General director of live TV show A80: 'In my career, I have never been so stressed'

TPO - "The moment the national anthem sounded and the national flag fluttered in Ba Dinh Square, I felt choked up. All the pressure and worries of many months disappeared, leaving only the pride of being able to contribute a small part to the country's important event", Mr. Bui Thai Duong - General Director of the live television program of the parade celebrating the 80th anniversary of National Day on September 2 - shared with Tien Phong about the most important task of his career.

The live broadcast of the 80th Anniversary of National Day, September 2nd, made a strong impression with the camera angles that were commented by the audience as “absolutely cinematic”. Behind those frames is the working machine of a team of more than 500 employees working day and night.

After the ceremony, Mr. Bui Thai Duong - General Director of the live broadcast of the parade and march to celebrate the 80th anniversary of National Day, September 2 (A80) - shared with Tien Phong a small part of the process of carrying out the most important task of his television career. Mr. Bui Thai Duong is currently Head of the Director - Cinematographer Department, Culture - Entertainment Department of Vietnam Television (VTV).

Mr. Bui Thai Duong - General Director of the live TV program of the parade and march to celebrate the 80th anniversary of National Day, September 2. Photo: NVCC.

- In what context did you receive the task of implementing the A80 program?

- I received the assignment from Mr. Do Thanh Hai - Deputy General Director of VTV - around mid-June. At that time, I felt pressured, but also very happy because the leaders trusted me to carry out a particularly large program in the context of the country entering a new era, the era of national growth.

- What was the most difficult thing for you during the process?

- For those working in television, each big program is a challenge. This task also has many difficulties. The bigger the job, the more detailed it is, the harder it is to do. During the 3-month working process, I liked the saying: "This is not a program but a journey". From mid-June to September 2, many people worked, prepared, tried again and again. In my career, I have never been so stressed. We faced pressure on time, progress, and quality of work, along with the pressure to operate the entire giant machine.

We coordinated with the Propaganda Department, Ministry of National Defense , Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hanoi People's Committee... to agree on every detail such as camera position, parade formation distance so that it would be broadcast on television most effectively but correctly, in accordance with the drills of the military and police units and participating units.

Thanks to the close guidance of leaders at all levels, we have good coordination with all units participating in the program. It should be mentioned that there are 79 parades and marching groups at the celebration.

The crew worked with absolute caution. Photo: NVCC.

- How did you calculate the visuals to ensure beautiful frames on TV?

- Before starting to build the script, I met and listened to many opinions from experts, friends and colleagues inside and outside the unit, and carefully reviewed domestic and foreign parade programs.

We visualized each scene right from the script writing, setting up the situation of what lens to use for close-up shots, where to place the full angle, and how the effect equipment such as steadicam, boggy, cablecam, flycam will work, from there calculating the detailed duration of each block to come up with a suitable solution. The crew recorded 3 practice sessions at Mieu Mon National Training Center ( Hanoi ), then had a general practice session at Ba Dinh and a general rehearsal before the live recording day. All to ensure the best camera angle, distance, rhythm, and tempo.

- How do the review meetings work?

- The review meetings take place every day, every session, even every hour. Every time we finish working on or testing a part of a live TV program, we sit down for a meeting. These are the times to dissect, listen to instructions, and consult with experts.

- How do you feel after the important mission ends?

- The moment the national anthem sounded and the national flag fluttered in Ba Dinh Square, I felt choked up. All the pressure and worries of many months disappeared, leaving only the pride of being able to contribute a small part to the country's important event. We worked with all our heart, and the happiest thing was the audience's acceptance. That was the greatest reward, the reason why we - the people working in television - kept trying. And we knew that the mission was accomplished.

The crew of more than 500 people, with more than 40 specialized cameras, 5-6 color vehicles and a central station, spent many days preparing and working tirelessly from training sessions on the training ground to rehearsals, preliminary rehearsals and final rehearsals. The dedication and spirit of all members, from the station's leaders to cameramen, cinematographers, technicians... were all shown through each frame.

Each member, camera, and color car are assigned clear tasks, with 200% backup to avoid any untimely situations. Preparations are so detailed that every second, even half a second, is calculated for each image.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/tong-dao-dien-chuong-trinh-truyen-hinh-truc-tiep-a80-trong-qua-trinh-lam-nghe-toi-chua-tung-cang-thang-den-the-post1775419.tpo