Post by L Roebuck on May 19, 2006 8:31:17 GMT -5
Music made in Caverns
By Karen Polly
Current-Argus Staff Writer
May 19, 2006, 04:20 am
CARLSBAD -- Twenty-five crew members, several Carlsbad Caverns park rangers, 40 members of the First Baptist Church choir and several other people squeezed around the Rock of Ages in the Big Room of Carlsbad Caverns Thursday night to film the second part of a Randy Travis Christmas special due out later this year.
In the narrow winding pathway of the Caverns, crew members and director Charlie O'Dowd ran back and forth trying to get the perfect footage of Travis and the choir members.
Travis started the night with an opening message about the Caverns.
"Very deep in the desert below Carlsbad is an amazing natural wonder," Travis said in his introductory remarks.
Moments after the final take of the monologue, he was joined by the choir for several takes of the hymn, "Rock of Ages."
O'Dowd pulled several of the choir members below the main shot of Travis, telling the choir, "We were expecting 25 people."
With the natural acoustics of the Caverns, it was tough to get everyone there to be quiet before each take.
But each time Travis stopped singing, the Caverns were deadly silent for about 10 seconds, as though everyone there were stunned.
Travis later sang "Silent Night" with the choir, and ultimately the crew planned to get shots of the choir winding down the path toward the Rock of Ages carrying lanterns and singing.
After the first take when O'Dowd called, "Action!" the sound crew informed him that Travis' opening monologue would need to be about five seconds after the call because his own voice continued to reverberate in the cave when Travis started speaking. From there on out, the director gave hand cues to start the film rolling.
Film crews included professionals and students, as well as members of the Carlsbad Multimedia group, who were filming a behind the scenes film to go along with an eventual DVD of the Christmas concert, filmed in December at the Walter Gerrells Performing Arts & Exhibition Centre.
Carlsbad Current-Argus
By Karen Polly
Current-Argus Staff Writer
May 19, 2006, 04:20 am
CARLSBAD -- Twenty-five crew members, several Carlsbad Caverns park rangers, 40 members of the First Baptist Church choir and several other people squeezed around the Rock of Ages in the Big Room of Carlsbad Caverns Thursday night to film the second part of a Randy Travis Christmas special due out later this year.
In the narrow winding pathway of the Caverns, crew members and director Charlie O'Dowd ran back and forth trying to get the perfect footage of Travis and the choir members.
Travis started the night with an opening message about the Caverns.
"Very deep in the desert below Carlsbad is an amazing natural wonder," Travis said in his introductory remarks.
Moments after the final take of the monologue, he was joined by the choir for several takes of the hymn, "Rock of Ages."
O'Dowd pulled several of the choir members below the main shot of Travis, telling the choir, "We were expecting 25 people."
With the natural acoustics of the Caverns, it was tough to get everyone there to be quiet before each take.
But each time Travis stopped singing, the Caverns were deadly silent for about 10 seconds, as though everyone there were stunned.
Travis later sang "Silent Night" with the choir, and ultimately the crew planned to get shots of the choir winding down the path toward the Rock of Ages carrying lanterns and singing.
After the first take when O'Dowd called, "Action!" the sound crew informed him that Travis' opening monologue would need to be about five seconds after the call because his own voice continued to reverberate in the cave when Travis started speaking. From there on out, the director gave hand cues to start the film rolling.
Film crews included professionals and students, as well as members of the Carlsbad Multimedia group, who were filming a behind the scenes film to go along with an eventual DVD of the Christmas concert, filmed in December at the Walter Gerrells Performing Arts & Exhibition Centre.
Carlsbad Current-Argus