Since the early days of television, music and dance have been a staple of the streaming medium. But without the paintings of the experts who bring those systems to the global public, this would not be possible. On July 30, DGA members and others running with artists, music managers, choreographers, and arts administrators at some of the largest variety and awards shows, shared their insights at the Western AD/SM/PA Council’s event, Song
The audience gathered at the Guild’s Los Angeles Theatre for an informative and entertaining discussion on the many aspects that music and dance performances on television must offer. In a verbal exchange moderated by Associate Director Gary Natoli (The Tony Awards) and Stage Director Sean Callahan (Encanto LIVE), Associate Director/Director Debbie Palacio (So You Think You Can Dance), Associate Director/Stage Director Peter Margolis (The Voice), Level Directors Ron Paul (American Music Awards) and Jonathan Marks (The Masked Singer), associate conductor Angela Visca (Metropolitan Opera Live), music director and composer Rickey Minor (The Academy Awards), choreographer and producer Mandy Moore (Taylor Swift). : The Eras Tour) and artistic director and producer Raj Kapoor (The Grammy Awards) talked about their work in the genre.
The occasion began with a welcome from moderators Natoli and Callahan, who brought the panelists along. Then, in a discussion illustrated with behind-the-scenes footage and clips from shows, the verbal exchange began with the theme of engaging with the genre’s creatives. , the shortcuts that groups use to communicate, and the use of the management team to help the manager achieve his or her goal.
Using the example of Ryan Gosling’s recreation of the “I’m Just Ken” number from Greta Gerwig’s DGA-nominated film Barbie, the discussion moved on to the granddaddy of all awards ceremonies, the Oscars. The panelists discussed topics such as the choreographer’s participation in the staging, evaluating the barriers of the stage, the process of the practice session and translating the photographs from the practice session into the final production.
Taking a look at another major awards show, the Grammys, revealed a dissection of the work that went into performing pop star Dua Lipa’s performance.
In the segment covering competing series such as American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, The Masked Singer and The Voice, the panelists explained how the week unfolded, adding the initial allocation of episodes, artistic meetings, music recording and outside activities of the site. dance rehearsals and how to set the rhythm of musical breaks.
The segment on working with bands and music managers covered things like the benefits of the Pro-tools program, the variety of tactics associate managers like to paint (digital or paper scripts), and the other styles that ‘a team can meet other administrators. . For example, some score each and every shot, while others like to make sure they make shots “on the fly. “
Other discussion topics included running with few resources or support, running with schedule and troubleshooting solutions, and being prepared for any eventuality. This segment included an exploration of the difference between film and live variety, how to compensate when a set list doesn’t fit the songs you have ready, and how in some productions like opera there isn’t a practice session in which you can avoid, and get a pass before the screen hits.
The final discussion provided recommendations for associate administrators and level managers to enter the world of music and dance productions, such as learning musical phraseology and the terminology involved, learning how production supervisors perform musical breakdowns so you can create your own or know what. Ask them what works for you and general recommendations for level managers.
The Western Council AD/SM/PA is the chosen framework that represents Guild members who live in the Western Region and work in television as associate producers, level managers, or production associates.
photos via Élisa Haber