Quiet on Set; Working with the cast of Abracadabra · 6:08am May 2nd, 2020
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Ever since I was in Middle School, I have always wanted a job in broadcasted television. During my Summer semester in 2018, I got my wish.Concord University’s auditorium was selected as the film sight for the 6th season of the children’s show, Abracadabra, and they were looking for eager, young students in the Communications Department who would be willing to apply. At the time, I thought that this would be my first step into the world of professional broadcasting.On May 14,2018, I received an email from Robert Hoffman, who was a professor in the Communications Department at the time, told me that I had been selected for the position of Camera Operator.
On Sunday, July 8th, we had Technical Rehearsal. This time, I was able to make it to the campus. Hoffman was able to give me a ride to and from the campus. It was there at rehearsal where I met Dr. Mike Adelman, the director and host of the show. He was a very friendly and likeable guy. While I was there, I was able to familiarize myself with all the equipment that would be used during the next few weeks.
The cameras that we used were the ones that the campus news team used. Hoffman provided detailed instructions of what we would be doing during production. While Brandon Hussion worked with the audio, four other people, including me, would be on the set working with the cast members. There were three people who operated the cameras: Me, Austin Harmon, and Caleb Zopp.
The next few weeks, from Monday July 9th – August 10th , time was spent recording all the episodes scheduled for the show. Working with the cast members and the crew was like nothing I had ever experienced before. Each day started out the same; We would meet on campus early in the morning at 8:30am, grab a light breakfast from the room where the foods were stored and served, and meet down in Hoffman’s office to discuss what we would be doing for the day. After that, we would go back to the set, get cameras ready, make sure the audio and lighting were right, and then we would wait until it was time to record. Aside from a 30-minute break for lunch, the rest of the day was spent doing our assigned roles; Hussion would manage the audio equipment, Cameron White would assist the producers, and Zopp, Harmon, and I would all capture and record the various actions and scripted lines of each member of the cast on the set, with Hoffman giving all the commands through the headsets we wore. At 4:00 pm, we would shut off all the equipment and head home.
The showmanship and the professionalism used during the production was unlike anything I had ever dreamed about. The cast members were very bright and very engaging. The producer, Marilea Butcher, was even kind enough to let me use her as a reference on my resume. There was a lot of energy and enthusiasm from all the kids who were apart of the cast. Working with the cast and crew of Abracadabra differed from the time I spent working with the campus news team, but I assume that everyone who has worked in both televised entertainment and televised journalism feel that way.
The last day of production was spent recording audio. Even though I was late, I still managed to help a little on the set. There was a cake prepared in celebration of the completion of the sixth season. Even though everything was finished, it still felt like we had just started working with the amazing cast members. The next couple of days were spent taking down the set and putting things down in the auditorium’s cellar. Even off the clock the cast members were still full of energy. It was sad having to say goodbye to everyone in the end, but I was thankful I got to meet everyone, and I knew that this experience was beneficial for my goals and would be advantageous for me going forward.
For more information on the show; visit https://www.abracadabra.org/
