THE BELLAMY BROTHERS ROCK THE PRINCESS!

Prior to the Brother's concert, Roane Street was filled with cars...as it should be!  

The lights on the marquee burned brightly and the auditorium waited its audience!

 Finally, it was time to open the doors!

Then, it was time to meet The Brothers, The Bellamy Brothers, David Milton Bellamy and Homer Howard Bellamy Darby, Florida.  The duo had considerable musical success in the 1970s and 1980s, starting with the release of their crossover hit "Let Your Love Flow" in 1976, a Number One single on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Brothers Band supported their front men well, and won over some fans on their own.  Especially prominent were Randy Hiebert on guitar, Walley Dentz on rhythm guitar and harp, and Gregg Stocki on drums.

Gregg Stocki was born in Virginia and raised in Texas. He is a Grammy award winning musician whose distinctive style has resulted in extensive studio and live experience. Gregg has called Nashville home for the past 18 years when not touring with an extensive list of chart topping artists. He has appeared on national and international television shows, movie soundtracks and recorded with Dwight Yoakum, Willie Nelson, Travis Tritt, Marty Stuart, Steve Earle, EmmyLou Harris and Sheryl Crow to name a few.

Randy Hiebert is the lead guitarist for the Bellamy Brothers.  "The first time I joined the Bellamy's was in '93.  Dannie Jones( Steel Guitar) had moved to WPG. and I met the brothers after Dannie and I had become friends.  After 6 years and 5 albums, I returned home for 5 years. I've recently rejoined the Bellamy Bro's and it's great to be "back in the saddle"!!!"

Wally (Waldemar Dentz) joined the Bellamy Brother's band in 1983. He plays bass guitar and harmonica. He also functions as the Bellamy's road manager. Also known as the 3rd Bellamy Brother, Wally Played on "Two and Only", "When we Were Boys", "Strong Weakness", "Sons of Beaches", "Over the Line", "Reggae Cowboys", and "Lonely Planet" albums.

They each have big personalities and quickly garnered whistles and applause from new fans!

(L-R) Arlis Brkhard, Chris Marsalis, Paul Mashburn, Kenneth Humphrey, Nathan Hammons, and Bill Radice.

Backstage, there was a reunion of sorts going own.  The Princess Foundation A-Team (missing a few) was once again together.  We always have a great time and love supporting the Princess when we can.

Jimbo Duncan was back from heart surgery, and it was good to see him out and about!

As for me, well, wearing my back surgery brace, I still got to meet the Bellamy Brothers and snap these photos!  

It was good to be back again, although I didn't last long.

The Bellamy Brothers gave the Princess audience their money's worth; standing nearly in one place, without a break, or a sip of water, they played for an hour and forty minutes!  

After the performance, they stayed until the last fan was finished getting an autograph, buying a CD, or just exchanging a few words.  They really seem to love their fans!

It was a good evening's entertainment, and a very memorable experience for some!

BILL RADICE DISCUSSES THE JOBS NORMALLY FOUND AT A TV STATION

Bill Radice, who is currently operating the Channel 15 Television Station in Harriman, is a guest blog poster this week.  In this post, Bill describes the Typical Job Titles normally found within the organization of a traditional television studio.  These are the type jobs that students from our area will be filling in the coming months.

1.     Technical director:   Usually called the “TD”. This is the person who runs the control panel that switches all the cameras, playback devices, and graphics titles that make up what the viewer sees. If the program is being recorded, as is often the case, the TD serves the same function except the video will be edited later on by the “Editor” who is sometimes, but not often, the TD himself. The process of working on the assembly of the final production is referred to as “post production”. The TD will always take his orders from the “Director”….if there is one. The TD has one of the most difficult jobs in a TV environment because they must take orders and execute them quickly and perfectly, especially if a program is “live”. This is why very few programs are done live-to-air. Live sporting events are the pinnacle of achievement for a TD. The complexity of a show is measured by counting the number of events on screen in one minute. In a sporting event, this can be as many as 20. Multiply that by a two hour event and the TD is exhausted; but surely one of the most important jobs in the studio!   

2.     Director:  This is the person who actually makes the decision as to what is shown on the screen. The director selects the camera, the graphics, and every element that goes into the production.

The director calls all the shots in a TV studio, and works very closely with the TD. Ultimately the director is responsible for the entire “look” of what the viewer sees. Once again a live sports event is the most demanding job that a director can do.

3.     Graphics:  This person constructs all the “extras” that are put on the screen. This includes the title boxes you see on the bottom of the screen, the moving things, the scrawling text, and almost everything besides the actual camera shot itself. The Director will call for the graphics person to have the item ready for his use, or often the graphics are loaded into the system in advance, once again following the script, if there is one. Only the best graphics people can actually compose these items “on-the-fly”.  The graphics are almost always composed in advance of the show, and then stored in the system for instant recall later during the show.

4.     Sound Engineer:  Sometimes in a small production, the sound can be handled by the TD himself, but if there are several microphones and sound sources it can be very important to have a separate person to handle this. The sound engineer, if he’s a good one, will control the sound in a way that makes everything clear and professional sounding. This involves constantly controlling the microphones that are fed to the program, as well as mixing the sounds to compliment whatever is on the screen. Typically in outdoor shots, the sound is not recorded live but added later. The sound of a passing car will be added from a stock recording, and the actors will record everything they say outdoors, separately, in a quiet studio. By doing this there is much more control over unwanted sounds. This makes the sound engineer’s job very complicated.  The next time you hear a truck passing by in a production; it may be the same one you heard in another video!

5.     Camera Operator:  A camera operator actually moves the camera, either on a tripod, or hand holding a camera or camcorder. Camcorders are used only in the field and the recording is captured on tape, or memory card to later be edited into a production. Remote controlled studio cameras are the norm these days. A single operator can operate many cameras simultaneously with all shots “memorized” into a controller that can often run 10 cameras, each with 50 shots memorized for the particular production, in a procedure called “blocking the shots”. Modern digital cameras do not require the constant adjustment needed in the past. In a live video production the director will communicate via earphones to all the camera operators simultaneously, telling them, by camera number, what to shoot. Then he will announce in their earphones when he has “taken” their camera. This is so the operator will know he has a “live” camera and not to move his shot.

6.     Producer:  This is the person who puts the entire production together. He picks the story, the talent, the studio, all the people involved in the project work for the producer during the production. Often he finances everything.

7.     Editor: Most television productions are not done live. The program is shot in many segments, often out of sequence to the story. Assembling all the pieces into a coherent final product is the job of the video editor. The editor will work very closely with the director, and the producer, to piece together both the picture and sound. Often the job will be done over and over until everyone is satisfied. The editor is a true “artist” and is able to change the entire look, and pace of the production. 

________________________

I don’t know about you, but these positions sound very exciting!  If I were a younger person, I’d be down there right now begging someone to let me learn how things work!

Hopefully, in the coming weeks I’ll have other “guest posters” describing other exciting things about the Princess Complex Project.  Stay tuned!

PROGRESS, PROGRESS, PROGRESS!

While the facade is grouted, the inside continues to be worked on by diligent craftsmen.  It won't be long before the Princess will receive her full-color make-up - both inside and out!

I think the most important thing you should notice in these interior photos, besides how pretty, clean, and white the inside is becoming, is that the stage extension has been completed.  

Note how much further the stage will extend into the setting (click on the photos to enlarge)...at least six feet further than before.  Of course, the new stage flooring will have to be added, and the foundation blocks will have to be covered, but for now we can see that the Princess stage will be able to accommodate the largest of ensembles.

Up in the balcony, the walls are speckled, awaiting paint, and the projector booth is awaiting its new state-of-the-art equipment.  You can also see, upstairs and down, that wood accents have been applied to the tops and sides of the dividing walls, and along the length of the auditorium wall.

Next door, at Channel 15, Bill Radice continues to educate himself on the video equipment and experiment with the "green screen".  Just like the networks, sets will be electronically projected around the on-air talent.

The station's computer programs, and "point-and-click switcher", will allow talent to be placed amidst almost any type of setting, greatly enhancing Channel 15's programming quality.

There is still a lot to do to get the TV station operating like it has been envisioned, but Bill needs the added help of enthusiastic Roane County students.  That help should come in short order and the programming will become more and more refined.

Also, for those out of town Princess lovers, the essential piece of equipment allowing Internet viewers access to programming has been ordered.  So, it won't be long before you can view all the great programs via the Internet.  I'll let you know when that happens!

2011 - THE YEAR OF THE PRINCESS!

Whether you believe in "the dream" or not, as Muse Watson said in a promo shoot today at Channel 15 in Harriman, "Hold on to your bloomers, it's happening now!"

Muse is still in town on an extended holiday from Hollywood, and put his time and effort into his favorite project; the Princess Theatre!  Muse, with the assistance of Laura Armour (former "Heartland producer/writer), and Doug Mills (videographer for the "Heartland Series") turned out a number of promotional pieces that will be forthcoming between Channel 15 programming.

Several short spots can already be seen mixed in with the station's programming today.  However, Muse's emphasis today was getting out the message the the Princess Theatre, the City of Harriman/Roane State Channel 15 studio, and the future radio station will bring nothing but good things to the seven county area and the City of Harriman.

Check out the additional console equipment that Bill Radice has installed at the studio.  It's all so overwhelming and way above my head!  Today's technology has quickly surpassed anything I encountered in my computing and communications career at Oak Ridge.  I suppose that's why every now and then you have to run in some fresh young minds!

However, Bill Radice has kept up with the changing times and engineered a "state-of-the-art" television studio.  His career as a Grammy winning sound engineer in New York is serving us well here in Roane County.  This project has been blessed by talent willing to go that step beyond to get our "dream" up and running.

Outside, and inside as well, construction continues on the Princess Theatre.  Scaffolding now stands tall inside and outside the building.  

The inside is becoming more and more white and clean, and the new stage is being poured this week!  The stage is much wider and deeper than the previous one, making lots of room for stage plays, concerts, and your social and business events!

Outside, workers are starting the facade and I can hardly wait to see what it will end up looking like!  What colors will be used, and what new modern equipment and lighting will adorn the Princess' face?!  And, what will the new marquee be like?!

So, get on board folks...it's going to...no, it's happening right now, and you need to be a part, a big part, of making the "dream" come true!  Remember, 2011 is the year of the Princess!

RAIN DELAYS COMPLETION OF THE PRINCESS ROOF BUT OTHER WORK GOES ON

The new roof of the Princess is about another week from being completed. The recent rains have set the schedule back a few days, but the work done by Davis’ Brothers Roofing thus far is topnotch! The Princess should be “in the dry” in short order.

However, planning and discussions with other vendors continues, rain or shine. This week Frank Sparkman, Bill Milburn, and Bill Landry met with the proposed marquee manufacturer. Once the façade and marquee are completed, everyone driving by will able to see some tangible progress, and be reminded of the ongoing restoration work hidden inside the Princess.

While others meet to plan the future reconstruction outside, workmen inside were hard at stripping out “the old” to prepare the way for “the new”. In the attached photo, a workman works atop a ladder while Doug Mills, known for his “Heartland Series” work, films his efforts. Sparkman’s crews are used to being the center of attention wherever they are at work on bringing the past back to life! They know they are doing special work on a place very special to the local people. Once finished, we’ll owe them a great debt of gratitude.

Of course, I was hard at work shooting “stills” of Doug shooting digital video! Hey, someone has to do it…and, I’m so proud it’s me!

I walked up on Phil Gibbons, Sparkman’s “construction manager - field representative”, as he was pouring over the restoration blueprints by the light of his flashlight. However, the flashlight was resting in his lap by the time I snapped the photo!

Also on hand Wednesday, Bill Landry and Bill Radice discussed the Channel 15 studio. Radice recently moved to Oakdale, picking Oakdale by doing Google searches for “great places in which to retire”. Bill Radice is a retired sound engineer from New York, who is going to be an invaluable resource for speculating equipment for the TV studio.

Things are coming to gather folks and I think we’ll all be proud of the final result of the restoration efforts in Harriman. We have good people on board, but we need your continued support and ideas.

If you didn’t receive the recent “test” distribution email from us, please send your email address to us. Frank Sparkman, Chris Mason, and others will be sending out updates to keep you informed of progress, and of upcoming events and celebrations!

Just click HERE and say hello to us!