Command Central

The ISC Production Control Room Crew: Andrea Gingras ’01, producer; Ben Woods ’22, intern/editor; Alex DeCiccio ’10, director; Jessica Kaelblein ’18, switcher; Derek Sutcliffe ’11, engineer; Ryan Campos, audio engineer.

Remote Science Within Reach. On the large screen: In July, 2019, an international team of scientists studied the rapidly changing Arctic Ocean aboard the Swedish icebreaker, Oden. The ISC shared the expedition in real time, moving deftly between researchers, audiences, and pre-produced video segments. The crew had to be ready to keep the broadcast going, even if the extreme Arctic environment disrupted their satellite signal with the research team.

Headset. Production control room staff direct broadcasts, quickly shifting from one site to another, injecting expert commentary, ancillary video, and more. They’re a little like the crew that broadcasts a football game or any other live, multi-camera event staffed by dozens. But they do it with a small, rotating crew of five to eight people.

Switcher. The switcher is one of the most important pieces of equipment in the ISC. Jess Kaelblein ’18 says, “Technical directing is like editing in real time. It’s my job to switch between available videos and live cameras to create a dynamic and engaging show.”

Audio. “Audio is critical,” says production director Alex DeCiccio ’10. “And it is the most complex thing we deal with in our work. If audio fails, it creates the worst kind of awkward silence.” Audio engineer Ryan Campos adds, “Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand. It’s my responsibility to articulate and translate using sound, making the information more digestible.”

Creativity Required. On the crew’s work space: The book, Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces that Stand in the Way of True Inspiration, by Ed Catmull, president of Pixar and Disney Animation, is a model the team uses to inspire their workplace culture. They strive to cultivate a creative vibe and root out hidden forces that can cramp their creativity and problem-solving. “DeCiccio says, “Our success is tied to how well we can creatively think of solutions to problems.”

Lighting. You won’t find standard-issue office lighting here. The crew favors softer task lighting that helps their creativity thrive. “I figure if we model our creative environment after the best out there,” says DeCiccio, “We may stumble on a few interesting ideas.” And, he adds, “It doesn’t hurt that we work with the smartest people in ocean science. Big ideas for the big blue!”

Asset Library. Ten years’ worth of video and growing. The production control room library includes ocean content, both deep-sea and topside in the field. The crew uses these video assets on every project. And with each new project, the library grows. Engineer Derek Sutcliffe ’11 says, “During the live broadcasts, I watch and troubleshoot the computers handling the live stream and broadcast.
I also maintain the production equipment, and later, I archive the show recordings.”

Core Crew. The brainchild of URI professor of Oceanography and legendary ocean explorer Robert Ballard, the Inner Space Center is directed by marine research scientist Dwight Coleman. Coleman and his team are the multitalented, multitasking core crew of the center’s production control room. The ISC Production Control Room Crew, left to right: Andrea Gingras ’01, producer; Ben Woods ’22, intern/editor; Alex DeCiccio ’10, director; Jessica Kaelblein ’18, switcher; Derek Sutcliffe ’11, engineer; Ryan Campos, audio engineer.

The Inner Space Center’s Production Control Room translates science from the field into real-time, relatable stories. Click on the beacons in the photo above to learn about the Production Control Room and the team that keeps the show going, no matter what.

URI’s one-of-a-kind, internationally known Inner Space Center delivers science, in real time, to the public and to other scientists. Using telepresence—the ability to interact with what’s going on in one place while you’re somewhere else—the center links scientists on research vessels at sea with other scientists, the media, and schools.

The production control room is the heart of the operation, turning all the incoming and outgoing feeds into seamless broadcasts. Producer Andrea Gingras ’01 says, “Live production is like a puzzle. I try to put the pieces together before we even start so that when we say, ‘That’s a wrap,’ the audience sees the full picture.”

In October 2019, for example, the center used ship-to-shore telepresence in a pilot project funded by the National Science Foundation. The production control room crew put its telepresence chops to the test, connecting scientists on the R/V Laurence M. Gould in the Western Antarctic with classrooms around the country, giving students an incredible opportunity to interact in real time with scientists conducting critical research.

Sound as easy as turning on a livestream? It’s not. It takes a lot of equipment and a multitasking crew with technical know-how, science background, creative leanings, and communication skills—real communication skills—knowing how people listen and learn, and knowing how to effectively and authentically translate science into stories people can relate to. •
—Barbara Caron