In an ambitious six-camera, high-definition shoot with no DOP and unexpected scheduling conflicts, Jack Lenz overcame near-insurmountable obstacles to produce a program commemorating a massive concert for the United Nations’ Special Session on Children.

Had things gone according to plan, Lenz, a renowned Toronto composer (Men with Brooms, Due South), would have been in New York last Sept. 20, conducting a 20-piece orchestra as part of the UN session. However, because of 9/11, the session was postponed along with Lenz’s gig as music director. Then, by the time it was actually held this May 10, things had changed. For one thing, the gala, entitled ‘A Celebration of Leadership: Change the World with Children,’ had mushroomed in scope.

Instead of a few vocalists and a small ensemble, Lenz found himself scheduled to conduct the 160-piece National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela and the 300-voice UNICEF World Chorus, which had been hastily put together from local choirs. Lenz also had a number of celebrity presenters to work with, including Nelson Mandela, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Michael Douglas, Roger Moore, Cicely Tyson and Harry Belafonte. Given all this, it’s not surprising the concert was moved out of the UN General Assembly and into a 100-foot by 200-foot tent erected on the UN’s north lawn.

Two weeks before the concert, Lenz also decided to don the hat of executive producer. He had to, when the UN’s hopes for either PBS or A&E producing a program about the gala didn’t pan out.

‘I thought it a shame to have an event as big as this seen by just 1,000 people and then lost forever,’ explains Lenz, whose Toronto-based production company is called Lenz Entertainment. ‘I had to do something about it.’

Lenz next turned to Rob Sim, president and owner of Toronto equipment supplier Sim Video Production, and one of Canada’s biggest proponents of high-definition origination. Sim has recently supplied HD cameras for the series Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, shooting in Toronto, and Mysterious Ways, shooting in Vancouver.

Lenz also brought on Shelagh O’Brien as director. Given O’Brien’s experience directing the Gemini Awards, Country Music Awards and YTV Achievement Awards broadcasts, she was a natural for the assignment. Lenz also hired LiveWire Remote’s Doug McClement, along with his 48-channel digital remote truck, to handle audio. McClement’s resume includes more than 2,000 remotes with performers including Nelly Furtado, Bryan Adams, Shaggy and The Barenaked Ladies.

By May 10, the crew was ready – at least, as ready as it could be under the circumstances.

‘We decided to do a six-camera shoot using Sony HDW-F900 24p HD camcorders,’ says Sim. ‘Two camera operators were based on the stage, and a third on a crane. The other three cameras were in fixed positions – two were on risers about two-thirds the way back from the stage and the other one was at the back on the bleachers.’

Lenz’s decision to shoot the project on HD was a matter of achieving the best results short of costly 35mm film, regardless of broadcast format.

‘We can always downconvert to NTSC, but it makes sense to shoot the master in the best quality possible,’ he says.

And then there’s the choice between 24p progressive and other HD formats. ’24p has more of a ‘film look’ than 30-frame interlace,’ Sim explains.

The six camera operators were based within the tent proper, with the video control room in a small tent off to the side. (Audio was captured in LiveWire’s remote truck, fed by dozens of microphones.) The control room consisted of a bank of six HD monitors with an intercom system. With these, director O’Brien kept an eye on the camera angles and told the shooters where to position themselves.

The footage was captured on the HDCAMs’ own decks, which meant O’Brien had a runner on the floor replacing the camcorder tapes on a staggered basis so that five cameras would always be shooting. By and large, this system worked. However, shooting without a line editor – or even a centralized recording station – meant ‘the camerapeople had to be ‘on’ at all times,’ says O’Brien. To ensure that the footage from each camera would look consistent, HD engineer Keith Holding would adjust color balances on the fly.

Unusual challenges

In addition to the tight schedule, the crew – about 20 in all – had other challenges to face.

For instance, the shoot did not have a dedicated director of photography. Although that role was the UN’s to fill, it was a detail overlooked in all the rush.

‘That was probably the most frustrating part of the process,’ O’Brien says. ‘They certainly had the staff assigned to manage the live event, but handling the recording didn’t seem to be a priority with them.’

As well, the lighting left something to be desired by professional production standards and the tent didn’t offer many shooting angles. However, O’Brien was ultimately not fazed by these obstacles.

‘We decided to make do with what we had, and make the shots look as pretty as possible,’ she says. ‘Still, in the editing process, there are times when I’m aware that I could have used a few more angles.’

Then there were the travails of dealing with the UN, whose bureaucracy is legendary. As well, post-9/11 security concerns meant that every bit of gear had to be checked by bomb-sniffing dogs. ‘This really delayed us if we needed parts,’ says Sim.

If these hassles weren’t enough, the coup in Venezuela that forced the ouster of President Hugo Chavez occurred just before the show, putting the whole enterprise in jeopardy.

‘I heard that the youth orchestra wasn’t coming,’ recalls Lenz. ‘Then suddenly Chavez was restored and the trip was back on. The President and his wife even put up $2 million to fund the trip.’

Today, Lenz is posting the special, whose working title is Change the World with Children, on Sim Post’s Avid Symphony, although broadcasters and distributors have yet to be confirmed. ‘I’m hoping to license it to PBS and NHK,’ says Lenz. ‘It was such a moving event, it could even serve PBS as a fund-raiser.’