NATIONAL ESTUARIES DAY satellite remote from
Waquoit Bay NERR (Massachusetts) site.
Live from .......
Video crew: TBD ___________________
Satellite truck contact: TBD ___________________
Facilities Coordinator:
Bob Gubar, RMG Satellite Productions, 919-363-3630
Estuaries Day Live Event produced by Bill Lovin, Marine
Grafics, 919-656-5166
CONTACTS at Waquoit Bay NERR, Massachusetts:
Joan C. Muller
Education Coordinator
Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Box 3092
Waquoit, MA 02536
508-457-0495 x107
617-727-5537 fax
Joan's cellphone _________________
 Joan Muller, your contact at Waquoit Bay NERR |
The Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR) is located on the south shore of Cape Cod, Massachusetts in the towns of Falmouth and Mashpee. It encompasses some 3,000 acres of open waters, barrier beaches, marshlands and uplands. Land components include Washburn Island, South Cape Beach State Park, property surrounding the Quashnet River and Reserve Headquarters. The Waquoit Bay NERR is part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, which presently includes 25 sites in 20 states, and Puerto Rico. Each site represents a different coastal region. The Waquoit Bay Reserve is representative of the Northern Virginian biogeographic region, from Chesapeake Bay to Cape Cod. WBNERR is co-funded and co-managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, Estuarine Reserves Division and by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. |
Crew calls: TBA
If possible the Satellite/Video crew should arrive on Wednesday PM and survey the site. Contact Joan Muller, Waquoit Bay NERR, for help.
Directions to Waquoit Bay NERR
(Massachusetts)
From Boston:
Follow Route 3 South to the Sagamore Bridge over the Cape Cod Canal. Route 3 crosses over the bridge and becomes Route 6. Take Exit 2 (Route 130). Turn right off the ramp and follow 130 South 7.2 Miles to Great Neck Road, just after Dunkin Donuts (which is on the left). Turn right onto Great Neck Road and follow it to the Mashpee Rotary. Halfway around the rotary, take Route 28 North toward Falmouth/Woods Hole. The reserve is located 3.5 miles from the rotary on the left.
From Providence and Points West:
Follow Route 495 or 195 to Route 25. Route 25 crosses over the Bourne Bridge and becomes Route 28. Follow Route 28 South to Route 151 (first exit after the Otis ANGB/Cataumet Rotary). Turn right off the ramp and follow 151 under the bridge to the Mashpee Rotary. At the rotary, take Route 28 North toward Falmouth/Woods Hole. The reserve is located 3.5 miles from the rotary on the left.
AT THE SITE:
This is an excellent location that offers a primary and
backup (weather) site in the same place. The satellite truck will be
parked directly behind the historic Waquoit Reserve visitors center (below).
There is an excellent southern view looking out over the bay (below).
From the truck parking spot there is only a 200-ft cable run down a stairway to
the beach where ALL show events will happen.
Down on the beach, all events for the show will happen. The cameraman may
need to walk out into ankle deep water to shoot clamming. Some events will
happen on the concrete platform at water's edge. There will be a clam bake
at the end of the show.
This is an excellent backup (weather) site as well. Inside the
"boathouse" (below) there is an old ballroom with space to do many of
the events the folks have scheduled for their show.
ACCOMMODATIONS
This is a resort community with older (non-chain) hotels. This is a good,
clean hotel located a few miles from the reserve on Hwy 28. There is a
B&B directly across from the entrance to the reserve. Contact Joan for
more information.
NOTES for CAMERA CREWS and SAT CREWS:
You will be working with non-professional talent. These are scientists, researchers, educators...help them out as much as you can. You are really the director/producer/camera crew on site.
These segments will be live, one-hour, one-camera shows. You will likely be handheld for most of that hour moving from station to station. You will ALWAYS be on. Work with your talent to determine places you can use a tripod. They will have plenty of volunteer help so you can have your sticks moved from place to place and waiting for you. It is okay to gently lift the camera on and off the sticks. Work with the volunteers who are helping pull cable for you. In most cases you will have 1500 ft (at least) of cable stretched out. Remember, they are newbies probably never having been involved in television at any level.
Obviously work with the talent to look at your "path" and stretch out as much cable as possible so you're pulling as little as possible at any time. Help your talent with "blocking" (i.e.- moving from place to place, how to point things out by walking you over to them and not truly pointing, etc.)
Audio -- make this as simple as you can. We recommend you use a handheld wireless mic and work with your non-pro talent on how to use it. Depending on what equipment you have and the amount of "wind" you can certainly put a wireless lav on the main talent. I urge you not to use a boom unless you can really get it in there because this is streaming video (internet) and for good sound we really need "close-mic" when possible.
Obviously there is no place to change batteries in this one-hour block so make sure your cameras/equipment will run one-hour plus if it has to be battery powered. Try to have backup equipment if possible. We only have one shot with each of these sites.
If you're using triax and can get a return sat feed please set up a monitor for the talent and have a volunteer grip carry it around (or at least to those special places when it will be of most use). Also the talent will have a "field producer" (also a non-pro) to help them. Provide them with an intercom if possible if you're using triax. We MAY be trying to feed questions via the truck to the talent at times. Do what you can to help facilitate communication.
In some locations crew might have to move from outside in sunshine to inside a lab or museum area. Do your best to deal with exposure. If you have to rotate a filter out, then that's what you've got to do. We will have to live with it. ALSO you may have to shoot some video monitors of perhaps an underwater camera or video microscope. We will try to do that from a set of sticks. If you do have to do that it is okay to include the talent pointing things out.
It is conceivable in some locations that the guys in the truck might be asked to playback a beta tape for some b-roll. Likely that would come from home base but you never know. Also there is the possibility that they might ask you to hook up an underwater camera or video microscope if the location is close enough to the truck and you have enough cable. Help them out if possible. If you can't, then the camera folks can shoot it directly off the screen.
Just be prepared for the wild and wacky. These are amazing natural sites filled with wonderful creatures and anything can happen. If a seal climbs up on the pier you may need to get a shot. If they find a rare life form you might have to shoot in on the video microscope. You may suddenly see a rare bird. If a sudden storm approaches be prepared with a protection for your equipment (and yourself). Unless there is a hurricane, typhoon or tsunami...we will shoot no matter how rainy it is. Always be aware of where you are and don't fall in the water (or sink up to your knees).
We really appreciate your help and support. You folks will ultimately be running the show from your location. We won't bother you unless a problem develops. We can pretty much guarantee you an exciting (and out of the ordinary) day.
THANK YOU!