NCTV's Studio Construction! Watch the Progress! March 28, 2005: Leonardo DiVinci, eat your heart out!
Most of you know Bill as the guy who answers the phone at Naperville Community Television. Truth be told, Bill does a whole lot more to help keep NCTV running (we are very lucky to have him). One of the countless tasks he volunteered for was getting the studio walls ready with primer. The studio is two huge walls, freshly constructed. Drywall will soak up paint like nobody's business, so Bill will actually be painting twice--once with the primer, and again on Thursday with the paint.
The pity of it all is that when Bill finished, we were left with a bright, open space with pure white walls! It will almost be a shame to cover them up with black.
Bill is no stranger to priming or painting with us at NCTV. He is constantly amazed by my ability to get more paint on me than the walls. So he eagerly jumps at the opportunity--or as he may be motivated by self preservation to aid us in all our in painting endeavors. Simply put, Bill rocks!
Tune in for further adventures in painting! March 26, 2005: Movin' on up!
On Saturday, the control room (consisting of four steel racks bolted together to house our equipment) was moved over from our temporary facilities next door. When we set up the temporary studio the idea was to build the control room console on wheels so the entire thing could be moved in one piece, instead of disassembling it, moving it one hundred feet, only to reassemble it again. Well, Saturday became the day to find out if this crazy idea would work. Things started off well, with Mike Lubawski and Carl pushing the contraption all the way into the studio. But because of the wheeled platform, the control room was now too tall to get through the first door. Mike and Carl had get the control room off wheeled platform (which was basically two mover dollys nailed together by two wooden planks).
Mike demonstrated once again why he gets paid the big bucks. Using a hand cart and a hammer, all was well (television isn't really as glamorous as you might think).And borrowing technological developments from the ancient egyptians, Mike and Carl used conduit piping (left over from the electricians) as makeshift rollers to move the control room. Then the control room was gently guided (ok, pushed--the thing weighs a ton even without the decks!) from the warehouse to the hallway moving the rollers one at a time. Once they were inside, the fun really started. Imagine parallel parking. Now imagine parallel parking a semi (plus trailer) into the spot for a compact. Now you see the challenge the guys were up against. The control console first needed to angle into the closet located across from the control room entrance, then straighten out to be guided into the control room. Those who know me, know I can’t parallel park worth a damn. In fact I have been told to get out of my own car so my passengers could park it. So this concept of parallel parking the control room console both intrigued me and frighten me. And it frightened me further when I was pulled from my roll as bystander (and picture-taker) to help wrestle the console into the control room, all while still using the roller system! And, true to parallel parking in the city, we tapped the closet wall a little bit! But after several minutes of strain and stress, the console slipped right through the door and into its new home. There are still camera cables, an audio snake and some re-wiring to do but at least the console is in its permanent place! Thursday, March 24, 2005: Let there be light!
The big task today was wiring the electric for the lighting grid. The grid was hung last week by Mike Lubawski, our engineer and our own Carl Schultz. Rick, from King Construction is working hard to wire in each connection and then wire it all to the light panel. With the grid in place, it has been a little tedious for Rick to wire all the connections because he constantly has to move around the grid (Thanks for being a good sport!). Though it looks intimidating the light grid is really a series of loops and is more time consuming for the electricians than anything else.
And just a minute ago as I write this, Rick tested his work by turning on the overhead fluorescent lights! Remember, our old studio only had two fluorescent banks twenty feet in their ceiling, attempting to brighten an entirely black room--impossible! Now, even with black walls (read below on who gets to paint those) it will be bright! The studio is almost complete! It is hard to believe after all this time that we are within days of the studio being ready for the final details of painting and flooring. Even more exciting is seeing the plan come together and the different teams working together and keeping me informed. I am playing the role of general contractor (I really just play one on TV!) in this project and all parties have been very supportive. Thanks! On Saturday, Mike and Carl will move the control room from the temporary space to its final home. The control room will be much larger than the old one--allowing for not just a crew (who got pretty cramped in and of themselves) but entire studio classes, making for a more enjoyable learning experience (as well as a better teaching experience for Carl, though it was fun watching him climb over people to point at things). This next week will be spent priming the walls, final HVAC and then final inspections! On Thursday, the staff and volunteers will put some “elbow grease” into the project as it was described by the editorial staff of the Naperville Sun and put a coat of black paint on the studio walls! Friday, March 18, 2005: The walls, the walls, the walls are going up!
It’s really beginning to look like a studio now! Rob King of King Construction and his group have been working hard and have put up the final dry wall board and prepped for sanding on Monday. The completed walls really give you the feel of the studio and the open design keeps the feeling of space. Believe it or not, the new studio is roughly the same size as the old space. But it appears much bigger because it isn’t as cluttered with set storage and junk! The new studio space also has much better general lighting. For those producers who remember the old place: two florescent fixtures twenty feet up in the air. Not very bright. But now, four fluorescent light fixtures give the space a nice glow. The drop ceiling framing has also begun. The ceiling is housed above the light grid, but below the truss line. The drop ceiling is a major component in sound proofing the space. The ceiling itself will help trap the sound in the space as well as block noise from up above. Additional insulation on top of the drop ceiling will give extra sound proofing! Up next week is the sanding of the drywall. Anyone who’s had that experience in their home knows how messy that is! Imagine how messy it is with two 20 foot high walls! So, stay tuned for more updates! Monday, March 14, 2005: A fun time was had by all….
A big day at NCTV! The walls began to go up, really giving the feel of a studio. King Construction guys arrived early at 7:00am and were greeted by Bill. They began by framing the walls from the floor to ceiling – just about 20 feet high! About mid-morning Mike Lubawski, our engineer, arrived and we talked with King Construction regarding the electrical needs of the studio. That sounds really fancy for a debate on where to put outlets! By the end of the day both walls were framed out and wall board was partially up!
There was some minor drama when some wall studs needed to be moved to accommodate Mike's access panel. The panel will fit on the wall between two studs, but is wider than an average stud span. It took two minutes for the wall guys to move the appropriate studs. We're still on course with no worries! In the evening, Mike and Carl hung the light grid that was moved from our old location at 800 W. Fifth Avenue. Using lifts and lots of muscle, both Carl and Mike worked long into the night putting up the grid and the chains! Way to go guys! Now, after almost a year, the warehouse is looking like a studio and excitement is in the air! The next couple of days are filled with city inspections, and then King Construction returns on Friday to finish the walls. Next week includes electrical and the ceiling! Stay tuned! Friday, March 11, 2005 – “Are we having fun, yet?”
Mike returns to continue working on the truss. For extra safety, it is bolted to the cement flooring, though it can stand safely without it. Mike really enjoys drilling into the concrete--average about an hour per pillar! The HVAC guys return to put the finishing touches on the HVAC system. We got some cool looking vent covers! When Mike finished anchoring the Truss, he and Ken went to work getting the lighting grid ready for next week--bolting electrical outlets and conduits to the piping to power our lights.And just to show that NCTV staff wasn't lazing about, Bill, Carl and I moved all the stuff we had been storing back there into storage so it wouldn't get dusty. After doing that "hard labor," it was tine for a reward--NCTV staff signed the truss! Our signatures will soon be covered by sheet rock (and in Carl's case, the drop ceiling, because he had to be "special" and sign near the top!), but we are immortal at last! Next week, King Construction will begin building the two walls of this “sound studio design” and Mike will return to hang the light grid! Keep checking this page for the latest updates and pictures too! Thursday, March 10, 2005: Truss Me! It's Rock 'n' Roll, Baby! The action began in the morning with the arrival of the truss system. Mike was here to receive it and double check that we had all the pieces! It was very exciting! To me, this truly marks the start of the studio. (Sorry, nothing against the HVAC guys, great job!) The process began with the unwrapping of the truss system. It was little bit like Christmas morning for us at NCTV. The new studio is the big gift we‘ve all been waiting for.
The truss system is made out of aluminum and is quite ingenious. It has been utilized in the rock 'n' roll industry for years. It’s a portable and “light weight” stage system that allows the bands to hang all their cool lights and stuff. The truss weighs only 1,384 pounds! "Only?" you ask? It’s really not a lot of weight compared to our lighting grid and lights--which combined weighs over 2500 pounds!
It's made of aluminum, which is extremely difficult to weld--it tears like tissue paper if the torch gets too hot, so what NCTV is paying for is really the skill involved in getting almost a ton of a aluminum welded and cut precisely to support all that weight. As the day progressed, so did the truss system. With Mike’s engineering skill and some sweat equity from Carl and another worker, Ken, it all was put together like a giant erector set! Towards the end of day, as I was looking at the truss, it reminded me of a big swing set without the swings or maybe monkey bars so I couldn't’t resist and I climbed up one of the pillars just for fun! Friday, March 4, 2005 at 7:45am - The Engineer Strikes Back (in a good way) Some of you may know that I am in a Master's program at Northwestern University. Every other Friday I am in school working hard to complete my degree. I am fortunate to have a supportive staff! Anyway, on Friday, Carl was out on an early morning shoot and Bill was holding the down fort. At 7:00am Mike returned to check on the HVAC guys and to make sure everyone was on the same page! Great! The HVAC guys stand proudly by their handiwork--a 12-ton heating and air conditioning unit sitting on a rooftop in under ten minutes.
Later that day, our new heating and air conditioning system arrived. The 12-ton monster was picked up by a crane and hoisted onto the roof to meet up with the ductwork hung just the day before. Carl, always eager to go up on the roof (I don't do heights), got these shots of the HVAC guys in action. So what exactly does this all mean? Well, for those producers experienced in NCTV's old "digs," the studio lights can turn a pleasant--or even cold--room into an easy-bake oven. Our new HVAC unit is more than capable of keeping the studio at a pleasant temperature--even with all the lights on and the cameras rolling! There's more on the way as the studio continues its construction. Keep tuning in, because if you blink, you'll miss it! Thursday, March 3, 2005: A New Hope A collective sigh of relief has been breathed by all! After our initial meeting, construction has begun! Dave, from Weisbrook, began hanging the ductwork on Thursday, March 3rd and were already half done by the end of the day! (It helped that Bill was there to let them in at 6:30 in the morning! Way to go Early Bird Bill!) Later in the day (actually it was evening) our engineer Mike Lubawski, of RT Mobile, stopped by to drop off keys to his "bread truck." The "bread truck" is RT Mobile's production truck--a 32 foot rolling studio. Right now, the bread truck is parked in the raised dock at NCTV. So, with the construction, the truck needed to move to allow access to the raised dock. So, Mike stopped by to move it--or to check the battery(which, as it turned out, needed to be charged). Luckily for us, he did.
Mike will be installing the cool aluminum light truss for the new studio, and he noticed that a short piece of duct work was going to intersect with his light truss. The ducts hang in such a way that they fall at just below 17 feet. Now, the aluminum truss support system we're using to hold up our light grid tops off at 17' EXACTLY! "Not to worry," said Mike Lubawski. When Mike says not to worry, you don't have to worry. After a moment of panic on my part--not Mike's--we realized in the scheme of things and on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the worst) it was .5. We left a note for the HVAC guys and drew a map on the floor for them to understand. February 24, 2005: What's on the Horizon
For those who know me, I view life as the ultimate television production. So it should be no surprise that I would view my role as project manager for the studio as the producer of a vast production. By the way, I have tentatively titled it either "The Long Road" or "Yikes! I Hit My Thumb!" I haven't quite decided on the final title yet. It’s my goal to chronicle the month-long construction project to keep you informed (and hopefully, amused) along the way.
As I would begin any video project, I gathered the “crew” together for a pre-construction production meeting. Contractors, Board members and staff gathered for the purpose of setting a timeline for the project and making sure everyone knew each other’s role and timing in this project. And, also it was a great excuse for me to use a white board and markers! In case anyone has missed NCTV’s coverage in the Naperville Sun, we have decided on more of a "sound stage" design for the new studio. It is a two-walled, open design that utilizes a cool aluminum lighting support truss system. It will give our producers a great deal of flexibility and creativity with the new space. March 1st began our construction phase of the new studio. It started slowly with only the lift from the HVAC arriving. It was a Monday morning and really that was quite enough. The lift created a bit of a challenge for Bill and Carl because it needed to be unloaded via the raised dock. Right now we have a large truck blocking the entrance so the guys needed to be creative. This was easy, as they quickly utilized another raised dock and drove the lift over to Suite 103. Next up will be the HVAC installation! We are all looking forward to having the warehouse both heated and cooled without the noisy overhead heaters! -Elizabeth Braham Spencer |
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Liz Spencer (lower corner) admires the handiwork of Rick and King Construction. 
Look! A studio! Wheeeeeeee! 
King Construction puts the walls up. 
Elizabeth Braham Spencer,
Engineer Mike "The Man" Lubawski hanging the light grid which, coincidentally, he helped dismantle in the first place. Ain't life grand? 
Operations Supervisor Carl Schultz helps align the aluminum truss that will support the light grid.
Executive Director Liz Spencer, proving just how poor a role model she can be! 
Weisbrook workers guide the 12-ton HVAC system onto the roof. 
The offending duct and where it now, thanks to the quick-working guys at Weisbrook, lays nestled over the light truss. 
Elizabeth Braham Spencer
Liz Spencer where she's most comfortable--in front of a dry-erase board.