HowTo: A/V Technican

A/V Technicans are responsible for a specific lecture hall (Saal) and all the talks within a 4 hour time slot. In short, they make sure the talks are streamed and recorded as smoothly as possible. They resolve all issues related to the A/V setup.

Usually, the members of this group are fixed long before the event. If you are familiar with broadcast equipment or the industry (regarding audio, video or lighting) and want to help, please get in touch with us.

A/V Technicans can join the shifts in the Engelsystem as soon as the shifts are created. There is no mandatory introduction, because the A/V Technicans have been in the internal planing mumbles and helped during the year on various events.

The A/V Technicans are responsible for all A/V related stuff within the Saal. They cooperate closely with the stagemanager to ensure that the talk starts on time and is recorded and streamed. While the stagemanager is responsible for the organizational issues such as information flow, crowd control, etc. the A/V Technican is responsible for the technical issues.

If there is any issue that cannot be solved by the A/V Technican, this person knows how to contact (e.g. VOC Helpdesk, the person who is responsible the A/V Setup in the Saal, etc).

The first priority of the A/V Technican is to setup the speaker and resolve any issues that prevent the talk from starting. Afterwards the A/V Technican assists the Camera and Mixers angels in case of any issues or questions.

As A/V Technican it is crucial to know who is responsible for what and ensure that the issues are only handled by the people who are responsible for solving this issues. E.g. the video mixer angel works together the camera angels to record and stream the talk. if one angel is absent, the stagemanager will call the right place to get another one. In doubt, improvise but do not overwork yourself but doing stuff you are not responsible for.

Since the A/V Technicans cooperate with the stagemanagers, here is the introductional quote form their checklist: “No checklist is ever complete. Study it well and think about the intention behind each point, so you can adapt to the ever changing demands and circumstances.”. In doubt, do not panic.

• Get the Intercom devices from the VOC office
• Inform yourself if there are any special talk this day or issues with the setup in the Saal
• Check the white balance of the camera and the adjustment of the tripods
• Ask the VOC Helpdesk whether they want to do an A/V sync test

• Return the Intercom devices from the VOC office
• Bring the backup disks also to the designated place in the VOC office
• If there are technical issues, inform the VOC Helpdesk or the person responsible for the Saal about them
• After the last talk, there will be access control angles that ensure only VOC Crew will enter the Saal. If you need to reenter the Saal introduce yourself to them. In doubt, call VOC Operations (1699)

• Meet the prior A/V Technican to have a short handover-briefing and retrieve the A/V Technican intercom device. The handover-briefing should include:
  • known Issues
  • important Learnings
• Meet with the stage manager
• Talk to the A/V Crew for the Saal about issues, hints, remarks, workflows
• Keep in mind that each Saal has a radio for (emergency) communication. It will be carried by the stage manager
• Check the Camera Settings. You can find the pad here: https://video.pads.ccc.de/118
• Check if the backup camera is recording to sd card

• 20 Minutes before the talk, please go to the designated area for room coordinators (it's on the side of the stage, the side with the lectern and the stairs).
• Then go and meet (be done by T-15)
  • Camera Angels
  • Mixer Angel
• Prepare the Audio- and Video setup with the speaker
  • Do you need a special (something to) DVI/HDMI or if really necessary even VGA adapter?
  • Assisting and helping to connect their video.
  • Introducing the speaker to the microphone setup or placing them
  • The speaker get headsets. Period.
  • If there is audio a speaker, set it up with the audio personnel.
  • Solve the last minute A/V Related issues (eg. change of requirements, opt-out)
• Inform the Stagemanager about the status and any relevant issues
• If there are missing mixer or camera angels, please inform the VOC Helpdesk to ask for replacement. Inform the Stagemanager of the missing angel. If you can't contact VOC, ask the stagemanager to do it for you. Improvise if necessary (eg. If you see a familiar face in the audience, have the stagemanager ask them if they want to jump in)
• If necessary support the video and camera angels

• Monitor the intercom for any questions from the video or camera angels as well as from the VOC Helpdesk
• If there are upcoming issues, dispatch them to the right destinations (Helpdesk, Audio/Lighting Crew, ACR)

• People tend to block the stairs to the stage when people are talking to previous speaker. The Stagemanager will ask them to leave
• Retrieve the audiocomponents from the speaker as well as any adapter
• Check if the backups are still recording or if the are nearly full. If so contact the VOC Helpdesk for replacement

Most of the communcation between the A/V Technican and the others parts of the VOC is done by the Intercom System. Everything related to A/V Operations should be handled over it. So do not need a private DECT, but it is recommended for point to point communication that is not relevant to the A/V operations.