What is a Time Team?
Do you remember Time Team? Channel 4’s series where cameras followed a three-day archaeological dig, presented by Tony Robinson. The goal was to uncover and explore the history and heritage of the chosen location, be it a medieval castle, a Roman villa, or any other historically significant site. Well, it’s back for the digital age. Time Team can now be found on Patreon, and the team at SoundView has been on location, knee-deep in mud, as part of the production crew for some brand-new episodes.
What happens during a Time Team dig?
While the archaeological dig does indeed take place over 3 days, there is a lot more that goes on behind the scenes during and before the expedition. The whole site takes months to research and days to set up. Whether it is setting up the magnificent dome or building marquees, it’s no easy task. From walkie-talkies to all-terrain vehicles and catering there is a lot that needs sorting.
The film crew, video editor and data manager (that’s Jamie’s job) will arrive the day before and get their equipment set up before being briefed by the programme director. Figuring out how to not only run a very successful dig but also create an interesting and enticing program is a difficult task. Every person on site plays a vital role in making sure the dig happens successfully, not least the archaeology team.
What was Jamie’s job?
Jamie’s role during the dig was to collect all the footage and content and then digitise it to media storage ready for the programme editor. Sounds simple right? Well, four main camera crews went through at least 3/4 memory cards a day. As well as 360 cameras, go pros, iPhone footage, drones and more.
“It was quite an exciting job! Seeing all the behind-the-scenes footage and doing one of my favourite things ( organising and labelling folders ) meant I had a great time. It felt good to know that what I did meant that other tasks were much easier further down the line. I made sure to chase up and sometimes chase around the crews to get everything that was needed. Overall we ended up with almost 6 TB worth of data.” Jamie Venter, Media Manager
Stepping into the breach
On the last day of filming, Jamie had to step into the breach and assist with shooting. Luckily she was asked to work with Gareth (Soundviews’ director) who was one of the main camera operators and she’d had experience of working alongside him as an assistant many times before. The shoot was made even more challenging by torrential rain and thunderstorms. By using her previous knowledge and experience of being a camera assistant she was able to apply all those already learnt skills and we had a successful shooting day. It involved Jamie setting up microphones, lighting and operating a second camera when needed.
That’s a wrap!
It is always bittersweet when a dig comes to an end, saying goodbye to everyone once again and wishing safe travels. Until next time that is!
Check out more exciting content from us and what we have been up to here
Watch Time Team’s awesome videos and see if you can spot any of SoundView’s team!
