{"id":62104,"date":"2020-05-06T17:40:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-06T21:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eyesofageneration.com\/?p=62104"},"modified":"2023-08-31T20:33:03","modified_gmt":"2023-09-01T00:33:03","slug":"studio-8h-and-the-chapman-crane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.eyesofageneration.com\/?p=62104","title":{"rendered":"Studio 8H and the Chapman crane"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Among the very few things that have not changed since Saturday Night Live<\/em> debuted in 1975 are the studio it originates from, and the constant use of this Chapman Electra stage crane on the show. We’ve all seen it a thousand times, but never like this before.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Above is the driver’s seat, and you can see the flat panel monitor that shows the driver the camera feed as the crane is moved. Only the rear wheels turn to steer, and you can see the brake pedal that stops the battery-powered rig. Below is the view from the driver’s seat up the boom arm, showing the boom operator’s monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Above, we see the camera operator’s perch and the foot controls used to turn the turret plate the camera and seat are mounted on, which rotates 360 degrees. Below is another great shot of the camera turret with the boom all the way up. Can you say “catbird seat”?<\/p>\n\n\n

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SNL<\/em> comes from NBC Studio 8H on the 8th and 9th floors of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. As pictured below in this 1939 Life<\/em> article, 8H was built in the 1930s as a radio soundstage, and originally seated 1250 people. Promotional materials of the day often called 8H the “auditorium studio.” Its most famous tenant was Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Orchestra. In 1950 it was converted to a television studio.<\/p>\n\n\n

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When the show started in 1975, it was decided SNL<\/em> would originate from 8H. There needed to be a crane for all the frenetic movement in this very busy show, and the Chapman Electra was selected. It has called 8H home since 1975, but it is occasionally used in other studios because when the boom arm is removed, it can fit in the NBC freight elevator to move between floors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although 8H has been SNL<\/em>‘s home since ’75, it too is also used for other productions and events, such as the Summer Olympics from China in 2008. Below you see you see two photos of the 8H studio floor covered with temporary announce booths. Each booth has a producer’s room and a larger announcer’s room where two or even three announcers watch the live feeds from China and add their commentary.<\/p>\n\n\n

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As you can see in the diagram above, 8H and 8G are side by side. Occasionally, the Chapman works there for projects like national election coverage. Below are two shots from 1978 showing Studio 8H in preparation for a new season of SNL<\/em> (top) and in 8G, the new election set is getting final, last-minute touch-ups and making ready for camera rehearsal (bottom). With so much action in SNL<\/em> broadcasts, crane shots are essential, but even in situations like election coverage, the unique visual aspect they offer makes a big difference by adding motion abilities the pedestal cameras can’t. Crane shots make static shot situations more fluid with even a small degree of movement.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Now, it’s time to take a closer look at where the rubber meets the road – literally! Notice the front wheels have two sets of wheels: one set pneumatic and one set hard rubber. The back\/steering wheels are single hard rubber wheels. The reason for the dual-form tire arrangement is to give the smoothest possible ride. The single front hard rubber tire gives a firm ride and single front pneumatic gives a softer ride, but together, they give the best possible “Goldilocks” ride: not too hard, not too soft. I’m sure the cable guards come in handy, too.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Operating the crane is basically a three-person operation requiring a driver, a boom arm operator and a camera operator. Below is an amazing time-lapse video of Saturday Night Live<\/em> in production. Much of it was shot from small cameras mounted on this crane. Interestingly, there are two boom arm operators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n