Client
ARTE France
Location
Arlington, VA
Venue
N/A
Year
2008
The 90-minute special aired live in France and Germany and was translated into three languages.
For their election special, ARTE France wanted a venue with an iconic Washington, DC setting. This proved challenging as most iconic venues in DC were already booked for election night. Broadcast Management Group was able to secure a condominium rooftop in nearby Arlington, VA, which provided a panoramic view of the National Mall and US Capitol.
Broadcast Management Group was contracted by ARTE France to provide live production services, technical management, and production staffing for their 2008 election special, which covered the outcome of the US presidential elections. The 90-minute special aired live in France and Germany and was translated into three languages.
For their election special, ARTE France wanted a venue with an iconic Washington, DC setting. This proved challenging as most iconic venues in DC were already booked for election night. Broadcast Management Group was able to secure a condominium rooftop in nearby Arlington, VA, which provided a panoramic view of the National Mall and US Capitol. While the venue checked a box for the client, it presented may technical challenges for our live production team.
First and foremost was cabling from the rooftop to our production truck 6 stories below. Broadcast Management Group permitted parking spaces for a production truck and satellite truck on the street in front of the condo building, then ran cabling down the side of the building to our truck. Because this was a housing complex, we had to be very mindful not to disturb any of the residents who lived in the building.
Aside from the cabling, the venue did not have any in-house production elements, which meant all lighting, set elements, and power needed to be provided. In order to secure the talent and guests from any potential inclement weather, we setup a tent on the rooftop, being mindful not to block the view of the National Mall.
The hosts for our program spoke French, but not all of our guests did – some only spoke English, others only German. To ensure smooth communication between all parties, Broadcast Management Group secured translation booths and translators for the live election special. If there was no commonality in language, then questions for our guests were sent to the on-site translator, then relayed to our guests via IFB.
ARTE France’s 2008 election special proved to be technically challenging but was hugely successful for the network.
