KENDALL CALLING!

An open-air music festival in the Lake District is never an event that is going to bask in the endless Summer sunshine!

It is going to rain! And it sure did at this year's Kendal Calling.

But with plenty of Polecam covers for operating and overnight for both the back end and the Long Head, I was fairly confident I could survive…..and a bit of clingfilm/saran wrap!

Bands such as The Stereophonics, The Kooks and Bastille headlined, but there were other interesting acts such as Bill Bailey, Gabrielle and Slow Readers Club, which all presented challenges.

No rehearsals, of course, so each performance was somewhat nerve-wracking - waiting for a lead singer to bounce or slide under the Polecam to access my section of the stage didn’t mean relaxing for a moment!

Kit-wise, I used the trusty FS5 MkII with a new RM30 remote control which has the smoothest zoom with the 18-105 F4 Sony lens.

This, with the variable speed of the Long Head, gave the ability to provide constantly developing shots either right in with the band or out over the 25,000-strong crowd.

Bastille particularly had Dan Smith, the lead vocalist going from lying on a couch in the centre of the stage up to a two-metre platform at the back, which luckily I could cover.

At the end of the event, the Director came up and said he thought it had been his best ever work, and Polecam was a BIG help……& Tom!

Tom Paterson
Manchester Based.
07973 223302
Lighting Camera/Polecam/Remote Camera Op.
07973 223302