies. And why should it? After this, Wes has done live camera for 60 hours over four events with ATF/BattleCry alone.

Interview with a Live Cam Op

2010-04-17T10:08:00.003-07:00

Here, briefly, is Logan May's take on the weekend -- succinctly defining the way people talk over headsets while trying to get the live broadcast on air.

Also, when he talks about his many responsibilities, I feel like I'm filming an Old Spice commercial. He just has that air about him.

Interview with an ENG Team

2010-04-17T08:27:00.002-07:00

Cody Greeley graduated from CCM having always done GFX work. Joe Ferrara is our current GFX superstar. But this week, they're working on an ENG (Electronic News Gathering, or testimony-interview gathering) crew... many times, without another producer.

Joelle also jumped into the interview, but it's possible she saw the sun breaking through the rainclouds in the window behind Cody and just wanted to look like she had a halo.

Interview with a Runner

2010-04-17T08:13:00.004-07:00

Sam Davis--actor, extraordinary casting director, and writer for NEXT YEAR's tour--thought he was in for a job he knew exactly how to do -- after all, he was "tape runner" for last year's BattleCry.

Then he got an entire CREW.

Get a look inside what goes on behind the scenes for making logistics work!

The Video Recap is finally here!

2010-04-17T07:53:00.002-07:00

I told you all that I would get a video of the doors opening and the opener of the event.. and here it is FINALLY..!! It took a long time, but it's here now!

It's time to get the recap party going!

2010-04-17T07:39:00.008-07:00

So last night is definitely one to remember. When Unhindered began worship, you could tell this event was going to be amazing! The drama was probably one of the best that they've done since the beginning of the tour, and when Ron Luce came out to do the altar call, almost every person was out of their seats! When Hillsong United came out and just blew the roof off the building, I'm sure that lives were changed and affected.

I seem to talk about lives being changed a lot. It's because this event is so different from any other one. Not only was there over 16,000 people here last night, but also, this event is on live TV and millions of other lives are being changed as they watch this event. So of course I'm going to see just what the impact of what everyone's hard work is doing. I'm going to see the hours spent on editing a video, making a graphic, producing, directing, writing and shooting a piece and see how a 2 minute video that CCM has made can change the lives of thousands. It sometimes can amaze me that a video that we have made can do that. It can change someone’s life!

I guess that’s all I really want to say for now. So why don’t you sit back and relax and enjoy a few pictures.

Stage getting ready for the start of the event

Crowd waiting in anticipation for BattleCry to start

A DJ getting his groove on!

Bree Lester shooting some crowd reactions

The countdown to the event starting is about to start

Can't get anywhere behind stage without this

Bree preparing for her camera operating debut

Joe Ferrara, Heather Long, and Cody Greeley getting ready for interviews

Semper Gumby

2010-04-17T05:36:00.003-07:00

So, with this event, as with so many other things in life, plans are subject to lots of little changes. Sometimes they're funny, and sometimes they're a little more difficult to cope with. When working in a fast-paced, project-driven and, ultimately, unstable industry like media, the key is to roll with the punches and fix whatever needs fixing.

Sometimes it's a relatively easy fix… like the discovery that our CCM Promo table had been moved just a little bit down the hall during ATF concourse setup, meaning two signs were now pointing out the ridiculously roundabout way to get there.

Peel, walk to where they make sense, stick again. Hooray!

Other times, however, the fix means a big restructuring in what people are doing for the weekend. Once we got here, we realized that, with people sitting behind the stage, the speakers would sometimes turn around and address them directly, so we were going to need a TV camera back there.

And so a giant complication became an amazing opportunity.

Say hello to Amber Boehler (say it with me... "BAYh-ler"), aka the unprecedented LIVE CAMERA #7.

Day 2 will soon be underway! Doors open any minute now.

So Let Hope Rise, Darkness Tremble

2010-04-16T21:05:00.007-07:00

With every job come massive perks.

When you work for CCM, this sometimes means "You're called to take pictures or guard the jib as the crowd presses the stage and the event runs late into the night -- but that means you're up at the very front when Hillsong United leads worship."

I know. It sounds rough, right?

Work never felt so much like fun -- or so much like worship.

Singer Joel Houston, about to launch into another song

Hillsong United plays "Mighty to Save"

CCMers, with about 16,000 attendees from the New York area, stand with arms high and heart abandoned.

Interview with a Producer

2010-04-16T19:16:00.001-07:00

Keshia Weaver is a CCM producer and Project Area Manager. Here in New York, she runs the interview room, which has kept her busy. However, they also fulfilled Joelle's dreams by interviewing two members of Hillsong United!

For the uninitiated, "Jigga" is staff director of photography Jared Haskell, who, if he stood up straight, would tower over MOST people at a very lanky 6'5".

It's taking some time..

2010-04-16T18:08:00.003-07:00

Here we are an hour or so into the event and all you guys have is a simple blog entry of what the event opener was like.. But I want to give you so much more..! Well the video of the pre-doors opening and the event is on its way, sadly the wifi here is quite slow and it's taking FOREVER..!! I'll make sure to post it as soon as it's up..!

Anna

Quick Note from the EVENT

2010-04-16T17:22:00.002-07:00

And, people of the world, the event is ON!! An hour ago, a drumline and mass choir took the stage, and since then, Ron Luce welcomed the crowd to this year's Encounter. As we speak, the first worship session of the night is in full swing, led by Unhindered!

TV production is in full swing, too; the dolly is rolling, the jib is swinging over the crowd, and the live-shots look AMAZING.

And, by the way, the GFX of the event opener were pretty amazing. Well done, crew.

Interview with an Alumna

2010-04-16T14:02:00.002-07:00

Emily Kelly is in a unique position for this New York BattleCry. She's in New York for three reasons:

1) She came up for vacation.
2) Along with Alex Clark, Adam Overfelt, Cody Greeley and Ron Ordonez, she, as a former CCMer, is coming along for our NY Professional Encounter.
3) As a current School of Worship intern, she's around here not to work with CCM but to man the SOW booth.

So she's currently pulling something like double-duty for Teen Mania. On top of all that, she was part of a team of seven CCMers who contributed to writing content for "The Encounter" tour, so she's now seeing things she helped create come to life in a spectacular new venue, through a live broadcast manned by a young and fresh CCM staff, all from the vantage point of someone now on the outside.

Oh, yeah, and, by the way, attendance numbers have now passed 16,000, making this Teen Mania's largest event in four years.

That's pretty awesome.

We're Kind of a Big Deal

2010-04-16T12:14:00.004-07:00

One more quick note, just to give you guys a sense of the scale of this event...

This screen is set up behind everything. It gives people a view of what's going on onstage, even when you have to sit directly behind the stage itself.

This is the venue...

With chairs filling the floor like so...

And we have people sitting behind the stage.

This. Event. Is. Going. To. Be. Huge.

Interview with a DP

2010-04-16T12:10:00.002-07:00

Joelle also shared a little bit about her job… though, as she said, contents of this video are always "subject to change."

Less than four hours to go! Even as I type, Hillsong United is soundchecking all of 100 feet away.

Video Time...

2010-04-16T11:47:00.003-07:00

I don’t know about all of you guys, but I love it when I can watch videos on a blog.. Tyler has posted a couple interviews from our fellow CCMers and so I thought I’d join in and show you some more of CCM..

With only hours until the event starting we are all awaiting in anticipation to see what God has in store for this weekend..! I can’t wait to see the faces of all the teens when they see the drama, the videos, and everything that so many people have put their time into..!

And now.. For your entertainment here is a little interview with my friends Bree Lester and Cody Greeley..

Interview with a January

2010-04-16T11:46:00.002-07:00

Here with a personal account of what this weekend should look like is one of our newest CCMers, Phillip-Michael Fletcher...

Today is the Day...

2010-04-16T09:03:00.025-07:00

That's right, ladies and gentlemen, today is the day the event goes live, and CCM -- as well as the ATF support crew, ministry team and School of Worship, have spent the last day getting everything set up!

To give you just a little sense of how much is going on, we made sure to get a few pictures.

Cody and CCM graduate (turned School-of-Worship intern) Emily lend a hand to ATF setup, sorting and tagging merch.

Linzie takes care of sorting out some merch for ATF.

Texting station setup: Getting ready for shoutouts from around the world.

Event setup: Thursday afternoon...

Dolly setup: Checking the motion along the track.

Jib Setup: Attaching the camera to the crane.

Jared surveys the crow's nest setup, where GodTV's Emma Owen will host the introduction to the event.

Logan starts the long trek to the crow's nest, this time with a tripod.

Logan was busy setting up a tripod taller than he is. Jared... supervised.

CCM graduate Ron Ordonez gets back into the habit of over-under cable-wrapping.

Our fearless leader talks shop.

Keshia takes a moment to get logistics taken care of
(Also, I love the whiteness of this hallway.)

Getting the interview room set up...

First pass at a click track for opener rehearsal

CCM Graduate Adam Overfelt, who returned for the NY Professional Encounter, helps out ATF by going a little Crazygonuts with a price tag gun.

Ministry Teamer Curran Rappe, who plays Zack Brahinsky in the drama, watches setup

The IZOD Center's "Winner's Club," now a base of operation for CCM runners.

The jib, towering over the fully set-up venue.

Bright lights on the School of Worship soundcheck, featuring bassist Lucas Milbrandt, a former roommate of several CCMers

Working on the click track for the NOW-COMPLETED OPENER!

Margo and Michael, aka "Texty McGee" and "Texting Magoo," apparently

Cody gets B-Roll of setup during the School of Worship soundcheck

Ready to Rotoscope, Pt 2: This Time, It's Jersey

2010-04-15T12:05:00.008-07:00

First up… welcome Anna Crowley to the CCM Blog! And thanks for the masterful sum-up of our mission here on ccmbts.blogspot.com.

We've both been busy on the road up here, so, for just a little more detail, let me just say that New York, N.Y., is a heck of a town.

Some people call it "the city that never sleeps."
Sometimes, our GFX team never sleeps, either.

After two days of "Professional Encounter," we've arrived in East Rutherford, N.J., ready to jump into event setup with both feet! Except, possibly, for a team of fearless individuals who have gone above and beyond to make the coming event a success.

That's right… getting notes back on the opener meant MORE ROTOSCOPING.

For most of CCM, it meant going back to the drawing board on some clips, cleaning up others, and re-doing the effect we're layering on top of the masks.

And, once again, CCM is getting it done.

Some photos of our youth-hostel turned edit bay probably look chaotic…

Yup, that's a set of lockers turned on its side as a desk

Three workstations on one bed. And the top bunk was, I believe, for quick naps.

Also, cardboard boxes make excellent workstations.

But the work that went on there was a frighteningly fast turnaround on fixes and re-workings that were finished to a professional caliber.

As Anna, our newest intrepid blog contributor, posted a moment ago, this weekend is going to be jam-packed with work, fun, and awesome opportunities to touch this generation. And you can watch it all go down on your satellite provider with GodTV, or streaming live at God.TV.

In the meantime… Our professional encounters are flat-out amazing. So far, we've had sessions with an actor/acting coach, a dance and stage movement teacher, and a producer for CNN's "Joy Behar Show," as well as a tour of NBC Studios, which means pictures at 30 Rockefeller Center. Not to mention that we've now seen Times Square, Broadway and a diner with a spectacular singing waitstaff.

(And props to Hell's Kitchen Pizza for the best deal on New York pizza in the Hell's-Kitchen-to-Times-Square area -- a prize our group actually had a little competition to find.)

CCMers show up in Times Square, ready for those flashing lights

And unlike, say, the Saturday Night Live set, this is actually BIGGER in person.

Stay tuned for more from New Jersey! "Dress rehearsal" is up tonight, with just over a day until the event goes live!

New York BattleCry...

2010-04-15T11:17:00.014-07:00

One goal has been set for this weekend. Just one. That goal is to change the lives of thousands with an event that’s so amazing, that it can be summed up in three words. NEW YORK BATTLECRY!

It sounds simple enough, I know, I would go to these events and think nothing about what it actually took to put them on. That’s where we, Tyler and myself, Anna, come in. We are here to take you behind the scenes and show you what it takes to actually put on an event like this. Not just that, but also what it takes to put on a live broadcast of the event!

To begin with, I am one of the fellow bloggers, Anna Crowley, and here is the first of many blog entries that I hope will let you see into the world of the Center for Creative Media. As Tyler had said before we have been busy getting a few, but important, projects done. Such as the rotoscoping for the New York BattleCry event opener. From what I’ve heard we might actually be done with it! Which is quite exciting to hear, since our wonderful graphics team has been working nonstop to get this finished and also working in some unusual places to get it done, Mcdonalds and the bus being just a couple places.

Just take a second to thank those guys and gals that have been working so hard to make it possible for this Battlecry to be the best! THANK YOU!

So now what? What does it take to put on an event and live broadcast? I’m glad that you asked. I guess we could start with load in. For us this is the rehearsal time. We come to our venue, which in this case, IZOD Center, and start setting up. There are others that are here during set up that do things like, getting the stage, lights, seating and merchandise set up. As CCMers, we’re here to set up for a broadcasted event.

Things that are needed for broadcasting, a live interview room, ENG crews, B-roll camera operators, tape runners, make up artists, PAs, and of course bloggers! You might not know what some of these things are that I just listed, but hello! That’s why I’m here. The interview room is where we’ll be interviewing bands such as Unhindered and Salvador and also speakers at the event. An ENG crew is a group of 3 people (producer, camera operator, and audio technician) that go out during the event and interview teens, parents and youth pastors that are meeting with God! B-roll camera operators are the people getting camera shots of the crowd. If the speaker says something funny, sad, or just downright awesome, the B-roller is there to get the reaction of the audience. Tape runners are the people that will be recording the event so when we go back to Texas we’ll have a recording of everything in our library. Makeup artists are there to make the bands and speakers look good on camera, PAs are assistants to the people in charge, and of course the bloggers are there so you can find out what’s going on during the event!

We’re in set up mode so I’ll have to depart now and see if there’s anything that I can do around here. Maybe I’ll take some videos and pictures to show you what’s going on! Don’t worry though I will be back soon and so will Tyler. I’m so excited about this event and so ready for it to get started so I can show you the lives that it’s changing! Until next time.

Anna

Are You Ready to Rotoscope?

2010-04-10T16:47:00.005-07:00

A rotoscope frame without the video footage

In less than 12 hours, we'll be fully loaded on a bus and headed out to New York City, with less than a week to go until the live broadcast of the Greater New York BattleCry! So how do CCMers prepare?

Well, some, of course, are doing laundry, so they have clean clothes to last the time we'll be there. And some are doing last-minute runs to WalMart to buy new socks, since the dryers in our houses and dorms seem to eat those more than most.

Some, who have been busy planning a few secret projects for NEXT YEAR'S ATF tour, are getting notes back, for refining scripts.

The rest of us? We're finishing a project.

It's been a hectic three weeks as we try to clear production enough for travel--in addition to everything new we'll have in New York, we also have pieces for Global Expeditions and Extreme Camps to finish, as well as promos for the Honor Academy and next year's tour--and at the end, we have graphics work to finish on a piece for the BattleCry opener.

A frame, zoomed in, showing the masks being applied

Have you ever wondered what it takes to make the background of a video suddenly become animated? It's a process we call "rotoscoping," and it's a process that can require attention from EVERYBODY. Basically, in Adobe AfterEffects, we go frame by frame through a clip of video, and build a mask over things we need to overlay with animation--or things that can't be covered.

In this case, we're masking the wall, so we also have to cut around the person in front of it, so that she stays all the right colors.

And we have to do this for EVERY FRAME.

Parts of the crew have been at it for days. Some of us got pulled in as last-minute reinforcements this afternoon. All told, it's looking great. Look for the finished product Friday at the New York BattleCry.

More updates coming from the road! Keep watching.

It's Coming...

2010-04-05T14:02:00.005-07:00

April 14-15...

Are you ready to show the world that God belongs in your city?

Are you ready for The Encounter?

CCM is ready to take you behind the scenes of our broadcast yet again as GodTV brings you the Greater New York BattleCry live from the IZOD Center in the Meadowlands! Stay tuned to ccmbts.blogspot.com for more.

Promo made right here at CCM by Tyler Whetstone (producer), Dean Roelant (editor), Michael Gallardo (GFX), Caleb Lennie and Margo Kittok (Voice-Over Technicians)

Good night Hamilton!

2009-10-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

And so ends this year's ATF in Hamilton! Wow! What a weekend it has been! For those of us behind the scenes, our work is not quite done, but we can finish strong knowing that all of our work has moved mountains in the heavens, and teens in Canada have been reached for Christ.

As the crowds pour out the doors, our team, as well as the ministry team, pour into the arena to begin tearing down equipment. The Live TV truck is being loaded and pulled out, our cameras are being taken down and safely stowed away for the trip home,

and the jib must once more be taken apart and snuggled into it's cradle. All of us in the production office are finishing up last minute detailing and finalizing, and putting away our computers to join the rest of the mad rush to vacate the premises. We're finally in the last leg of the race...

So much has gone into this amazing production: from lighting for live interviews, make up for the VIPs (speakers, artists, actors), recording live feeds from multiple cameras, or simply praying for the various functioning parts of the event, so that things would run smoothly. Every little piece of this gargantuan puzzle has fit together perfectly, effectively creating a finely tuned, coordinated set that has not only reached thousands of young people here in Canada and around the world, but has also stretched and matured those who were involved.

A quick testimony from one of our crew: part of the event involved shout outs being sent in via text messages, which would be posted onto the screens for the audience. One text received was

from a young teen who was contemplating suicide even as she watched the event (presumably online). Ron, in the finale of the weekend, read aloud a few of the texts, including that one. After hearing him talk about it, the teen texted in again, alleviating some of our fears by telling us that hearing Ron talk about their text and CARE enough to say something showed them some real love. God truly does miracles in and through the lives of those involved with ATF!

More blogs to come when we're on the road, because our trip is still not over til we pull back into the studio on Tuesday. Good night all!

Nearing the Finish Line...

2009-10-24T20:14:00.001-07:00

So I'm not sure if it's entirely possible, but the arena looks more crowded now than it did last night or this morning. Acquire the Fire has reached the final session, Saturday Night's "Be the Love Encounter," and CCM's live broadcasts are winding down.

Now comes the fun part; after the crowd goes, all the Teen Mania hands go to work breaking down the event. CCM will have the jib, the dolly, the tape table, the production office and the interview room to break down, as well as a whole lot of cable and tape to pull up -- then it's on to helping MT and SWAT/Support break down the rest of the setup, including lights, sound and merchandise.

But for now, we're still streaming live on http://www.god.tv/node/1085 -- make sure you're watching! Our very own Shannon showed up live earlier, and there's always a surprise or two to come.

Production Manager Katherine in our amazing Team Room

The jib swings over the crowd as Unhindered plays

Bob checks in with Alex

Taking stock of the day's broadcast

Celebrating a job well done

All Hands, Hold the Line!!

2009-10-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

BREAKING NEWS

The Thousand Foot Krutch concert has BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE in Hamilton, to the point that Security and ATF volunteers needed backup to hold the line from the moshpit, to make sure nobody got squished against the speakers.

We got bound together, arm in arm, with everybody else bracing us... nobody push back, just hold the line! The call goes down as if we were Braveheart's army -- just hold the line!

Well done, CCM, ATF volunteers, Ministry Team, SWAT/Support and Security!!

Saturday Afternoon: With Pictures

2009-10-24T16:16:00.001-07:00

Have you ever seen something you imagined come to life on the stage?

Just now, I saw four live skits -- two of which I wrote, one I co-wrote, and one written by a good friend of mine -- performed very, very well by our ATF Ministry Team, and they've taken on a life of their own. They're different than I imagined them, and possibly better.

"Do Not Disturb," the Love & Relationships talk for this year's tour, was the session I was looking forward to writing for the least, yet it ended up being the one I wanted to see the most when the event actually came around. How's that for God using His resources in ways you'd never imagine?

Cameras -- a TV pro, a ministry teamer, and our own Ben

Jeff signs a T-shirt as one of the Teen Maniacs who made the event happen

Our camera lineup as viewed, uber-dramatically, from behind

Ben watches his camera closely

Jared (aka "Jigga") crouching for a shot

Jigga checks his camera as his grip, Mason, is a blur of activity around him

The film crew mans the front of the stage

Too Young?

2009-10-24T16:09:00.001-07:00

How old do you have to be to be a doctor? To be a teacher? How old do you need to be do make a movie, or fix a car for someone? Young? Old? Somewhere in the middle?

What if I told you age didn't matter? Not really, not in the long run. What if I told you God wanted to use you NOW? Just as you are?

I can tell you, God can do amazing things with teenagers. Heck, look at David: he slew a GIANT when he was barely old enough to get his driver's license (or camel license). And Samuel? God was talking to him when he was just a kid. But here's an amazing true life story, one from TODAY, as in RIGHT NOW...

Born and raised in Canada, our young lad was homeschooled by his parents, only to graduate early and move on to bigger and better things, namely, the Center for Creative Media. He's already been a part of a music video for the Newsboys (the NEW Newsboys, with Michael Tait), and several other projects used for Teen Mania and others. Right now, as we speak, he is helping us broadcast the Hamilton Acquire the Fire LIVE, from his laptop, an amazing feat in and of itself.

His name? Michael.

He's 16.

God can do amazing things in the lives of young people, something Ron has been trying to tell thousands all over the US and Canada since the beginning of ATF's history.

Will you be one of them?

Family Reunion

2009-10-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

One of the joys of working in a ministry is the sense of family, the bonds that last for a lifetime when you are all working towards a common goal; in this case, advancing the kingdom of Christ through new media.

ATFs are popular convergences for former interns and alumni. Hamilton is no exception. So far, at least 10 alumni (Honor Academy and CCM alike) have made their presence known here since before the official start of the event.

Our good man and soon-to-be-groom Bob Nunziato happily showed off his bride to a couple of former interns, Andrew and Natalie. Natalie promptly

informed everyone that she was procuring Bob to help her create Canada's own CCM. (No official statement was given from Mr. Nunziato, so we'll be checking our sources!) Young Mr. Mistretta has also had his share of run-ins with alumni, including a guest appearance from David Ecknier, a native Canadian and former CCMer. Our 'other intrepid blogger', Tyler Whetstone, was reunited with a former intern and GE co-missionary, Zach Moggach. Needless to say, we're all looking forward to the day when we are

being introduced by Bob and Doug to the newest of recruits as amazing CCM alumni, with several Emmys under our belts.

Call Me "Oddjob"

2009-10-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

Are you watching closely?

I mean, um, reading closely?

Because I'm going to share with you one of the biggest secrets to being a CCMer. It's called the willingness to be flexible.

Since arriving here, we've had jobs change (one of the roles was essentially eliminated by the consolidation of crews, and our fearless Sam D. has become a jack-of-all-trades running P.A. work), and others changed only recently (yours truly was made a blogger the day before we left).

But even assuming everybody stays with the jobs they planned on, you never know when you're going to be called on to be a "runner" and go out and grab something the rest of the crew might need. The secret to success here is to just GO DO something!!

Sometimes it might mean running out to a gas station or a Best Buy (I did one of these in New York, and driving there left me thinking I had nothing left to fear in life until I drove in Los Angeles) or, as in here in Hamilton, running to the mall next door.

This is also, by the way, a shout out to the "Inkjet Island" in the Jackson Square Mall, for helping us with our HP All-In-One needs.

Anatomy of a Shot

2009-10-24T10:38:00.001-07:00

One of the shots we're using this weekend looks simple enough--but looks can be deceiving.

I'm referring to the "Walk & Talk," where the event host (in this case, GodTV's fabulous Brit Emma Owen) addresses the camera while moving from one place to another. In most cases, the camera goes backward ahead of the host, so she can move forward effortlessly.

But, though you see it on "Saturday Night Live" occasionally, there's a reason most monologues stay confined to the stage. This shot is actually pretty intricate and take a lot of people to pull off.

At least four Walk & Talks take place during the course of a full ATF event broadcast weekend, and each takes, in addition to the cameraman, an extra ten people or so.

1 Cameraman -- In place to actually take the footage for broadcast, walking backward ahead of the host.

1 Steady -- Walks behind the cameraman, to help steady him in the difficult project of walking backward with a piece of heavy and expensive equipment, and helps avoid any obstructions in his path.

1 Lighting -- Holds up the "sun gun," a small but very bright piece of lighting equipment to light the immediate area in which the host stands no matter how dark the rest of the arena is.

3 Grips -- To handle cables from the camera, as well as any additional cords needed, for power, microphone or lights.

4 Security -- Given that we have the arena backstage area and the hallway, people will need to stand at either end of both in order to keep others from walking in and out of the shot.

In addition, production assistants have to make sure the shot is set up correctly, running for gels (to color or temper the light), making sure everyone is in position, calling for makeup touchups and making sure the interview room -- the destination of the Walk & Talk -- is ready, complete with talent inside.

Running these as a grip in New York in April, it's surprisingly complicated, with the only cable being used for the camera itself but an extra grip needed just to keep cable behind the rest of the crew so the grip doesn't walk over it while winding. Here in Hamilton, the path of the Walk & Talk is a less complicated straight shot, but the cables are more involved.

But the result seems simple and effortless… when the "SNL" host decides to take his monologue backstage, you'd never know he's got a dozen staffers on the move ahead of him. When Ms. Owen takes her viewers back to the interview room, you'd never know it either, unless, of course, CCM took you behind the scenes.

Two down for Hamilton!! Bring on the rest.

BTS Video

2009-10-23T23:10:00.000-07:00

A video inside the TV truck, shot by our executive producer and program director, Doug Rittenhouse.

Friday Night: And He said to me, it was worth it

2009-10-23T22:08:00.000-07:00

While our other intrepid blogger remained backstage surveying the drama on the monitors and keeping our brave and dauntless production assistants' heads on straight searching the PO, I was out on the arena floor snapping pictures of our film crew in action, and I have to tell you, seeing this whole thing live is pretty flippin' powerful.

Caleb watching the camera as the jib rises over the crowd

Having been involved in the creation of these pieces from the very beginning (down to the Unhindered "We Will" worship-lyrics screens we did with GFX guru Joe way back in January!), there's a part of me that feels a little like this whole enormous event is my baby (and I know every other CCMer feels like they've birthed something amazing, too).

I'm every bit as proud of our team as my fellow blogger mentioned before. At least twice in the hours leading up to the event and once during, we went into a mini-crisis-mode, only to see it handled swiftly and confidently as the right people found the right equipment and did what professionals do-- GET STUFF DONE as if there were no problem at all.

Alex monitors the event opener from "Video World"

Audience reaction changes everything. That's all I can say. You can watch these videos for quality control 18,002 times, but when you actually get a room full of hundreds of people laughing, applauding or cheering wildly, the entire experience is different. The cheer you hear go up can make you love something you thought cheesy, can make you want to sing along to a song you didn't really even like, and, for those things you already loved, can actually make you cry.

That's right. I'm man enough to admit that at the John 8 music video, I teared up. Right there in a crowd of people who were just watching and listening for the love of God, that piece went from being amazing to being PHENOMENAL.

The control desk for lights and video, from behind our cameramen

Props go out to every person who stayed up late at night--night after night after night--to get those components finished and ready for broadcast.

Thanks to our live TV crew for enabling us to have a part in sending this out worldwide.

And many, many kudos to the ministry team for performing the drama better than this writer ever thought it could be done.

As we wrap up on tonight, we're looking forward to tomorrow, when we'll be live on the air an astounding 15 hours. At least, I'm certainly looking forward to it. Once more unto the breach, CCMers!

Ben mans a camera for live international television(!!)

(By the way, how amazing is it to hear someone say "15 hours of live TV… are you ready for that?" and be able to respond "I've done it!"?)

We are LIVE

2009-10-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

From Hamilton, Ontario:

We've been streaming live for GodTV and the internet for almost two hours now, and things are running smoothly. The drama is in full swing (sorry, no spoilers!) and the audience response has been pretty good. Unhindered helped start the show earlier with several amazing worship songs, many of which are near and dear to the interns' hearts.

A great big shout out to our guys on camera, going steady and strong out there: GREAT JOB! Having seen many of the shots from a monitor's perspective, the overall professionalism displayed by even the greenest among us is astounding, not only to myself (a mere blogger), but to those above us, those with a vast amount of experience to flount. Another shout out to our Production Assistants, always on the move, and always ready (SEMPER FI!). One is, at the moment, in desperate need of a sun gun...

All is quiet here in the fort (fondly named closet we are currently holed up in), even though we are directly beneath the seats behind the stage. Unhindered is back on stage, leading out our final worship session for the night. Very soon, we'll be very fortunate enough to hit the sack, and catch up on some sleep, so we're refreshed and ready to start another day...

Bree Interview

2009-10-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

While the live event goes down, we bring you one final story from setup...

Bree Interview from CCM BehindTheScenes on Vimeo.

What happens when plans change on the fly? Learn how CCM handles it with a smile.

In the Beginning...

2009-10-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! BOYS AND GIRLS! CHILDREN OF ALL AGES! MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION!

Acquire the Fire has OFFICIALLY begun!

And so starts the 2009 Hamilton Acquire The Fire!

A Few More Event Setup Pictures

2009-10-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

The event floor, all lit up

Jared surveys the stage setup

Dolly assist Cody shows off his gloves, ready for an event over ice

Checking the wiring again

The Invention of Abbreviations

2009-10-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

One thing you learn very quickly when you work at a live event is that conversations have to be kept short, as time is a precious resource. To that end, things get abbreviated.

Some important ones we've learned here so far:

ENG -- Electronic News Gathering
ENG is essentially the collection of firsthand interviews by small film crews. In this case, it'll be attendee testimonies recorded by three-man teams consisting of a shooter (cameraman), an audio tech and an interviewer-producer.

VO -- Voice-over
This one's fairly simple, but any time we have a video where the voice is spoken by someone who doesn't appear on-screen, it's a VO. For the event, though, we use it to refer specifically to voice-overs outside of video, for sound effects in the drama or the start of the Saturday morning session's "Voices" skit.

PA -- Production Assistant
This is, essentially, the go-to person to get things done. On a video shoot, they're the people who do odd jobs -- holding the bounce card, doing the white balance, running the clap-board. At a live event, they're the ones who run around, insanely busy, because it's up to them to make sure everybody else is getting their jobs done.

DP -- Director of Photography
The DP is the guy who sets up a shot -- the guy who knows how he wants the lighting and the set design and the actor to come together. He heads up the team of shooters, or, on an ENG crew, is the lone shooter.

ATF -- Acquire the Fire
Natch.

Also, while we're here on the live event, we have specific offices for who handles what. Right now, I'm blogging from the P.O.

PO -- Production Office
The Production Office is where CCM staff keeps tabs on our organization and equipment, in conjunction with the TV truck just outside.

EO -- Event Office
Where ATF staffers and supervisors keep tabs on the customer service teams and the schedule.

To that end, we here on the Social Networking end of CCM-ATF Production are proud to declare this corner of this room to be the Electronic Intelligence Event Integration Office.

That's right. We're the EIEIO.

B-Roll Interview

2009-10-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

Kelketek from CCM BehindTheScenes on Vimeo.

Ever wondered what it means to say we shoot B-Roll?

More from Hamilton

2009-10-23T13:29:00.000-07:00

We're now getting settled into the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, and the excitement is building for the start of the event.

By now, we've gotten the interview room set up, as well as the makeup room, our equipment and our shots. Within only a few hours, though, the bands and speakers will be filing in for makeup, the doors will open for the crowd to come in, and the event starts in FIVE AND A HALF HOURS.

The drama rehearsals have been unbelievable. One of the videos -- which is perhaps one of the most remarkable things CCM has ever made -- keeps being brought up if only inadvertently, as it's not just a drama video but a full-on music video for a song that everyone catches himself singing at one point or another.

The video itself is pretty awesome, narrating a modern-setting version of a story found in the Gospel of John. The look of the video, following a spotlight-vignette, was inspired by the video for Fiona Apple's song "Criminal," and was shot just down the road from Teen Mania's campus in Texas. And in the weeks since I was on the shoot (yours truly makes a very brief appearance in the video), going through quality-control checks and final formatting, first for the Amherst event and then for broadcast here in Hamilton, the different layers added to it have only become more and more amazing -- not only is it unlike anything CCM has ever produced before, it is a professional music video, whether it came from the drama or not.

Seeing it on the big screen, however, ready to be broadcast in more than 200 countries -- that's an experience even above and beyond the rest. It kind of takes your breath away.

And even now, the song is stuck in my head again. Watch tonight, and you'll know which one I'm talking about.
"And there was a man who drew a line in the sand..."

Catch the live broadcast live, starting at 7 p.m. Eastern Time, on GodTV or streaming at http://www.god.tv/node/1085.

Popejoy Interview

2009-10-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

Popejoy Interview from CCM BehindTheScenes on Vimeo.

An interview with our very own ENG producer Jared on what it's like to see The Encounter come to life here in Hamilton.

T-minus seven hours to the event opener!!

Friday: Event Start

2009-10-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! Today is the big day for ATF here in Hamilton! Final run throughs are being done, and last-minute checkups on equipment and lighting are in the works. Things are really pumping as we hurtle towards the start of the event, eagerly anticipating the thousands of teens and youth pastors who will soon be coming.

This morning--after an interesting night's sleep on the bus--started with a quick breakfast and worship. Kemtal Glasgow (one of our speakers and Director of the Ministry Team and ATF, as well as our resident Canadian) not only awakened our bodies but also our spirits with a very powerful and vigorous message on building faith. A short prayer time followed for the teens who would be coming, as well as for all the interns and the work they would be doing (needless to say, the best way to start your day!).

As far as our 'interesting night' went, this is assumed to be one of many: Our fearless Popejoy gallantly answered a knock on our bus door at approximately 3 am (for the sake of our weary bodies, which were in desperate need of sleep) to find a homeless man. Pope listened to the man for a few moments, as he talked about his life, his family, and his plight, and then handed him $5 Canadian. The shock of the whole night came to our young Aspen when she answered the door in the first place, finding someone who wasn't on our team standing at the foot of the stairs, and promptly shutting the door in his face in fright (again to be answered by Pope). All ended well, as it would seem, and we were allowed our sleep again.

Our School of Worship band is currently on stage practicing 'Surrounded', a song written specifically for the Encounter Tour. The prevailing opinion is that it sounds better live, whereas the recorded version may remind one just slightly of the 80's. Other music being performed here this year will include Manafest, Everyday Sunday, TFK, and Unhindered, with a special performance by Stephanie Smith (We also have a guest singer somewhere in the showers; their performance starts approximately when the day ends).

More to come!

One of the ATF Ministry Teamers ready for rehearsal

Some Photos

2009-10-22T13:26:00.001-07:00

Anna and Danielle label tapes in preparation for broadcast

The jib, all set up and ready to go

Wes helps Mason make sure the cable's wrapped for the Dolly Cam

GFX Designer Adam watching graphics being tested on the giant screens

Live Broadcast Director Tracy surveying setup

Alex talks to bus driver Jeremy behind the stage

Setting up the jib

Making sure wires are connected

Bree helps set up lighting in the interview room

Jared and Bree set up lights

Jeff lays cable through a protector

Live Cam Operator Jared gets plugged into the truck

Social networking genius Michael, hard at work

Landon surveys the jib

How to be a Canadian

2009-10-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

Canadianism #1:

A Loonie (no, not your Aunt Vivian) is the one dollar coin in Canada, known as such for the loon adorning one face of the coin. The two dollar coin is known as a toonie, in keeping with rhyme and reason.

Canadianism #2:

A 'toque' (pronounced tUke) is otherwise known in America as a "beanie" or sock-cap.
(Edited after much debate amongst Canadians over spelling and pronunciation.)

Canadianism #3:

The forever misunderstood "eh" has finally been conquered! And now for a lesson in its use:

Correct:

It's a rather sunny day, eh?

Incorrect:

Hello, eh! (You're likely to get punched for such an insult)

(Please note: Alaskans also know and USE "eh" in the correct manner. This is our way of sticking it to the man, the one who always seems to forget that we are a state of the US, not Canada.)

Canadianism #4:

Skates: what all Canadians wear for their first shoes.

Canadianism #5:

The biggest flags ever seen at the Olympic closing ceremonies were Canadian (twice...and the second one was smuggled in against a rule that was made because of the first one).

Canadianism #6:

Toboggan- sled (no, the Jamaicans are not the only ones who drive them.)

Canadianism #7:

Tim Horton's, the baby of Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. Proof that children far exceed their parents. (Note: Some lucky Americans may know the glory of Tim Horton's. It's still Canadian.)

Canadianism #8:

MOST milk comes in bags, not cartons or bottles. (Still trying to figure this one out...)

Canadianism #9:

You drink pop instead of soda.

Canadianism #10:

Serviette- napkin (proof of French influence)

Canadianism #11:

Bilingual food packaging

Canadianism #12:

Smarties: better known as super-M&M's, not the American solidified sugar

Hello from Hamilton!

2009-10-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

So, only hours after the Los Angeles Dodgers lost their shot at the World Series, I was so disappointed with American sports that I gave up and crossed the border into Canada.

Okay, so maybe the timing was more coincidental than that—but don’t get after a man whose inner baseball fan always knew he was destined for the entertainment industry, and, thus, Southern California.

Last night, the bus crossed the border into Ontario, with such fanfare that a few CCMers didn’t even wake up. But for the rest of the team, the border crossing proved an exciting milestone. Even more exciting, however, was our stop for fuel in London, Ont., when our Canadian CCMers got to introduce everyone else to the best that Canadian snacks have to offer (Ketchup chips! Chocolate “Smarties”! BILINGUAL CANDY PACKAGING!!).

We actually have video of this momentous occasion, courtesy of Ontario native and CCMer Michael Mistretta:
View here at Vimeo.

Our 35-hour bus ride got off to a busy start, with work for projects back on the home front going on even as we pulled out. Closed captioning for an episode of ATFtv was finished on the road and sent back to the editors at CCM Studios while we settled in for the journey that would end under the Copps Coliseum for our live studio broadcast.

We started with a team meeting where we got the chance to meet up with our live TV crew—we’re about to launch into a weekend of staging a live broadcast event, which will be available in more than 200 countries worldwide!! (Holy cow, Batman!)

For now, we’re setting up equipment; stories to come soon, complete with pictures and more videos. Stay tuned to this Web site (http://ccmbts.blogspot.com), or follow us on Twitter (@CCMstudios), Facebook (Center for Creative Media fan page) or Myspace (www.myspace.com/ccmedia1)!

Here We Go! (Again!)

2009-10-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Welcome back as we at CCM get ready for another exciting event with Acquire The Fire. Things are really flying here as we make last minute checks and finish packing up to head on out to Hamilton, Canada.

This year's event tour is focused on Encountering God, and we have been working hard and long to bring this message to these kids at ATF. Many of our editors are going over their videos, checking for ab

solute excellence in their cuts; while our camera crew gets equipment ready for the road. Our fearless leaders are busy planning (and re-planning) various details for the trip, as well as preventing chaos from reigning in the mad dash to the finish line. It's been our heart here to be the best for Christ, in the hopes of reaching this generation through media, and we're going to see some of our hard labor come to fruition. Not only that, but Hamilton is going to be a LIVE event, broadcast not only here in the US and Canada, but even in such countries as Israel and China!

For many of our new recruits here at CCM, the Hamilton event will be their first go at a live television broadcast, making it not only a life impacting event, but also an amazing learning opportunity for valuable skills necessary in the media world. Some will be getting their hands dirty right off, putting to work skills in make up, lighting, and broadcasting, while others will effectively be shadowing their more experienced counterparts on camera and production (including interviews with popular bands and guest speakers, like Kemtal Glasgow and Thousand Foot Krutch!)

Please join us in prayer this weekend as we work even more to bring this event to its fullest for those who will attend, that every moment- from the drama, to worship, to the ride home- would

be full to capacity, God-filled, and an opportunity to truly encounter the love of God in a new way, this year at Acquire The Fire: Encounter.

More Pictures

2009-04-18T17:21:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys,
Here are some more amazing pictures of what going on!

Saturday Morn & Afternoon

2009-04-18T12:59:00.000-07:00

Whats up everyone,

This morning has been jam packed with tons of excitement. Like Worship with Isreal Newbreed and Unhindered, a dance performance, and a discussion on relationships. To start the afternoon we had a mass choir with spoken word artist, Oraia. Guest Speaker Erwin Mcmanus made an appreance following up with rap aritist, LeCrea. He left the audience with a massive amount energy, being able to have a warm welcoming for speacil guest speaker, David Tyree. David Tyree was able to express is faith and love for Christ.

Check out the new video to see how CCM played a part in all this!

http://www.vimeo.com/4215185

Pictures!!!!

2009-04-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys,

Check out the pictures that were taken last night and this morning! Keep looking out for more updates and videos! They will be coming soon.

Link to some Videos! http://www.vimeo.com/user1582359/videos

Friday Night

2009-04-18T06:58:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Last night was so amazing. We had a lot of fun! The doors opened at 6:00pm and the event started at 7 pm. Our camera crew did an outstanding job on interviews, and getting shots of the audience enjoying the exciting night. It was such a blessing to see some of the work the team has been working on, and watching the reaction of the crowds. Today we are expecting even more excitement with bands, and special speakers. Check out our new videos and see for yourself whats going on and the amazing team that is helping make this event a success.

http://www.vimeo.com/user1582359/videos

Saturday Morning

2009-04-18T06:21:00.000-07:00

Good Morning

It was an early start for the team running the event. Our call time was around 7:30AM and we went to bed around 1 or 2am from the event last night. A little later we will be putting up a video of what happened last night so check back in a little bit. Before the show started I went and got some pics of the crew getting ready with the live cameras. Check them out.

Right now the show is under way and we will keep you posted.

Video!

2009-04-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Check out our video from yesterday of us getting ready and talking a little bit about our jobs and what the weekend is going to look like for us! More will be coming soon keep on the look out!

http://www.vimeo.com/4199530

We have Arrived

2009-04-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

What's Up Everyone!

We stepped of the bus about 7:45 this morning and hit the showers. Today is yet again another eventful day. It's time to take all the brainstorming that we have been responsible for and put it into practice. After showers everyone was immediately assigned to their duties. Equipment was unloaded and is now getting set up in its proper placement. Our Makeup artists, Catlin Holt and Heather Long, are setting up their makeup room and studying the artists, also known as "talent," who will be interviewed. What that means is they are preparing the types of makeup they will use for the talent. They will also be discussing the lighting and background colors that will be set up in the interview room. All these little details play a huge part in the final product. One of our lead graphics men, Mike Gallardo, is doing some last minute changes on a few session graphics that will be shown during the event. Most of the team is helping with setting up the stage for tomorrow’s event. They have done everything from lights, to screens, to speakers, ect. We are working along side professionals, one of whom did lighting for the TV series "Fringe."

Everyone here is doing an amazing job! Tons of people are running back and forth, unloading trucks, setting up the stage, and learning how to be flexible. We were all assigned certain jobs coming into today, but now have found ourselves doing tons of other humbling assignments. It is such an incredible opportunity to see how this place is coming to life! The majority of us have attended an ATF or a BattleCry event, and it is truly a blessing to finally be the ones making it happen. Along with all of that, we are able to get our hands on real live production! Not only is this weekend a time to show all that we can do, but also a time where we can be sponges and absorb as much as we can. Learning from the different challenges we come across, following the guidance from those who have gone before us, and simply trusting in the Lord and realizing he is in control over every situation. So far this experience has engulfed us with excitement, anticipation, and knowledge and we are happy to say it is only the beginning!

Every 4 Hours

2009-04-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

Hello Again,

So it’s law that we stop every four hours to fill up with fuel. What that means is every four hours we all have to get completely off the bus. During the afternoon/evening time it’s not so bad. We would like to get off and stretch, buy some refreshments and snacks. But at three in the morning, that’s a different story. Cell phones are dying, bodies are aching, and the peculiar odor on the bus is getting stronger. But no matter what the circumstance, we will continue to stop every four hours. We will stop and float around different convenient stores and look at all the bizarre merchandise they carry. We will stop for lunch and dinner and fall in love with the dollar menus. Every four hours we will some how drag our sleeping partner out of bed and remind them several times to brush their teeth before returning. We will do all this in love. We all understand that our attitudes affect the people around us. We all agree that attitude is a choice, and we all have chosen to have positive attitudes toward one another. We are co-workers, we are friends and we are family.

Keep on the look out for even more update! We should be arriving soon, so be expecting to see and hear from the others on the team and the experience they are having. Along with the heart behind what they do and why they believe they have been called to do it.

On the Road!

2009-04-14T15:58:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone! This morning has been a rollercoaster! Everyone has been running all over the place doing our last minute to-dos! The bus is finally loaded and we have some how figured out how to fit ourselves on the bus. We have been loading and checking equipment all morning, and are happy to finally be getting on the road. But production doesn’t stop here! As we travel we are meeting with our work partners to discuss our plans, ideas, and technique we plan to use to guarantee that this weekend will be a success. Some our interview teams are studying their research to seek out the questions they will use to find the heart of the interviewee. Our bus leaders are doing their best to make sure that we are safe and as comfortable as possible. Some have decided to get in a good five-hour nap before our next stop in Tulsa, Oklahoma where we plan to pick up some audio equipment.

The road is long, and the stress is raising, but we would all have to agree this isn’t about us. We are called to a higher purpose. We aren’t doing what we do for any type of fame for ourselves, or to boast on our talents and abilities. We do what we do to impact lives, to change, to influence. We have been called to help reach this generation through media. Everything that we have prepared and worked on for the past couple months has been to reach the lost and to advance the kingdom of God. We are honored to be apart of such a great movement. So yes we may feel uncomfortable on the bus because we would rather be on the top bunk instead of the bottom. Yes we may be exhausted from the past week of work. Yes there are a few of us that haven't had the experience of a live broadcast event, but we are driven by our passion. Our passion is to raise up an army of film and television professionals to be the salt and light in the media industry.

Keep on the look out for more up-dates! We will be posting links for video blogs as soon as possible.

Preparing for NY

2009-04-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

What’s Up Everyone! This is the official CCM blog for the 2009 New York Battlecry Event! Right now we are all digging in deep, preparing for an experience of a lifetime. This upcoming weekend will be filled with actual hands on production and live television! The New York Battlecry is a weekend jam packed with specials speakers, bands, live dramas and much more! Battlecry is an opportunity to reach this generation to passionately purse Jesus Christ and take is life-giving message to the ends of the earth. The New York Battlecry is a live television event broadcasted around the world. So not only will the Lord be moving in the arena, but through the viewers’ television as well! And the interns here at CCM have HUGE part in making it all happen!

Today the CCM interns have really pulled together and already started making the magic happen. Checking off the to-do lists and washing the last bit of laundry, we are all doing our parts to make sure that this weekend is a success! Our Camera crew has been organizing our different camera equipment, setting up the jibs, cleaning lenses, and checking batteries. Our Interview crews here have already started their research and preparations for the bands and speakers at the event. Preparing everything from questions, to what the background of the interview should look like. Our interview crew is taking proper steps to reach these goals. Our team of editors are doing their last minute touch ups on all the videos that will actually be played at the event! All year they have worked really hard and helped created pieces of art that the Lord will use to help impact and change the youth at the event.

We are all looking forward to this weekend and the plans that God has in store. We are truly getting our hands on real live production. From jib work on the floor, to makeup in the interview room, this weekend will be a weekend of challenges and success. We will be doing Video blogs as well so keep on the look out for new updates and videos!