A look back at Amplify Conference 2022
Back in January 2022, the NKT Productions crew took a trip down to Daytona Beach, Florida for a special trip for a client of ours, Brookside Laboratories. This was the second year that we have worked this conference with them, the first being during the pandemic in which we provided a virtual conference for them. Being the first year back after the all-virtual conference, we as a production group wanted to make sure that the conference was taken to the next level and so we shot for the highest quality content we could provide.
Pre-Production
The production was set in mid-January, but we had spent a lot of time planning. The venue was quite the distance from our HQ in Ohio, so we wanted to make sure that we knew what we were getting into. Scott went down in May 2021 to site-check the hotel where the conference was going to be held. In that initial site check, he spoke with the hotel staff and got an idea of what was going to be required and what we needed to have to carry out the plans.
Fast forward to January 2022 and we started to plan. We rented a 12-passenger van and removed two of the backbenches to put all our equipment inside. We loaded many cameras, cables, our switchers, and everything else that we needed. We also made sure that we had backups and backups to the backups as well.
On the Road
The road trip was relatively safe for us. The only thing we really had to change was that we originally were going to drive down to Florida by way of South Carolina, but we ended up going through Georgia due to a giant winter storm that blew through as we drove down. We spent two days driving down and arrived on Saturday night in beautiful Daytona Beach, Florida.
Setting Up
Setting up for an event this large takes quite some time. The main event was held in a large ballroom that connected to a large dining area. In that room, we set up the video switcher, audio mixer, computers, and 2 cameras. All of the cameras ran to 3 big screens. The other room was down a long hall and upon a second floor in a smaller room where the talent would talk about things between conferences. That room had one camera, 2 mics, and 2 lights set up. The guests stood in front of a large window with the beach in the background.
In addition to the live pieces we did in this room, there were a few times we hooked up a wireless video transmitter to the camera so we could leave that room and do some live shots elsewhere in the resort. For instance, in one section we shot down on the beach where the head of the company and some kids went and jumped into the ocean (which was pretty chilly at the time). Another live shot we did on the patio and they were doing a “weather report”. Joe came up with the idea for someone to stand off-camera and splash water on the talent while they were talking to poorly simulate ocean spray. Everyone got a good chuckle out of it.
When you have a great client like Brookside Labs, it is amazing how easy it is to help them come up with fun things to do. It is all about being adaptable and flexible. In this business, I feel that is a key component to a successful relationship and production. While on the topic of flexibility, we did have a last-minute issue while setting up. Our video switcher decided to die just a few hours before airtime. Fortunately, Scott had planned ahead and brought an extra switcher. After 45 minutes of swapping out cables, we were back up and running and the client was none the wiser. Collectively, we’ve been through thousands of live productions and there has never been one where “something” didn’t go wrong, so planning ahead for this type of situation is second nature for us. Being able to think quickly on your feet is also vital to a successful production. We avoid saying, “sorry we can’t do that” at all costs. There is always a way.
The last thing we would like to mention is that Brookside Labs is great for so many reasons, but the one reason that stands out, they treated us like participants in their event and not like “hired help”. They made sure we had what we needed, that we ate, and that we were comfortable. Not all clients are like that. We are grateful to the Brookside/Amplify team for the opportunity and we hope in the future we can help them as well as others create the high-quality content that you would expect to come from NKT Productions.
Do you have a video idea, commercial, or live event and need some help with it? Feel free to reach out to NKT Productions for all of your video needs!
