SUper Sports November 14th Volleyball

Game number three for “SUper Sports” is done and the women’s volleyball team bounced back from losing the first game and won the next three to beat Pitt. Our production went smoothly until the final wrap-up segment after the game was done when, well, just watch for yourself. Catch the game on OTN channel 2 for the next couple of weeks. With that, volleyball is done for us and we move on to women’s’ basketball and then next semester some more hoop, some hockey and maybe some lacrosse.

On Saturday I was in Newhouse and happened to bump into SU alum and current ESPN play-by-play announcer Dave Ryan along with his boss from ESPN, Chuck Scatterday. They were in town to do the UConn football game. I told both Dave and Chuck about our production and they were impressed and pleased that there was a program in place to give students this kind of unique opportunity. And I’m told that the sideline reporter for the UConn game was our own Steve Andress and by ALL accounts he kicked ass. Nice job Steve!

On Sunday ESPNU broadcast the opening game of the hoop season and OTN’s Remote Sports Production Operations Assistant, Wes Purvis, was able to observe the production from inside the truck. Hopefully Wes took notes!

So, SU beat Pitt 3 to 1 on Friday; check it out on OTN this week.

Penguins Without Pants

Penguins performed its last show of the season on Sunday and did not fail to entertain. The troupe explored the hazards of travel in "Don't Go To Candyland" and what the world would look like to the last man on earth in "Chicacolypse." Members also let the audience in on their "Dream Fantasy", brought people together on the "Wizard Wish Help Line", and played cards with "Jesus the Cheater." The cast included Derek O'Brien, Jason Samlin, Meghan Grube, Noelle Fuoco, Davis Haines, Matt Gasda, Ian Chin, and Mike Debach. The show will air on OTN in the near future and you can view highlights of this season's performance on OTN's website.

Woo Hoo

Woo Hoo was back at the Jab last Saturday to tell it like it is. Matt Harris hosted the show and gave a shout out to his guy Nader. Justin Trimm let us know what made him bitter and what screen names not to use. Tyler Gilden paid tribute to his amigos and explored the problem with teacher evaluations. Aaron Abraham made his Woo Hoo debut to show the right way to treat the ladies, while Andrew Benedict recommended his favorite drink and recalled how he spent the night on the quad. Be sure to check out the show when it airs on OTN's comedy night.

Indie Flick Files

Whats goin on?

We've got a lot going on this month with indie flick files. First of all, there are two brand new hosts for the show and they are great. Andrew Graham and Deborah Findling have taken over for Vin and Torie. We shot november and december's episodes today and they ran really smoothly. With the teleprompter out of service for a while, the hosts had a little more work to do, but did a great job. I think they will bring a good change to the show. Their personalities are definitely different from the hosts that have previously ran the show. I think they will be great.

This month's movie, 'Wolves in the Snow' is a great film about money laundering and gangsters. It is definitely a twister of a story because it isn't as predictable as you would think. Definitly worthwhile to watch. Make sure to tune into OTN and check it out.
As far as December's film goes, I'll have to tell you about it another time. Until then, enjoy this month's flick!

-mike

THE JUICE AIRS MONDAY!

Ok, The Juice, formerly know as OTN Mock News airs this Monday Nov. 3rd at 8pm. It is a special pre-election show so tune in. Right now we're just wrapping up our video and shooting on set and in studio sunday. Then a quick turnaround in OTN's edit suite and done. BE SURE TO WATCH.
Sisson

Nothing But The Truth

First things first, when this movie comes out, go see it. It is powerful. Second, Alan Alda is just a real good actor . . . . real good.

Last night there was a special screening of the film “Nothing But The Truth” written and directed by SU alum Rod Lurie and starring Alan Alda here at Newhouse 3. I say starring like he’s the only actor in this movie and that’s not quite true, there are some real fine performances in this film from SU alumna Vera Farmiga along with David Schwimmer, Angela Bassett, Noah Wyle and Matt Dillon.

OTN videotaped the q & a session after the screening and both actor and director discussed, at length, first amendment problems and issues as well as what it means to be a first rate journalist.

This is one of those TV shows that isn’t visually scintillating but the content is outstanding. Rod Lurie and Alan Alda on the same stage talking to students and answering their questions. It’s pretty good stuff, check it out.

Woo Hoo Comedy Hour

Stand-up was back at the Jabberwocky Cafe last Saturday and focused on a topics ranging from the current election to Halloween and the logic behind girls' costume choices. Matt Harris was on hand to host as Justin Trimm, Tyler Gilden, OTN's own Vin Nucatola, and Alex D. Santana gave us a new perspective on the college experience. Be sure to check Vin's pitch for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as well as the rest of the performers when the show airs in the near future on OTN's Monday Night Comedy.

Zamboni Revolution

The improve comedy troupe Zamboni Revolution preformed last Friday to a packed house at Shine's Panasci Lounge. This is the group's first performance of the year and they are off to a strong start. One of the highlights of the night occurred when the troupe pulled an audience member up on stage to ask her a few questions about her life and then proceeded to use that information in the the following skit. The cast included Dan Grgas, Jessie Jolles, Michael Luiacono, Megan Reddish, Derek Leach, Leah Jubara, Jeremiah W. Thompson, and Alex Adelson. Be sure to check them out on an upcoming airing of OTN comedy on Monday nights.

SUper Sports October 24th Volleyball

Last Friday night the Citrus TV/OTN production of “SUper Sports” produced the University of Cincinnati vs. Syracuse women’s volleyball game from the Women’s Building. The game went the distance, 5 matches and went down to the final point. Unfortunately Syracuse lost the last match 16-14. Bummer.

Our show? Well, we had some new folks in new places so there was a learning curve and I’d say the first couple of matches were a little rough but we hit our stride after that. And so you all know, we don’t do any editing. It’s what we call “live to tape,” just like ESPN. We put our creative souls on the line and let you see us in full view, mistakes and all ☺

This game will be sprinkled into the OTN schedule for the next couple of weeks until we do our next game, the women’s volleyball game on November 14th.

One Week to Air: Mock News

OK. One week away from the premiere of OTN Mock News, which may undergoe a name change still. Anyway, it will be our first episode and air NOV. 3rd prob 8pm, but I'll post again once I'm sure of the time. The set has been built the past few weeks and here are some pics.

BANDERSNATCH!

University Union and Bandersnatch Music Series presented musical artist Jason Reeves last night in Schine Underground with special guest Tyrone Wells. It was a very entertaining show and OTN was there to capture it all. The show wasn't sold out because I'm assuming not many people know who Jason Reeves is or Tyrone Wells is...yet, but they were talented young guys.

In between songs, Tyrone told a story about some guy from Utah who had given him a call and said that one of the songs Tyrone wrote is his song he and his girlfriend's song. Then he asked Tyrone to surprisingly perform when he proposes to his girlfriend on the beach. He agreed to do it and Tyrone appeared on the beach, the girl cried, and the two are engaged now. I thought that was probably the most interesting thing of the night. I would love to have Billy Joel come and appear out of the dark on the beach and start singing "She's Always a Woman to Me" for my girlfriend, but I'm $97,000 short...so, Tyrone is a possible candidate now...

Anyway, in terms of production of Bandersnatch, it was solid show and I hope you'll all enjoy it. If you don't live on campus, be sure to check out our web site for some clips of the show.

-Vin A. Nucatola

'Cuse Coverage 10-14 Update

As promised-here's an update to last night's 'Cuse Coverage shoot. Last night I sat down with the president of Otto's Army, Jameson Fleming to talk about how these fans keep their spirits up even when the team isn't doing well. We talked about the upcoming basketball season and how excited the group is. Fleming told me he expects the team to be one of the best we've seen in years. He also told me how the group formed...but to find out about that, I guess you'll have to watch. Mark Zito also came down to talk to me about his show and how it's changed since last year. The show is now on air three days a week instead of just one, and the location has changed to the OTN office-so if you're walking by late at night, you may just see him. Zito told me a majority of his show is devoted to playing new music-some of it is even by local artists. He said he also likes when students call in for love advice-even though he admits that sometimes he needs it more than they do. I think that's about it for now, check in later to find out whats going on next week.

'Cuse Coverage 10-13

Let me just start off by saying that I apologize for not blogging before now-but a lot of exciting things have been going on with 'Cuse Coverage so far. For those of you who don't know, 'Cuse Coverage is a weekly show for the web that focuses on student groups and events on campus. Each week we interview a student or faculty member about an event or group on campus. We also speak to students about different issues, from politics and the economy to their thoughts on the football team and campus events. You can also count on finding a historical fact about SU each week, as well as events going on around campus on the weekend. So far, we've interviewed students from Cab Troupe, Syracuse Animal Rights Organization and even a former Otto mascot-to name a few. We've found out what students think about the presidential election, the state of the economy and the SU football team. Our own Vin Nucatola has movie reviews for us each week, including "The Express." He even brought us to the orange carpet for that movie premiere. This week, I plan on interviewing a member of Otto's Army about how this group keeps itself and the Dome excited during games. We've been trying some new things out lately to keep the show changing. Last week, I sat down and spoke with Vin about "The Express," instead of just having him review the movie. We also recently added a "Clip of the Week," to highlight some of the other programing we have on OTN. It's now Monday evening and we are taping tomorrow night-so an update from tomorrow's show will follow.

IFF October

Wattup Indie Flickers Mike Eassa here,

Sorry about this month's episode airing so late in the month. I also edit torie's show, help produce her stuff, and I just had a lot going on so I was a little late.

Anywho,
This month I chose the movie "Let the Church Say Amen". It's basically a documentary that takes place over two years in an impoverished neighborhood right outside Washington DC. It follows four people whose pasts consisted of unfortunate events and/or occurances that led them to the church to try to change their lives around. It's definitely an eye opener for people. Personally, it makes me feel grateful for everything I have and learned growing up. Definitely worth checking out.

I was also lucky enough to visit our nation's capital this past weekend. I didn't go searching for the town in this documentary or anything, but I did notice neighborhoods that were clearly subordinate to the wealthier neighborhoods near the National Mall. (for those of you who don't know, the national mall is the park where all of the monuments, statues, smithsonian museums etc are located in DC). DC is a dangerous town, and I was able to see first hand where these people got their start and where they came from.

So, enjoy this month's feature. Producing it was entertaining. Finally OTN has a teleprompter, which made production 1000 times easier for both me and the hosts.

I hope you like the film. Until next month... Thanks all folks.

Penguins Without Pants

The sketch comedy troupe dedicated last night's show at the Jabberwocky Cafe to the late great actor Paul Newman. Penguins Without Pants began the night by paying tribute to him in a sketch fittingly titled "Newman's Own" as Noelle Fuoco revealed a new flavor of salad dressing. It was followed closely by the armor clad "Two Knights", eerie "Ventriloquist", and magical "Potter". One highlight of the night was a special appearance by a Mark Zito-like character auditioning in "Voiceover". Also be sure to check out one of my favorite skits called "No Disrespect" when it appears on OTN.
The troupe has gained a few members since it first performance. Ian Chin and Davis Haines gave us a look into places only few would dare to go in "Narissa", Meghan Grube tried to get a date in "Awkward Girl", and we were taught a new lesson by Dan Vallejo in "Cosby".
The show will air sometime in the near future so be sure to tune in to OTN's comedy night on Monday or check out popular sketches on our site. - Ginny Cruciano

SUper Sports

Andy Robinson, GM of OTN and Executive Producer for SUper Sports here . . .

Last night the students of Citrus TV produced the UConn/SU women’s volleyball game from Manley Filed House for the first “SUper Sports” production of the fall semester. David Resnick produced and Gordon Brookes directed with Andrew Africk and Jon Erwin offering up the play-by-play and color commentary. Wes Puvis provided the wizardry for the technically flawless show. Oh, and by the way, the SU women won three games to one.

During the morning we lost power at Manley so for much of set-up, Wes and I were working in semi-darkness. Plus we discovered that we were short a couple of long video cables so that the announcers could see the program monitor. So in the afternoon Wes went to class and then headed back to Citrus where he quickly made up a couple of cables and hustled out to Manley. Thanks for that Wes. I was able to cut a meeting short and head back out there to finish the set-up. By 4 o’clock we were technically set . . . or at least we that’s what we thought. That stupid program cable to the announcers booth wasn’t working right. Why do they need to see it anyway? So at 6:30 (game started at 7) we discovered that what we thought was program was actually just the output of the replay machine. Last week I had a freelance engineer do some tweaking to the equipment and both Wes and I were putting the gear through “game conditions” for the first time and we discovered that a cable wasn’t in the right spigot. Wes deftly figured that out and fixed the problem.

So we “did the game.” It’ll air this week on OTN. And even though I’m a little biased, I think the crew did a great job. There are few things more difficult to d than live televised sports; brain surgery comes to mind as something tougher. But seriously, to tell a story, live and on the fly, is tough stuff. But man it’s fun.

I hope you watch.

Homecoming Dance Sowcase 2008

WOW! Probably the best show so far this semester thus far in terms of content. DanceWorks was able to gather all the dance teams on campus including the DanceTeam, Orange Pulse, TAP, Creations, and The Mandarins and put together an awesome showcase. At one point I forgot I was working the camera because the show was so entertaining but because some of the dances, well they- um, were steamy for safe terminology. The number done by the Dance Team in the opening was very jaw dropping. They came out dressed very provocatively with Lollipops in hand dancing to "Candyman Can" and Lil' Wayne's Lollipop. Another performance that stood out was Orange Pulse's Thriller which was done very well.
Overall, I'm real glad the show went well on our behalf and we were able to capture all the action for YOU to watch. With the help of our editor Rachael, I also tried to make the show for TV more than the performances with a couple of interviews with DanceWorks members along with a fun little intro at the beginning.
Be sure to check our schedule to see the air dates for this must see show!

NEW SHOWS!

Hey everyone, Sisson here. I want to let you know I have some new shows in preproduction stages. One show called OTN Mock News, is set to air sometime in November. We're building a set this month, and have recently held auditions. The show is likely to be Daily Show-esque except it will stick to a stricter broadcast news format. Also we have The Not-So-Late Show with Rob Sturges, a very funny guy and personal friend of mine. It will be largely skit based but the concept for the show is still being developed. Keep checking in to OTN though, and I will be keeping you posted.

Penguins Without Pants

The sketch comedy troupe Penguins Without Pants premiered their first show of the season last Saturday to a packed house in the Jab. It seemed that a lot of people needed a good laugh after the Penn State game. This was my first stab at directing and think it went pretty well. I had Chris Sisson and Jeremy Sulit at the helm behind the cameras and Andy there to make sure I didn't accidentally electrocute myself.
The group started the ball rolling with a video called "Tomcats", a commercial for...well you'll just have to watch to find out. Some of the gems of the night include "We Be Cooking", "Face Your Phobia", "Sandwich Shop", "Meta Sketch", "Gloopies", "Steve", "Start a Band", and the off-putting sketch "Oranges". The cast included Matthew Gasda, Jason Samlin, Michael Debach, Noelle Fuoco, Derek O'Brien, and Mark Zito. The Penguins show is set to air on OTN in the not too distant future, and be sure to keep and eye out for their next live performance.
- Ginny Cruciano

Hypnotist Airing!

Alright, the hypnotist show is finished and will be airing this Thursday, Sept. 18. I want to thank our wonderful editor Rachel for all her work these last 10 days. If you missed the live performance be sure to check it out. Check in soon for posts on new shows, and news shows, I'll be producing this fall.
-Chris Sisson

SU Idol

American Idol? Forget that! Tonight was the annual SU Idol on campus. And who other than OTN was there capturing it all and witnessing dreams come true...well, OK, that sounded a little- nevermind. Unfortunately last year we were unable to successfully tape this show so we were glad this year we did. All the performers sang real well and all the judges were quite the opposite of the American Idol judges. It was my first time directing a multi-cam show and I think it went real well thanks to my awesome crew of Rachael, Don, Kate, and Mark (and with the assistance of Chris- I owe you one, man). Mark Zito was backstage with all the performers interviewing them after they sang. He tried getting dates with the female performers, but no luck. Poor Mark...Then after the show I got an interview with Sabrina, the winner of the 2008 SU Idol. She was real sweet and had an amazing voice.
That's all for now. Thanks.

The Express Premiere

Well this past weekend might have been the coolest thing ever. Mike Eassa, Mark Zito, and I got to attend all the events for The Express Premiere. For all of you unaware of this film, it's a film about Syracuse running back Ernie Davis. Oh, and Ernie Davis so happened to be the first African-American to win the Heisman trophy award. Yeah I know- it's a big deal and we were honored to be apart of the premiere of the film. On Friday we attended the press conference where we learned a bit more about the film and Ernie Davis. Then on Saturday we got to be ON the orange carpet to interview all the celebs. We spoke with Dennis Quaid, Rob Brown who plays Ernie Davis in the film, Jim Brown, Jim Boeheim, Bob Costas, Darrin Henson, Charles Dutton, Omar Miller, and director Gary Fleder, among many more. It was an amazing experience for not only us, but for OTN. We even got Omar, Bob, and Jim Brown to say do a promo for OTN! It was awesome! But the weekend wasn't over just yet. On Saturday afternoon we were there to witness the unvieling of the Ernie Davis statue. It's about time we got a great statue on campus with a lot of history behind it. I was getting tired of seeing all the nude statue all over campus...Anyway, once this show is edited, we hope to air it on OSTN.

Woo Hoo Comedy

My name is Vin Nucatola. Wait, that sounded awkward for an opening sentence. Take 2-Vin Nucatola here and this past Saturday evening we taped the first Woo Hoo Comedy show of the 2008 Fall semester. I went straight to work right after the SU Penn State game so I smelled like nachos and greasy cheeseburgers. Teng Zhang was my crew. He's a graduate student from China and is quite an interesting fella'. Anyway, we taped Woo-Hoo with 2 cameras (traditionally we tape shows with our 3-cam Anycast Production system, but not this time). According to Woo-Hoos president the show wasn't the best. There were a few newbies up there so some of the jokes were funny and some, well, not so funny. Though, I give them a lot of credit to get up on that stage in front of a crowd of people and in front of 2 Panasonic DVX cameras. Like always, the show was a bit vulgar so this year we have to find a way out to edit the show. There is a difference between vulgarity that's actually funny and vulgarity alone it you know what I'm saying.
Besides that, we added something new to not only the WooHoo show, but to all the shows we are producing this year. I got interviews with all the comedians after the show so that in post we'll insert their interviews before each comic does his routine. That's all for now. Be sure to check out all the other OTN producer's blogs- maybe they have something more interesting to say than me. Take care and, uh, Watch Yourself? I'm out. 1

Hypnotist Doug McCraw

Hello, Chris Sisson here. Not a big believer in hypnostism, I became one after seeing Doug McCraw perform at the Goldstein Auditorium. While covering the show I saw over ten people forget the number 4, a man who could only curse using farm sounds, and a woman spend half an hour trying to leave the auditorium without being able to find a door. Very funny. The show is now in post production and I hope to get it on air by next week.

Indie Flick Files

Surfs Up Indie Flick Fans!!

What's going on? This is Mike Eassa, the current producer for the show 'Indie Flick Files'. I'm pretty new with this whole blogging thing, so we'll see how I do.

For those of you who don't know, 'Indie Flick Files' is a show that brings to OTN, award winning independent films. I try my best to choose films that are interesting, tell a good story, and portray some kind of message. Before producing the show, I never really experienced independent films first-hand. As soon as I started producing, I've come to appreciate them. I know a lot of my friends cringe at the thought of watching an independent film, but they really are good! It's also pretty significant to note that the films that are on my show are ALL award winners from festivals as prestigious as the Sundance Film Festival and many many international film festivals from ALL around the world. Give 'em a chance and I'm almost certain that they won't let you down. (you will also get used to the subtitles real fast)

With that being said, you are probably wondering why I said "surfs up!" at the beginning of the post. I know where we are, the middle of NY no where near an ocean, just a lake as big as the ocean. Well, being the end of summer, the weather is really hot! (For all you freshman out there, appreciate this weather now because it will take a REALLY hard turn to the left in a few weeks) The film that I chose for this month is called 'Monster Thursday'. It is a Norwegian film and takes place in a small town in coastal Norway and is all about surfing!!

Two characters, Even and Tord, are good buddies. Even is not so much a low life, but he just gets by with his average joe kind of lifestyle. Tord, on the other hand, is a top notch surfer with a successful job that has him travelling the globe. Tord's wife Karen is left under the watch of Even while Tord goes away on business, which leaves Even with the opportunity that he's been waiting for (he's had a crush on Karen for quite some time).

He later decides to take up surfing, which, for the record, is harder than it looks. I took up surfing a little bit last semester while I was in Australia and I can tell you from personal experience, you never know how unbalanced and awkward you are until you hop on a surf board for the first time. And just in case you were wondering, I did stand eventually and it was actually a lot of fun!--Getting back to the story, Even learns how to surf under the watch of a local and retired surfing god. As he improves, Karen begins to notice him more and more. This leaves a great coming home present for Even's best friend Tord. I don't want to give away any more of the plot, but it sure is a great story of a complicated love triangle gone wrong. It teaches you the meaning of loyalty and where people's hearts really lie.

I forgot to mention above that the hosts of the show are Vin Nucatola and Tori Wells. They are a lot of fun to work with and make producing the show extremely entertaining. As soon as I can dig out some of their outtakes I will make sure to post them. Between Vin's awkward jokes and Tori's strive to get things done, they make for interesting production shoots. Nevertheless, they get the job done and they do a really great job as well.

Well folks, I feel that I've done this month's feature justice. So until next time...

blog with ya later,
-Mike

Please wait!

This fall OTN producers will blog about what they're doing and how they're doing it.

Hmmmm . . . probably ought to mention that the "it" is TV.

But you probably already guessed that, right?


Anyway, check out the OTN blog this fall.

Thanks!
OTN