A very early morning at QVC!
Yesterday (Saturday 12th) saw me spending a few hours at the London studios of QVC UK, where I was working as a Guest Presenter on the Hi-Tech Toys & Electronics show.
I was there to talk about the JVC GZ-HD300 high definition camcorder.
After a couple of days of preparation - during which time I got to know the camcorder and shot some test sequences that could be reviewed in the broadcast - I was in front of the cameras at approximately 00.40hrs and chatting enthusiastically to staff presenter Dale Franklin.
After a couple of days of preparation - during which time I got to know the camcorder and shot some test sequences that could be reviewed in the broadcast - I was in front of the cameras at approximately 00.40hrs and chatting enthusiastically to staff presenter Dale Franklin.
As you'll no doubt know, I pretty much eat, sleep and drink camcorders. Camcorders and (before them) video cameras and recorders have been my lifeblood for over 3 decades, and if the truth be known I don't know much about anything else!
Anyway, because of my activity in this field, by way of the many magazine articles and reviews I've written about not only camcorders but also digital video in general, plus the work I do in keeping the SimplyDV website up to date, I have quite a few good contacts in the industry here in the UK.
It's thanks to such contacts that I was asked by QVC to consider coming in to their Battersea studios to be what they call a guest presenter. I don't have to do the hard work of presenting the show from the front (thank heavens - because there's no Autocue or anything!), I just provide the product information.
It's a very odd experience; you're there to provide contextual information about the product which is, in turn, designed to show off its positive features. QVC is there to sell product, after all, so it's not like I'm being asked to tell viewers about the negative points. In other words, it's not like one of my regular web or magazine reviews.
What's also interesting is the extent to which the main presenters can talk up virtually any product and convert viewers into buyers. I've come to realise that the presenters - especially those who have worked at the station for many years - are extremely good at their jobs and have a really impressive product knowledge about just about everything, too!
I was asked to contribute to the Hi Tech Toys & Electronics show; this goes out at midnight on Friday (the first hour of Saturday, in other words) and at a time when I'd normally be tucked up in my bed back home 65 miles away I was giving viewers the low-down on what's good about the JVC AVCHD camcorder.
By the time I made it on-air in the last 20-minute segment of the show, I'd been at the studios for 3 hours. In that time, I was able to get set up and make sure that everything worked. Each of the other 3 guest presenters had either arrived or were due to arrive and together we were lounging around drinking coffee in the Green Room. My son Greg was with me too, having acted as my chauffeur and minder for the evening!
He was impressed by the modern robotic camera systems now employed by QVC; of the four studio cameras in Studio One, only two were manned by human camera operators!
Anyhow, when it came to my bit it was over as soon as it started; I was chatting about all the stuff that has been embedded in my brain for years so it wasn't exactly difficult! The director's talkback in my left ear was my guide to topics, timings etc., and before we knew we were out of the studio and on the road home.
Will I be doing more? I'm sure I will. Watch this space.
Anyway, because of my activity in this field, by way of the many magazine articles and reviews I've written about not only camcorders but also digital video in general, plus the work I do in keeping the SimplyDV website up to date, I have quite a few good contacts in the industry here in the UK.
It's thanks to such contacts that I was asked by QVC to consider coming in to their Battersea studios to be what they call a guest presenter. I don't have to do the hard work of presenting the show from the front (thank heavens - because there's no Autocue or anything!), I just provide the product information.
It's a very odd experience; you're there to provide contextual information about the product which is, in turn, designed to show off its positive features. QVC is there to sell product, after all, so it's not like I'm being asked to tell viewers about the negative points. In other words, it's not like one of my regular web or magazine reviews.
What's also interesting is the extent to which the main presenters can talk up virtually any product and convert viewers into buyers. I've come to realise that the presenters - especially those who have worked at the station for many years - are extremely good at their jobs and have a really impressive product knowledge about just about everything, too!
I was asked to contribute to the Hi Tech Toys & Electronics show; this goes out at midnight on Friday (the first hour of Saturday, in other words) and at a time when I'd normally be tucked up in my bed back home 65 miles away I was giving viewers the low-down on what's good about the JVC AVCHD camcorder.
By the time I made it on-air in the last 20-minute segment of the show, I'd been at the studios for 3 hours. In that time, I was able to get set up and make sure that everything worked. Each of the other 3 guest presenters had either arrived or were due to arrive and together we were lounging around drinking coffee in the Green Room. My son Greg was with me too, having acted as my chauffeur and minder for the evening!
He was impressed by the modern robotic camera systems now employed by QVC; of the four studio cameras in Studio One, only two were manned by human camera operators!
Anyhow, when it came to my bit it was over as soon as it started; I was chatting about all the stuff that has been embedded in my brain for years so it wasn't exactly difficult! The director's talkback in my left ear was my guide to topics, timings etc., and before we knew we were out of the studio and on the road home.
Will I be doing more? I'm sure I will. Watch this space.