Freelancing since 2006, Andrei has worked a wide variety of events from Windsor to Thunder Bay Ontario. Primarily known for his Camera operation in both broadcasting and the corporate world, he is beginning to make a dent on the fast paced world of sports and instant replays as a EVS operator. In 2009 Andrei graduated from Television Broadcasting and since has been working in the Toronto market .
Since I’ve last posted I have been doing far more VTR/ EVS RO gigs then I thought I would have. When I last left you, I was scheduled to do work the HNIC Ott vs Buff game on NYE. The game went off perfectly and a major compliment as a few e-mails were sent off saying I did a good job; With that I managed to get a handful of gigs in Toronto working the “A” show, as they call it. On top of that, I’ve also managed to get work with MLSE this year doing the same thing primarily for the Raptors and Toronto FC teams.
I find it funny that nearly 3 years ago since I completed my EVS training in New Jersey and I was struggling to find owrk. Luckily, I managed to bump in to the right people and showed that I could operate the system good enough for broadcast. Every now and then I look around the truck and get a little “star-struck” as in the past I have watched many of my now-colleagues work at bars across the Country.
What’s next for me? Besides working a few Toronto FC games, I plan on pursuing tax preparation courses with H and R block as a little side hobby as I thoroughly enjoy doing taxes(a little odd, I know!). Also looking forward to another Jays season where I should be getting a few dozen games working the EVS systems (LSM and ipDirector).
Personal life: a little chaotic with the unfortunate passing of Grandfather, Earnest Renaud and commuting from Toronto to Windsor frequently in a short amount of time. Also, on one of my trips back from Windsor I ended up hitting a broken wooden gaurdrail that was lying in the middle of the road around 3am. Luckily, nor myself or the passenger were injured but it left the car with $2100 damage and a cold hour or so in Paris, ON as I waited for the tow truck. On a plus, still dating this fantastic women Rebecca who recently moved into a new apartment with a great patio; I will be sure to be tanned this summer as I plan to drink plenty of Rickards Red on it.
Well, what a year it’s been! I’ve managed to land full-time work, advance my freelance career and get away from TVA’ing, and somehow managed to land a girlfriend amidst the chaos surrounding work.
Since September I’ve been called upon to do a couple HNIC (Hockey Night in Canada) games for CBC as well as Toronto Raptor games; working as a EVS Replay Only op. This is a great position to watch and learn from the talented lead evs ops in the business, who I grew up watching their work. My job function essentially is to watch two camera feeds and clip of highlights for various player packages and analyst throughout the game. I then send the footage to the Lead EVS op who starts to build all the paks. I actually head up to Buffalo tomorrow for a game against Ottawa. Unfortunately, not a lot of people will be watching as the World Jnrs. are going on and Canada vs. USA is in the same lineup slot as us. Regardless, a fantastic experience this will be and a paycheque to help out my fund my vacation in February. The game may take place on NYE and will keep me away from friends I will be sure to wing the bell loud and clear from the US.
It’s funny, I still can’t decide which direction I want to head in; Camera or EVS. For the time being I am thoroughly enjoying the ride, hoping that maybe I can have the best of both worlds. I love the being inside of the truck, mostly for the organized chaos and seeing the strong product they produce for the fan at the bar or for the boy watching with his father. Regardless, Im happy to be getting EVS work in the winter as I thought I woldn’t touch the box till busy season (baseball/football).
So what to hope for in the new year? Well, more EVS and Camera work of course! As much as I don’t mind TVA’ing, it’s great finally breaking in past the entry level position in the position. It only took 5 years or so but hey, worth it now!
I hope you everyone reading this had an excellent Christmas and will ring in 2012 watching your Ottawa Senators take on the Buffalo Sabres on CBC.
Unfortunately this post comes with no pretty pictures or video, just exciting news! I’ve recently purchased a Canon 580ex ii speedlite as well as the Canon 24-70 f2.8 lens. Both items should be coming in late this week or early next.
This is also the first time I’ve ordered from an online company in the states. After some research I have found that even paying the duty on these items it is still cheaper by at least $200 to go through these US dealers. One of them being B&H photo, a well-known US company based out of New York. The other is actually an online ebay store which checked out and I’ve been in communication with them throughout the process.
…and in other news, I’ve recently upgraded to an Andriod smart phone (for those who might be interested). Seams like a well-designed phone although the battery life on these “Smart” Phones aren’t that great (lasting 10-15hrs).
The week that was! If it wasn’t for freelancing I truly do not know how I’d get through the full-time job working as a Studio Assistant (bread and butter). The adrenaline you get when your in the middle of thousands of screaming fans following their Idol, holding a camera low-angle while a director is telling you in your ear “This looks great”, is something that you just don’t get on a day-to-day basis. Shooting the Roberto Alomar jersey retirement ceremony for Rogers Sportsnet is something I’ll never forget. It was a first time for many different reasons; walking backwards down stairs, being “the money shot”, with the added pressure of knowing execs. made a choice to budget the camera that they usually never have.
There was a point when I knew I was in the zone when I made the decision to rush the stage and split the RCMP and get that hero shot….one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and I’m glad it panned out.
If I could do things over I would have changed very little. Unfortunately I was also battling a with a bad bulkhead where my cable was plugged in and my camera kept losing power. As soon as the cut off me walking Alomar down, my camera powered down and again and gain few more times…luckily none of it was on air! I wish I had really tested out that bulkhead more as I wasn’t able to walk Alomar out of the stadium and really get some other good stuff. Other notables was just having a fantastic assistant with me, without him I would not have been able to get from A to B to C. Also, I did a lot more shot planning this time with fans in order to make some of the bumpers to break/replays a little more exciting; When the stadium is packed everybody wants in on the action which makes the job easy.
Well, who knows what’s next for me. Hopefully I’ll get more calls when the Rogers Centre sells out and gather more Stadium beauty shots for them. This Thursday (tomorrow) I’ll be doing EVS for in-house during the Argos CFL game and that’s it for the time being.
Below is the footage from the game which I shot as well as some other clips from my time at Much Music.
The last two weeks have peaked my career thus far. It all started about a month ago when I received an e-mail from my former CityTV technical producer asking if I would be interested in working the “IIFA Green Carpet” show(Indian International Film Awards). I won’t lie, I was very hesitant, Until he mentioned that I would be working as a Tape operator.
This gig was a fantastic ‘break-in’ for me working in a Truck (Dome Productions). I had 6 VTR decks with different records ISO’ing cameras as well as a couple of DVD recorders I had to look after. It was a learning experience routing the monitor wall and figuring out workflow systems that would benefit me in case of panic. Working with a couple of EVS operators who’ve done this before, without hesitation showed me a few tips and tricks that would help me out a long the way. Although the production did have a few flaws, personally for me (as mentioned before) it was the right gig for me to get me started in this Tape/EVS world.
During the gig I was called to work else where for the following week; CFL in Hamilton as a TVA. Although it has been sometime since I had pulled cable, I said yes and was looking forward to seeing some old friends down there. A few days before the gig in Hamilton the phone rang from a scheduler at Dome prod. asking if I would be interested/able to shoot Hand-Held for the July 1st Toronto baseball game. For those who know me, I’ve been looking for this type of break for quite sometime. I’ve always enjoyed shooting on any level but especially broadcast. This gig involved me running around the Rogers Centre getting various bumper shots ideally showing off the full Stadium with the wide angle lens. I won’t lie, I wasn’t prepared as well as I should have been. Unfortunately I’m not a huge baseball fan and should have really done more research on the type of shots the roving handheld gets. Well, all must have gone well because the following morning I received yet another phone call from the TP of the show and was asked back to do the same thing; I quote “put on your sunblock and head to work”. Talk about an upgrade from TVA in Hamilton to Camera Op for MLB. A friend of mine later posted on my facebook account that over 700,000 viewers for each day I worked.
What a feeling!
For those who are wondering, yes I still work at Sun News Network. Luckily this job gives me Lieu hours and I’m able to freelance and learn more about the industry that helps me out on all levels of mental, physical, emotional.
At this point last year I was into the thick of things with work; G20, MMVAs, Baseball and other random gigs. This year is much more calm with the full-time job at Sun News Network. It’s GREAT! For the first time in about 5 years I’ve been able to visit family and friends and not have to worry about cancelling last minute.
Work with Sun has had it’s struggles but now that we’ve been at this for more than a few months things have sorted themselves out and the working environment is almost the same as other places. With that being said I have had to put in lots of overtime, but they have this great thing with full-time jobs called ‘Lieu Time’. As a freelancer this never existed but now I find myself taking days off just because. Today and Tomorrow I’m taking in the beach and blinding people with the milky white skin which gracefully covers my body.
I am still doing a little bit of freelance work here and there though; working with Red Stone Pictures and doing more EVS work through the Rogers Centre.
Now you may ask, what about that expensive camera you just bought?
Well, It’s still doing well and I find myself taking better photos with every day that passes. I recently brought it to me cousins wedding and was able to snap off a couple of photos that I think are fantastic—if you’re kind I might share them as well!
It’s 9am on my day off. Time to finalize the application on my new apartment in High Park and hit up the beach (not before doing laundry of course)
You guys must be able to tell how excited I am still about my new gear. I spent about 20 minutes in the Yonge and Eglinton area this afternoon snapping some photos. I won’t lie, I felt somewhat shy just pulling the camera out and randomly taking pictures but as time went one that soon disappeared and I tried to get the shot more than be obtrusive. As my ‘stage frieght’ dissipates I hope to get some good candid photos of some ‘weathered’ individuals that lurk around the area asking for change. I figure, what better way to get some good shots and help out the less fortunate.
Below is a montage from the Yonge and Eg area, right here in Toronto! The bike and panoramic were shot with the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 and the rest were shot with the Canon 50mm 1.4.
Well, as I mentioned before- I am the proud owner of a Canon 7D DSLR camera. I’ve also recently acquired two new lenses: Canon 50mm f1.4 and a Tokina 11mm-16mm f2.8. Getting anxious I went a head and snapped a few self-portraits of myself using the fancy wireless remote trigger which came with my kit (purchased of Kijiji).
I’m very excited to be doing a few test shoots in the next 2-4 weeks with some models who are looking to get into the business. It’s a win situation for all (and saves me money to spend on more accessories).
The photos below are shot with the Canon 7D 50mm f/1.4 ISO 100
Since my last post a lot has happened. The most dramatic being that I’ve recently been hired on as a full-time Studio Assistant at SunTV. My duties include Jib Operation, Mic’ing Guests, as well as set change overs. I’ve decided to head the full-time route as I realized that it will give me more time to get creative on side projects where as now I spend most of my spare time hunting for work. Also, this job includes benefits, unlimited sick days and the fact that I’m still able to freelance as long as there is no shift conflict which is fantastic!
On the creative side I’ve also recently purchased the Canon EOS 7D DSLR camera. I plan on making a real run for weekend gigs and in the process of acquiring more equipment as the next few months unfold.
