
Tech team discussing potential issues they can address for television.

Final Control leading a review meeting of a rehearsal.
I confess the hardest parts to adjust to are the early morning rehearsals, although I have it much easier than the presenters, who rise consistently around 3:00 AM or sometimes even earlier. Although I thought it would be easier since I had a similar schedule when working in the Mara last year; it turned out to be anything but. Recently, I had to get up at 4: 30 AM multiple times in a row and it was particularly difficult. Being ripped out of pleasant dreams by a screaming alarm, dragging myself out of bed like a slug, and stumbling into the dark morning air was not easy. Still, it was fascinating to see unfold. I watched the frenzied situation of a rehearsal: the presenters storming into FC in a mad rush, towing cameras, battery packs, and coffee before stampeding out just as quickly as soon as the FC women (Kirsty, Lou, Rebecca, and Gerry) gave the signal to get their bums in their seats. Meanwhile, other personnel were scattered about the room, with Ryan providing fake updates about the big game as the group rehearsed technical issues being discovered and stamped out, and the sound of typing coming from what sounded like a million computers. This mad rush is over quickly despite all the build up, and it all came to an end before 7:00 in the morning. Of course, it doesn’t end there, as after a quick breakfast, we review the entire fake broadcast, discussing what went wrong and what to improve on for the next rehearsal. I, squished between all the other bodies crowded into FC, watched as presenters received feedback from their directors while adding their own comments. Then at last, about an hour later, the review comes to an end and the exhausted troops depart.