Meeting Topic: TV Production in Hostile Environments
Moderator Name: Sy Potma
Speaker Name: George Kourounis, "Storm Chaser", Angry Planet, OLN
Other business or activities at the meeting: Upcoming tour announcement, March 25, 2008: Juno Engineer of the Year winner 2008 John Bailey's "Drive Shed Recording Studios," with special guests Vic Florencia, Jeremy Darby and more...
Meeting Location: Ryerson University
George Kouronis, host of the show Angry Planet on Outdoor Life Network (and formerly a recording studio technician himself at Deluxe and Tattersall in Toronto), explained some of the challenges of collecting audio in some of the most difficult and dangerous environments in the world; baseball sized hailstones, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes, hurricanes (including Katrina), floods and more.
With a crew of 2, and sometimes one additional cameraman, most of the show budget is travel and post. They shoot DVC, and odds of trashing gear is high, so they use "semi-disposable" stuff. Safety always takes precedence over audio quality.
Though sparsely attended, ironically because of poor weather, this meeting was both fascinating and entertaining. There were many questions from the audience about some of the technical challenges and hazards involved.
To find out more about George Kouronis and the show Angry Planet, visit his site: www.stormchaser.ca
