It's Holiday Time!

Go To Team got into the Holiday spirit this year by placing themselves in scenes of some very notable Holiday films.

Check out all of the great pics at www.gototeam.com/holiday. See if you can name all of the shows and movies!

Convention Center celebrates 15 years

The North Charleston Convention Center is celebrating its 15th anniversary. To help commemorate the event it contracted Advertising Service Agency to produce a commercial starring North Charleston's Mayor Keith Summey. Go To Team's Tom Wells was hired as DP for the commercial. The spot was shot on the Panasonic Varicam and included over 100 extras, stunt crew, and a specially fabricated device that allowed the mayor to safely "crowd surf" above the cast of extras. "We had a great time shooting the spot," said Tom. "Although the commercial has a really 'big' feel to it, we actually pulled it off with a relatively small crew. The response to the piece so far has been outstanding." Check out the video below for a couple of behind the scenes clips.

Butterball a Modern Marvel? You're Darn Tootin'!

Back during Thanksgiving, Jimmy Hall's video crew headed from Raleigh, NC to Mt. Olive to shoot behind the scenes of how Turkey cold cuts are produced. The folks at History Channel's Modern Marvels are putting together an entire show on Cold Cuts. And, Go To Team was there to cover every minute of the production process.

The high definition video crew used the Panasonic Varicam for a full day of shooting throughout the Butterball facility. As you can, see Butterball is really concerned with flavor and not so much with the appearance of their outfits. The episode is currently airing on the History Channel.

Home For Thanksgiving (Mexico Part 3)

Wednesday was a travel day for Go To Team’s Clark Crew as they headed home from Villahermosa. Skip and John South had been in Mexico since November 15 covering the devastating floods in the state of Tabasco. Tuesday, their last full day in Mexico, was a long one as they were out in the far stretches of the area and then back to Villahermosa and then back out to the rural country on the other side of the city.

Their first stop was a makeshift hospital that’s been set up in one of the rural churches. Samaritan’s Purse arranged for doctors to come out to this distant area to see children and adults alike. Many of these residents are dealing with injuries and illnesses weeks after the flood and are in need of medical attention.

As they passed back through Villahermosa they stopped at another church and interviewed two pastors that have been directly helped by Samaritan’s Purse. Producer Bill Meisner talked to these pastors about how the aid provided by SP has been so helpful to their congregations.

And then they made their way out to the other side of the city to visit another rural area. There they interviewed a woman who had just gotten one of the Samaritan’s Purse food packets.

The whole week was an amazing journey throughout Villahermosa and the rest of Tabasco. Skip and John were constantly amazed by the outreach of support from Samaritan’s Purse and the effectiveness of their disaster response team. Samaritan’s Purse will remain in Villahermosa for months from now as they continue to help the people there clean up and get back onto their feet.

Oh, and while they were there, Skip was actually recruiting for the next Go To Team Apprenticeship Position! All current candidates should look out!

Wells Undergoes Open Heart Surgery...

Well, sort of. He was in the room anyway. Go To Team's Tom Wells and Nick Modisett took part in shooting an open heart procedure this week for OR Live, service provider to The Cleveland Clinic. The shoot included a jib to cover a closeup overhead view of the procedure, a roving camera to provide additional shots of the surgery and doctors' interactions, and a series of cameras utilized by the hospital staff including a head-cam on the surgeon. Tom and Nick engineered the system to also include communications for the crew and producer as well as the surgical staff. The surgeon wore a wireless mic that transmitted to all camera and recording decks as well as a wireless IFB system so producers and client could listen to the audio while the surgery took place. All the video was fed into a nearby room to 15 inch monitors so the director and client could monitor the procedure as well.

"It was amazing to take part in the process," said Tom. "At first I was nervous of bringing our gear into such a sensitive environment, but the surgical staff made us feel welcome. The coordination between the hospital staff and crew was seamless and the project went off without a hitch."

Samaritan's Purse Reaches Out (Mexico Part 2)

The last few days have been full for Go To Team’s Clark Crew. Skip and John have continued to follow Samaritan’s Purse the last several days through all parts of Villahermosa and the state of Tabasco in the southern portion of Mexico.


After spending Friday getting their bearings and witnessing some of the devastation caused by the floods in late October and early November, Skip, John, and producer Bill Meissner jumped on the road with the crew from Samaritan’s Purse as they made their stops to the hardest hit areas.

They traveled far from Villahermosa on Saturday to visit a small village west of the city. Samaritan’s Purse had set up a water filtration system at a small rural church in the days following the flooding to provide clean water to all the residents in the area and it needed to be checked on to be sure it was still running well. Up to 3,000 people a day can get clean water from the system, cleaner than most of us have at home in the States!

Then, on Sunday, they traveled into a neighborhood devastated by the flood and then the standing water. Garbage, debris, and just about anything else you can think of, lines the streets. And in some places, the piles block the streets. All of this debris and garbage has been covered with a thin scattering of ground lime to help mask the smell. Samaritan’s Purse arranged for a front loader and six dump trucks to clean up a few of the streets. All of their efforts have been coordinated with the authorities and the local churches; the pastors at each church are encouraged to get their congregations to volunteer and work with Samaritan’s Purse as they work each day in the cleanup efforts. Now, it’s not all work and no play for the folks at Samaritan’s Purse.

They do occasionally take a break to share some ice cream with the kids . . .

Clark Crew, Using Their Passports Again (Mexico Part 1)

Go To Team’s Skip Clark and John South are traveling international again this week as they head for Villahermosa, Mexico. With more than 1 million people affected by the recent flooding and mudslides, untold numbers homeless, Samaritan’s Purse sent in teams to aid in the relief efforts. Known as a gold standard in the relief industry Samaritan's Purse is led by Franklin Graham.

The last few days of October brought torrential rains to the small city and the rest of the state of Tabasco, located in the Southern part of the country. The Grijalva River flooded over its banks and into more than 70% of the country. The Clark crew, with producer Bill Meissner, arrived late Thursday night to cover Samaritan's Purse's relief efforts.
“These people had so very little to begin with, and now the flood waters took all they had,” that’s really the theme for everyone who visits the hardest hit portions of the state, often the poorest.

The crew is traveling as light as possible as transportation around the area is difficult at best. So that means the light kit is just one Bron-Kobold 200watt HMI and reflectors. They’ll be getting creative this week like in Denmark. Skip is using the Sony F-900 CineAlta paired with the Canon wide angle lens and a Chrosziel mattebox for a Polarizer. South is mixing on the Sound Devices 442 and using Lectrosonic 411s paired with the new SMa transmitters. All of the sound is being captured on either Sanken lavaliers or the Schoeps shotgun.

Baker Crew vs. Dr. Phil Show

"We were holding our own until Dr. Phil called in the Marines"

- Go To Team DP, Dave Baker

The Baker and Wells crews spent their Halloween week in the scenic mountains of Bluefield, WVA, and Tazewell, VA; but it wasn't Halloween they were celebrating. Dr. Phil Mcgraw and his wife Robin lent their Fame, and their good name once again to Toys For Tots. GTT was there to let viewers of the upcoming Dr. Phil Show"Christmas Special" see the couple working alongside US Marines to ensure toys and winter jackets bring cheer and warmth to area children. Dr. Phil and Robin traveled by a special Norfolk Southern train to meet with and speak to locals against a myriad of Autumn colors and rolling hills. Stay tuned to the Dr. Phil show to see this positive story Go To Team was lucky enough to be a part of.

What does Zorb mean anyway?

Go To Team's DP Tom Wells and crew traveled to Pigeon Forge, TN for ABC News this week to cover the first 'Zorb' park in the U.S. A Zorb is basically a big inflatable hampster ball for humans. Crawl inside, strap in, and hang on as someone pushes you down the side of a mountain in this 12 foot tall, 200 pound monster! Tom engineered pencil cams, dv clamshell, waterproof wireless mics, and our splash housing for the fun shots. The story aired on Good Morning America, World News, and World News Now. Check out one version of the piece on YouTube HERE.

Denmark's A Wrap for the Clark Crew... Headed Home

After spending about a week over in Denmark, Go To Team’s Skip Clark and John South are headed home to Charlotte, NC. They arrived in Copenhagen last week and worked their way through the rest of Denmark looking for wind turbines and other forms of alternative energy as they worked on a story for HDNet’s World Report. The crew, Skip and John along with correspondent Leslie Boghosian and Jennifer Wlach, was traveling in two cars: a Mazda 5 and a Volkswagen Passat wagon. Yeah, they’re small cars for a television crew. But it turns out those two cars were the perfect size for their trip and the equipment Skip and John brought over. Their gear included the Panasonic HDX-400 (of course, High Definition) , a Canon 4.7 X 11 wide angle and a Canon 21 X 7.5 long lens. Both pieces of glass were great to have, the wide angle for up close shots of the turbines and the long lens for interviews and scenics. The light kit? A small Arri kit with a 650watt fresnel, a 600watt open face, two 300watt fresnels, and three 150watt fresnels. They also brought over two HMIs for use outdoors and at any location with windows. The Bron-Kobold units were the best because they didn’t require any kind of voltage conversion; just plug them in and they’re ready to go! John brought over his Sound Devices 442 mixer with three Lectrosonic 411 wireless systems paired with SM transmitters. And interviews and b-roll sounded great with his new Schoeps boom mic. This mic is great for the sound: a rich, rounded sound that’s great at picking up just what you’re aiming at. And all this along with luggage and the rest of the support gear filled the cars. So Leslie, Jen, South, and Skip all head home EARLY Thursday morning and take the eight hour flight back to Newark. And the only challenge remaining is getting all the gear home! Let’s hope that the airlines don’t lose all of it again...

Clark Crew... Always Right On Time

But to be honest, they're never early. As we've been posting all week, Go To Team’s Skip Clark crew is in Denmark shooting with Leslie Boghosian and Jennifer Wlach from HDnet for a story about alternative energy. And to get just about anywhere in Denmark, a country of islands, you have to catch a ferry . . . And the crew has been chasing them all week. Like any shoot, no matter how hard everyone works to stay on time, there’s always one more shot to get. And it’s that last shot that’s kept them rushing to make the ferry before the loadmaster closes up the ramp. Skip and his audio operator John South have been consulting the maps all week trying to find the fastest route to the ferry. Sometimes there might be some confusion, but they always make it. Today, the crew took two ferries, from mainland Hou to the island of Samso and then from Samso to Kolundborg, while they worked quickly to pick up some b-roll of the island and all the wind turbines that power Samso. The week long shoot wraps up Thursday. Look for the story to air sometime in December on HDNet’s World Report.

Clark Crew's Danish Tour Continues

Having made their way from the small Danish island of Samso, Go To Team's Clark crew continues their tour of Denmark in Nakskov on the island of Lolland. Audio operator John South booms an interview with HDNet correspondent Leslie Boghosian while producer Jennifer Wlach keeps everyone on time. This interview was conducted in one of the biggest recycling plants in all of Europe and it is here that the residents of Lolland come with just about anything to have it recycled; aluminum cans, paper, old televisions and radios, even carpet, mattresses, and concrete! All of this is positioned right next door to Vestas, one of the leading wind turbine manufacturers in Denmark. Look below to see more about the wind turbines . . .

Old Versus New... Windmills in Denmark

Go To Team’s DP Skip Clark is over in Denmark this week working on a story about renewable energy. HDNet's correspondent, producer, audio operator John South, and Skip are all traveling the countryside looking for windmills and wind turbines. And they’re not that hard to find. The country gets enormous amounts of energy from the wind and these turbines are doing the job. A single wind turbine can provide the electricity for 650 homes! “What’s been fascinating is to see these very modern wind turbines juxtaposed against windmills that have been here for centuries.”

Improv Class... The Joy of International Travel

Okay, so what do you do if you are in a foreign country and the airline lost more than half of your luggage? You improvise. Go To Team Director of Photography Skip Clark and audio operator John South arrived in Denmark Friday morning with just their coats, a monitor case, an audio kit, the "run bag," and a camera (and that was carry-on!). No batteries, no lights, no tripod, not even their clothes made it! But with the one battery that was on the camera when they flew from the states and a boom mic plugged straight into the camera, they made it work. They even managed to find some lights, "We were doing an interview at the Energy Academy in Ballan on the island of Samso. They had a board with several lamps attached that's used to demonstrate energy efficient lighting. With plenty of natural light coming from the other side, we just moved the board to our interview location and it added just a little warmth and worked great as a fill!" The Clark crew is in Denmark working on a feature for HDNet about alternative energy and the wind turbines that are found all over Denmark.

HD Net Sends Clark Crew to Denmark

HDNet is in Denmark this weekend and much of next week shooting a story about renewable energy and the wind turbines that power so much of the country. Go To Team's Skip Clark, along with audio operator John South, arrived in Copenhagen this morning around 6:30 and they hit the ground running. Most of their day today was spent driving and catching the ferry to the small island of Samso. The rest of their week will take them to Lolland, Aarhus, and Kolding before they end up back in Copenhagen, a whirlwind tour of the country. They're trying to stay on track, but every time they turn around there's another scenic to be had! "The country is so beautiful and seeping with history. It's such a contrast to see these giant modern wind turbines spread across the countryside, but they just add another layer to the landscape."

Clark Crew Working In Virginia For HBO Sports

With perfect weather and beautiful fall foliage, Go To Team's Director of Photography, Skip Clark and audio operator John South were in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, working for HBO Sports. They were there shooting a feature with Julias and Thomas Jones' parents, the NFL brothers playing for the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets. Skip came home amazed at the welcome they got from Thomas and Betty Jones, "Their parents were so incredibly welcoming and gracious, it's no wonder that these two guys have become role models in the NFL!" Skip & John were able to follow the Joneses around Big Stone Gap and Appalachia to see where the two brothers lived when they were teenagers and the football field where they got their start. The fall leaves were in peak color this weekend so be sure to watch for the feature to air over the Thanksgiving Holiday on HBO.

Skip Clark, Director of Photography and Published Writer

Go To Team's Charlotte, North Carolina Director of Photography, Skip Clark can now add published writer to his resume. TV Technology Magazine recently printed an article Skip wrote on Bron-Kobold’s HMIs, praising the light’s versatility and the superior customer service received by the company. Skip travels the US shooting using the Bron-Kobold HMI's for clients like Fox Sports, NBC News, HD Net. "These are typically large locations with a lot of space to light. The 400W PARs are great units as I can use them to put a powerful splash on equipment in the background of an interview." His current lighting kit contains their 200W and two 400W lamps. For more information on Skip Clark see his resume. Click here to see the entire article.

Wells goes to Varicamp

Go To Team's Charleston based DP Tom Wells recently attended HD Expo's "Varicamp" in Washington D.C. The three day workshop extensively covers all aspects of the Panasonic VariCam camera including color and density, motion, post production workflow and camera setup. Tom's creative skills are already off the charts, Varicamp just really tweaks his understanding of the specifics of the Varicam.
"I've been shooting with the Varicam for several years now, but the Varicamp workshop really took my understanding to a new level. The knowledge I picked up will make a huge difference for our clients who depend and demand on the Varicam to deliver the highest quality images possible," said Tom. To see Tom's recent projects check it his on-line Resume and Reel.

Clark Crew Shoots ESPN E:60

Skip Clark was over in Chapel Hill, NC, last week shooting a story about Jason Ray for E:60, a new sports documentary program airing on ESPN. Go To Team DPs shoot stories about all kinds of people; sometimes they are politicos campaigning to be President, sometimes they are businessmen with the next big thing, sometimes they are sports heroes, and sometimes they are simply heroes. You might not have heard about Jason, but Jason Ray was a hero. While attending the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, he played the part of Rameses, the Tar Heel's mascot. But the story really isn't about that. It's about organ donation. Jason died from injuries in an accident while in New Jersey for North Carolina's appearance in the NCAA Regionals last March. His decision to be an organ donor saved the lives of over 50 people.

Clark took a lot from the interviews, "We were in Chapel Hill for just a day, but in that short time we learned so much about Jason. Who he was, what made him special, and what made him a hero." Learn more about Jason tonight on ESPN. ESPN's E:60 premieres October 16th at 7:00pm and then re-airs October 17th on ESPN2 at 7:00pm.

Baker Crew "Discovers" new Carpenter for Trading Spaces in Boone, NC

Recently Go To Team's Dave Baker and crew spent a weekend chasing Trading Spaces' new carpenter, Brandon Russell around North Carolina as he introduced himself to fans of the hit TLC show. You can view the entire video on-line at TLC's website.

"He was tough to keep up with; what with the rock climbing and hiking in Boone, NC, but we were able follow him back to his home in Charlotte, and give the people at home a pretty good insight into what makes this guy tick." Look for more of Brandon, and more of the Baker crew this year on a television near you, unless of course you are in the great outdoors, then just look over your shoulder, and remember....don't look at the lens! Click here to view the piece.

Dave Baker Leaves Chris Matthews "All Shook Up" in Memphis

This past March, Go To Team's Dave Baker worked in conjunction with Dwaine Scott (NBC) on a multi-cam remote production of "Hardball with Chris Matthews" in Memphis, TN. Hardball was there to cover the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, held at the Historic Peabody Hotel. The live production went off without a hitch amidst hustle and bustle of the conference. Overcome with the spirit of the town, and after several Karaoke mic checks, Dave was sent to Sun Studio (made famous by discovering legends such as Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley) to rock "The King's" mic. It was here that Dwaine Scott learned why Dave Baker has a crew instead of a band.

GTT and Adams Outdoor Advertising

Charleston based DP Tom Wells and crew helped Adams Outdoor Advertising aquire footage for the company's marketing efforts. The project included shooting multiple signs, digital billboards, traffic patterns and more around Charleston. One setup included a time-lapse driving through the city's interstate system using an on-car mount while shooting to P2 using the Panasonic HVX-200. The lightweight and compact size of the camera along with it's flexible time-lapse intervalometer made it a great choice for the high speed application.

Baker Crew "High on a Mountaintop" with ABC

Recently, the Baker crew travelled from its base of Charlotte, NC, to Lake Lure, NC to offer Good Morning America viewers a glimpse of one of North Carolina's secret treasures. The stunning vistas and beautiful waterways of Chimney Rock and Lake Lure have been host to many a tourist, hiker, and fisherman, as well as serving as shooting locations for films such as "Last of the Mohicans" and "Dirty Dancing". It wasn't easy scaling the heights with the High Definition Varicam and all of it's accoutrements but the chance to explore this beautiful region and bring it into the homes of viewers everywhere is "precisely why I never wanted a Real job" said Go To Team camera man Dave Baker. To see the video, Visit Good Morning America's Weekend Window.

Go To Team Wins Telly Award: ING Run For Something Better

Go To Team won the Telly Award for ING's Run for Something Better. The award came in yesterday and we decided to make a little video in its honor. We were very excited to win something for this piece in particular. The Run for Something Better is a program developed by ING, in conjuction with the NY Marathon, to teach kids exercise habits that will last a lifetime. The Dave Baker crew travelled to New York City for this one and spent a few days chasing kids around the track. They had a great time and spent the following three days recovering. Maybe if the Run for Something Better program had been available to the Baker crew when they were kids, then they would be in better shape today! Ryan Cockrell edited this piece back in November of 2006. It was a fun piece to work on and winning the Telly makes it even better.

Coach Of The Year Nominee

Go To Team's Raleigh Video Crew (Jimmy Hall) spent a weekend in Greenville NC documenting Skip Holtz coach of Eastern Carolina University. Coach Holtz has been nominated for the Road to the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year. The segment will premiere on ABC Sept 22 at 2:30pm and throughout the football season on ESPN.
"For someone who is a football fanatic (me) we had a lot of fun with this project plus the ECU guys were awesome to work with!" Jimmy Hall, Cameraman, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Modern Marvels on History Channel

The television show 'Modern Marvels' recently aired an episode entitled "Sticky Things". Go To Team's Charleston Crew (dptomwells) traveled to Brunswick, GA earlier this summer with the Panasonic Varicam to shoot a segment for the show which profiled a Rosin factory specializing in high-grade adhesives (among other things). "I now know first hand that sticky Pine Rosin and the Georgia summer heat don't mix well (and I thought Charleston was hot!)" - Tom Wells.
Modern Marvels airs on the History Channel Monday-Friday @ 8PM Eastern.

Bobby LaBonte and Dollar General

Go To Team's Charlotte, NC based DP Skip Clark was just in Bristol, TN covering the Dollar General presence at the Sharpie 500. Bobby LaBonte and Delana Harvick were there signing autographs and giving away door prizes. "It was a hot day in Bristol, but we stayed cool in the air conditioned tent and drank lots of water!" -Skip Clark.

Cavalier Telephone & TV Corporate Production

Go To Team just wrapped a large project for Cavalier Telephone & TV, a telecommunications provider in Virginia. Cavtel's objective was a multi-purpose video project for use in sales and marketing. Our, Charlotte, North Carolina Crew with Director of Photography, Dave Baker shot the entire project on location in Virginia. Using DVCPro HD Cameras gave the high-tech corporation the edge they were looking for. Throughout the process the folks at Cavtel were awesome to work with... the perfect corporate client... with a real understanding of what makes a great piece. High Definition Editor, Ryan Cockrell, worked closely with Cavtel to keep the creative juices flowing, stay on budget and really made it sing!