The TEDMED returned to the Kennedy Center Opera House this year. Structured similarly to last year’s event it featured the latest in medical innovation. Behind the scenes the technology was more advanced as well.

The event is a multi-disciplinary community of innovators and leaders who share a common determination to create a better future in health and medicine. TEDMED curates an unusual and provocative program over three and a half days.

This year the live event was sent to many destinations inside and outside the facility. Peter Roof was assigned to switch sources for transmission to two Internet streams.

NASA partnered with Orbital Sciences to test a new space delivery vehicle. The Antares A1 rocket was successfully launched on April 21 from NASA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Va. A week earlier we were involved in another aerial mission to gather images to be released to the media.

That photo flight started in Manassas, Va. the day before with rigging Bussmann Aviation’s helicopter with a specialized gyro mount in the rear compartment. That system does a great job of smoothing out the motion of Alt Gobo’s Panasonic HPX170 P2 HD camera. In addition to the mount, three containers of jet fuel were stored to give the aircraft a little more range. The crew flew to Chicoteague, Va. and secured the helicopter for the photo mission that began before dawn the next day.

Just after sunrise the crew lifted off and did several orbits of the launch pad. The Antares A1 rocket has been on the beach-side pad for a few weeks. The still photos and video material was processed and made available to the media the next day.

Two cases about same-sex marriage came before the US Supreme Court. As a service to NBC affiliates NBC NewsChannel provided live reporter standups and news packages about the proceedings. Peter Roof was one of the camera people on the steps of the court sending out live shots to the news outlets for the two days that the cases were being argued.

One of the largest ceremonies in the Nation’s Capital is Inauguration Day. Not as momentus as the 56th Inauguration the January 2013 event was still a huge undertaking. Peter Roof was hired to support the affiliate services provided by NBC NewsChannel. Crews and crew support was provided at their facility located two blocks from the US Capitol, site of the swearing-in ceremony, and at the parade reviewing stand across from the White House. Roof helped setup about a dozen live positions and ran a live shot for NBC stations across from the presidential reviewing stand.

The Howard County Md. Community Action Council was participating in a large community event and needed a video to explain their services and needs. In a matter of a few days the video was shot and edited by Peter Roof. “It was good to have news experience in these situations,” says Roof. “This was easier since we didn’t need to turn it by an evening newscast.” Charlie Town of Towne Group served as producer and with his news experience was able to quickly review the material, select the sound, and help polish the final product in just a few days. All material was gathered in a day at a head-start school and a local food bank. A camera slider helped add some dynamic elements to some shots. The complete 3:53 clip can be viewed in the demo gallery.

Every October, the Foundation sponsors the official national tribute to all firefighters who died in the line of duty during the previous year. Thousands attend the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

This is the forth year that Peter Roof was operating a hand-held covering the two memorial services. This year budget constraints removed a few cameras but we still used nine positioned around the stage and audience. Two GoPro mini-cameras were planted on members of the pipe-and-drum corps and got some interesting angles during the processional. You can see Roof running a camera between the people pictured.

The threat of rain moved the Sunday service in the basketball arena of nearby Mount St. Mary’s college. The crew had to fully strike the setup at the outdoor memorial and reset in the gym before the morning service. Anticipating this necessity the crew preset camera and audio cables in the arena before the candlelight service.

This was still in standard definition but in the widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. The program was shown on a large LED screen at the edge of the venue plus sent live on two satellites and streamed on the web.

(Photo by Bill Green for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation)

Click here to view the highlight reel.

The Partnership for Public Service annually honors outstanding federal employees who have made a significant difference in the lives of Americans, awards that has come to be known as the "Oscars of government service."

Award winners have been involved in a wide array of activities, including defending the homeland, caring for our veterans, protecting the environment, ensuring public safety, making scientific and medical discoveries, creating innovative ways to serve those in need, responding to natural and man-made disasters, promoting our national interests, and helping government become more effective.

Peter Roof shot four interviews for this year’s awards. Clips can be viewed in the samples section of this website.

The national daily newspaper “USA Today” celebrated its 30th anniversary. Along with that milestone it did a major design of its logo and other layout elements in both print and online products. To document the change the parent company, Gannett, hired Peter Roof to capture the editions rolling off its Springfield, Va. presses. In the plant miles of newsprint fly through the three-story offset press printing the entire run for this market in a few hours. Roof used the Panasonic HPX170 camera to capture the activity in high definition. The press runs so quickly that he used the “overcrank” function to capture it in slow motion.

The WIFV Women of Vision Awards celebrate women's creative and technical achievements in media. WIFV Executive Members nominate women for these awards. One of the awardees is Christine Weber, Vice President of Production for Specials at Discovery Channel. Peter Roof recorded interviews with colleagues at the Discovery Channel and several past colleagues at the National Geographic Channel.

In the Civil War’s bloodiest battle the forces of north and south fought on the battlefields of Gettysburg, Pa. It was a turning point for the war and 149 years later troops gathered again near the same place to reenact the battles.

The event drew the attention of The Pentagon Channel, a cable and satellite channel for and about the US Defense Department community. Any military topic, past or present, can be presented on the 24/7 international channel. One program, “Recon,” is a half-hour monthly program that explores military topics in greater detail.

On a hot weekend in early July photographer Peter Roof and producer Terese Schlachter went to the reenactment and found many interesting subjects. Photographer Arik Dashevsky shot additional material on a third day. The pair trudged all over with an HD camera, tripod, and a bag full of batteries and XDcam disks to get all the angles. A few Hero point-of-view cameras were deployed to get a personal perspective.

The battles are played out in a choreographed manner ... with a little improv. Special attention is paid to authenticity. The well being of two and four-legged participants is of high priority. Water stations are everywhere and events were rescheduled to avoid the hottest part of the day. The actual battles in 1865 occurred on 85˚F days. Temperatures on this reenactment approached 100˚F. Around the battlefield were encampments where participants live as they did in the time. For the public there were tents where they could buy reproductions and hear stories about the history.

The single episode is less than a half-hour. Please click here to watch.

When extreme weather comes to the Nation’s Capital so do reporters from The Weather Channel. Be it “Snowmageddon” or triple-digit heat that’s the time to setup lights, camera, phones, and mics out in front of 400 N. Capitol Street and send live reports every half hour for the next 14 hours. NBC bought the Atlanta-based The Weather Channel (from one of Peter Roof’s former employers, Landmark Communications) a few years ago. Many technical services are now provided to them from NBC NewsChannel.

To illustrate the heat on one of DC’s main industries, tourism, photographer Peter Roof and reporter Eric Fisher went along for a ride on a“DC Duck” which is a part of a fleet of amphibious vehicles. These 50-plus-year-old military utility vehicles have been modified to carry passengers. Click here to view the finished story.

This year marks the 149th anniversary of the three day battle between Union and Confederate armies in Gettysburg, Pa. The actual fighting was done on a battlefield several miles away and is now marked with monuments to the brave and fallen. These reenactments were done on a farm field outside of town. As many as four thousand enthusiasts participate in replaying parts of the battle with horses and soldiers using replica cannon and guns. They also live as they did in that century in an encampment nearby. A living history section demonstrated the food, fashion, and culture. A field hospital was setup and, using mannequins, showed how crude combat surgery was performed on the wounded.

The Pentagon Channel covered the weekend for their documentary program “Recon.” Temperatures soared above 100˚F. (In 1863 the temperatures were around 85˚F, still rough wearing a wool uniform). Photographer Peter Roof used a Sony HD XDcam camera to record the action and interview participants. Four GoPro cameras were planted around the battlefield and on participants to get additional perspectives on the action.

The 2012 Pro Motocross Championship hosted its fifth round of the season with the annual visit to Southern Maryland and Budds Creek MX Park. The Red Bull Budds Creek National, from Mechanicsville, challenged riders on one of the most renowned tracks in the country and also signified the debut race broadcasted live on network television on NBC.

The races were covered live with 15+ cameras for Lucas Oil Productions. For the third year Peter Roof operated hard camera #7 at the base of a jump and large hill (pictured). It was loud, dirty, and smelly but the weather was not as hot for a June afternoon. The broadcast was also sent to the web and to the Fuel Network. Photo from top of hill before camera 7 position (credit: GuyB/vitalmx.com).

The annual National Spelling Bee near the Nation’s Capital is hosted by the E.W. Scripps Company. This is the second year at the new venue at the Gaylord Convention Center at National Harbor. Hundreds of kids compete from all around the nation. This interests local news TV stations and NBC NewsChannel assists affiliates by coverering the events and interviews participants as they progress through the competitive rounds. Again, Peter Roof helped in this coverage. This year we again used two Panasonic HPX500 cameras, one on the stage and the other shooting b-roll and interviews. Material was fed back to the Washington bureau via a new transmission method that uses mobile digital networks. The unit is made by “LiveU” and can connect on several channels to wireless networks and send live signals to the bureau. Because of the processing in the mode we used it took about half a minute for the signal to arrive but that suitable for this project.

The historic streets of Fredericksburg serve as the course for the annual late springtime Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon, which marks its fifth annual running in this year and saw nearly 6,000 runners cross the finish line.

Formerly run in Quantico, Va., the race was moved from its traditional fall running to the spring for the move to Fredericksburg, where it is now run through the streets, city blocks and neighborhoods of Old Town Fredericksburg, which give the race a completely different feel as well as plenty of new scenery and attractions for runners and spectators in town for the entire race weekend.

Helping cover the event from the air were pilot Steve Bussmann and aerial DP Peter Roof. In Bussmann’s MD500C helicopter the two were joined by a still photographer at Stafford’s airport. They circled the start line and covered the starting legs of the races. The Panasonic HPX170 camera recorded high definition material in slow motion to memory cards.

The second jewel in the Triple Crown of thoroughbred horse racing is held at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore on the third Saturday in May. Horse Racing Television covers the events leading up to the race. This is quite the spectacular sporting event covered from every angle. A record crowd of 121,309 attended.

Our coverage included building an anchor studio outside the barns where the horses stay when not running around the track. Cameras were also positioned on the club house roof and winner’s circle. For our production a total of six cameras were used, many with 1,000 foot triax cable runs. Additional crews gathered interview and b-roll material edited on site for our cablecast. Peter Roof’s role was as video technician shading and painting all camera pictures from a station in the truck’s engineering room.

The Summer Vacation Challenge is a series of short interstitials for The Weather Channel featuring weekend getaways for less than $500. Our family we followed for a weekend in Baltimore was from New Jersey. Stops included most of the major landmarks in the city including Ft. McHenry, The National Aquarium, sailing warship “Constellation,” and Fells Point. The segments from this and four other cities will start to air in June.

Update: finished segment now running on Weather.com. Watch it here.

TEDMED is a community of people who are passionate about imagining the future of health and medicine.

Once a year, TEDMED holds a "grand gathering" where leaders from all sectors of society come together for three and a half days. They explore the promise of technology and the potential of human achievement. This unique event combines dazzling celebration, high-powered learning and unforgettable theater.

Production requirements were intensive. Six HD cameras (several with long lenses plus one jib) were positioned around the Opera House. Other sources were digital playbacks and graphic presentations. Destinations include a web stream, satellite uplinks, and a vast array of monitors around the venue and activity tent erected outside. Above the stage was a large screen plus a backdrop containing projected animations. Alt Gobo’s Peter Roof’s function was camera video control shading all cameras and facilitating the routing of the sources/desinations.

The photo, courtesy TEDMED Facebook page, shows a dialog about nutrition between ultra-marathon champion Scott Jurek and Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster.

Alt Gobo shot not one, but two 30-second public service announcement spots for the Women in Film and Video’s Image Makers program. The clients this year were the DC Library Foundation and The First Tee program.

The Image Makers Program is WIFV’s community outreach initiative for metro area high school students. It was created in 1997 to teach local youth about film and video production, while also helping deserving nonprofit organizations. Image Makers participants learn how to research, write, produce, direct and edit PSAs for broadcast distribution. These PSAs are made for up to three deserving nonprofit organizations each year.

The creative program is taught over the course of eight Saturdays and concludes with a show where each of the finished PSAs are presented to the non-profits. In one session Peter Roof and Kathi Overton gave the students a “Five Minute University” class in lighting, camera, and sound.

The District of Columbia Public Library Foundation leverages and enhances DC Public Library resources and programs that promote, in all community members, literacy and a thirst for knowledge.

The First Tee provides young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop life-enhancing values such as confidence, perseverance and judgment through golf and character education.

For both productions Alt Gobo provided the Panasonic HPX170 DVCproHD camera and lights with Peter Roof on camera. Additional tools employed were the matte box and Glissade® camera slider.

For the Library Foundation (pictured above) shoot Kathi Overton provided sound and assisted on lighting and focus pulling. The location was in the newly renovated Petworth Library in NW DC. The purpose of the production was to show the variety of activities found in the library besides reading books. Watch the completed PSA here.

On the FirstTee production Toby Roberts (pictured right) did the sound and helped with lighting. The location was inside a school for a locker room setting and on the Langston Golf Course in NE Washington. Toby is an avid golfer so he enjoyed the subject and was able to put in a round of golf after we wrapped. Watch the completed PSA here.

Mike Isabella is one of the Top Chefs on Bravo TVs series of the same name. Isabella owns Graffiato, a restaurant that opened in June 2011 in Washington DC. That is where Peter Roof was asked to record a cooking demonstration now featured on California Walnut’s website. The featured recipe was a crusted halibut filet with arugula pesto. Two Panasonic HPX170 cameras were used to cover the demo. When complete, a turntable was used to slowly turn the delicious dish in front of the camera. Watch the finished 2:51 clip here.

In a return to a profession last practiced a quarter century ago Peter Roof helped get the stage play “Little Murders” up and running. This production is created in the original 3D. As Technical Director he was responsible for all the sets, props, lights, and sound. He was supported by excellent designers and crew.

The project began in early December with set construction in an Arlington County run scene shop. The “black box” performance space is also managed by Arlington County. The set consists of two walls representing a New York City apartment in the late 1960s. The lighting grid uses 30 Source Four Jr. Zoom lekos and 30 6” fresnels controlled with an ETC programmable lighting board. Sound is a big part of the play and is run using Qlab software. There are even a few special effects to support the action.

“Little Murders,” written by Jules Fiffer, focuses on the violence that encircles and engulfs a New York City family. The action centers on daughter Patsy and Alfred, the new man she brings home to introduce to her parents and brother. It’s a world where the sound of gunshots is de rigueur, heavy breathers regularly call, unseen visitors knock at the door… and the Newquists are just trying to have a nice day. Meanwhile, Alfred has chosen not to fight back, something that Patsy is desperate to change. The epidemic of violence in 1960s New York and a citizen’s choice to sink or swim form the basis for the dark comedy at the heart of “Little Murders. “

Jules Feiffer has offered satirical commentary on American life for over fifty years, through cartoons, screenplays, stage plays and children’s books. Originally gaining prominence as a cartoonist for The Village Voice, Feiffer shines an often sardonic light on the political, sexual and social facets of our culture.

The American Century Theater is a 501(c)(3) professional nonprofit theater company whose mission is to promote 20th century theater as a vital part of our cultural dialogue. It was founded in 1994 in Arlington, Virginia.

Occasionally President Obama grants one-on-one interviews with reporters from local stations around the nation. Four stations were selected and had less than ten minutes each to do their interview. Since it would be difficult to have each station bring their crew in to record the interviews one news operation is designated to provide the material. This time it was NBC NewsChannel’s turn. News photographers Steve Muskat, Rich McDermott, and Peter Roof did the setup in the White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room. Virginia Coyne was the location producer. The crew had about two hours to setup three cameras, lighting, and sound. The interviews were recorded in standard definition wide screen and recorded on P2 cards. Another outlet recorded the SDI output from the president’s camera on an XDCAM deck. Once the recordings were complete it was fed from the briefing room. It was quite an honor to work on such an important assignment. As you can imagine security was intense and the room was filled with untouchable furniture. It was a challenge to find a pleasing angle for both subjects and to set lights outside the frame of all three cameras.

Thanksgiving Day is a big day for the NFL. The night game was in Baltimore this year. The NFL Network provides coverage in anticipation of the big match up including “Game Day Morning” featuring five experts on a portable set on the sidelines. The set is designed to collapse and retract off the sidelines in less than 1:15. No need for that function this morning but the setup used eight cameras including a jib, Steadicam, and “blimp” (actually a gimbal on a fixed-wing plane). Peter Roof was running one of the cameras on the set.

TD Bank held a series of town hall meetings led by senior executives. To interact with a larger audience of bank employees a satellite link was added. Peter Roof ran the camera in the Tyson’s Corner location. Other locations were in South Carolina and Florida.

This is the year the American Humane Association launched the “Hero Dog Awards” to celebrate the powerful relationships between dogs and people, to serve as a catalyst to advance society's understanding of the human-animal bond. Finalists in the program made a Capitol Hill visit to present their dogs and stories to elected officials in the Veterans Committee and the media. Peter Roof covered the entire event and the HD material was provided to news outlets shortly afterwards. The gala awards show was recorded in October at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and aired Nov. 11 on the Hallmark Channel.

In a rare circumstance Peter Roof was able to use his breaking news skills to swiftly come the aid of a producer with an urgent need. The subject wasn’t urgent but the client found themselves suddenly without a working camera to record “MOS” (man on the street) interviews for a program that was being edited for air later that day. Always having your equipment ready for the next shoot pays off when rare situations like this arise. The program was about the current political climate and how it was affecting older Americans.

The program shows on Retirement Living Television which is the only cable network that provides information and entertainment that helps you redefine life after 50. Programming focuses on new pursuits, living longer, financial planning, exploration, community building, reconnecting, caregiving, mentoring, retirement, fulfillment. It's a place of discussion about key issues and topics that matter most to Generation 50+.

Every October, the Foundation sponsors the official national tribute to all firefighters who died in the line of duty during the previous year. Thousands attend the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

This is the third year that Peter Roof was operating a hand-held covering the two memorial services. This year there were a total of 13 cameras in the switch. This was still in standard definition but in the widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. The program was shown on a large LED screen at the edge of the venue plus sent live on two satellites and streamed on the web. Clip is a moving 2:30 highlight reel used as a roll-out at the end of the final service. (Photo by Bill Green for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation)

For the tenth year Peter Roof led a crew providing presentation support for the awards ceremony for the National Capital Business Ethics Awards. Support included preparing and projecting Power Point slides, lighting for the stage, and sound for the room.

NCBEA recognizes companies that have demonstrated their integrity, civic and social responsibility, and business excellence in the Greater Washington region. Hosted by the National Capital Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals in partnership with George Mason University, the competition is open to any organization (except financial service companies). Recipients of this highest honor in business ethics have an executive-level commitment to business ethics, specific examples of how they implement their corporate code of conduct, and clear communication that sets expectations for ethical behavior.

After years of preparations a new exhibit about health and illness as experienced by native American cultures opened on the grounds of the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. Opening day activities featured speeches, tours, demonstrations of native dance, and the dedication of a healing totem pole placed outside the exhibit. Visitors will discover how Native concepts of health and illness are closely tied to the concepts of community, spirit, and the land.

An opportunity to interview performer Common for the TV One program “Washington Watch” arose late in the week and Alt Gobo was available to record the interaction with host Roland Martin. The interview was recorded in a very crowded hall of the Washington Convention Center during a book signing event. The event was part of the Congressional Black Caucus conference. Peter Roof was running camera and Al Faison on sound. The interview is scheduled to air Sun. Oct. 2 at 11am.

The Ronald Reagan building’s Atrium was the venue again for an awards program sponsored by Essence and Southern Corporation. Peter Roof was Technical Director for two-camera, live-to-screen coverage of the event. ESSENCE & Southern Company hosted their 3rd annual Evening of Excellence-a special awards reception as part of the 2011 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 41st Annual Legislative Conference.

The annual reception honors some of today’s most influential leaders and advocates of change. This year’s honorees included: Tom Joyner, host of The Tom Joyner Morning Show; Donna Richardson-Joyner, top fitness guru; and Dr. Regina Benjamin, U.S. Surgeon General.

Hosted by CNN news anchor Fredricka Whitfield, this invitation-only event took place on Friday, September 23rd. The evening included music by DJ D-Nice. The event also featured a special tribute to the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Project.

It seems like it was just the other day but ten years has past since our nation was attacked by extremists ending in tragedies in three locations in the US. One attack was at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. On that fateful day Peter Roof eventually was stationed just outside the smoldering headquarters of the US military doing live shots all night. Peter was again in the same place next to the Navy Exchange gas station helping stations cover the ceremony with four live shot positions for international broadcasting clients. The Pentagon was restored by the first anniversary of the attack. The weather on the 10th anniversary was essentially the same: a cloudless sky. This time the skies were filled with routinely passing commercial aircraft.

United Airlines First Officer Eric Short was making his usual 1 a.m. arrival on a trip from San Francisco to Washington’s Dulles International Airport. But he had one more stop after that. With assistance from United, the stop was carefully coordinated by Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association staffers on a mission: to inform Short that he was the winner of AOPA’s 2011 Crossover Classic sweepstakes.

The midnight event was a total surprise. Hours earlier the staff, camera person Peter Roof and audio/lighting tech Kathi Overton helped setup the scene inside the Signature Flight Support hangar on the grounds of Dulles. The prize plane was positioned just inside the massive hangar doors and lit up with HMI lights. As Short’s van pulled up the doors opened to reveal the plane and AOPA president, Craig Fuller. One crew followed Fuller as he greeted the winner and presented the fully refurbished and restored 1974 Cessna 182P four-seater, single-engine aircraft.

“A few minutes ago, we were flying 200 people,” he said. “And now here I am with a new airplane!” exclaimed Short.

Short, who lives in Paulden, Ariz., has spent his life in aviation and served a 20-year stint in the Air Force. MORE

The episode of The Learning Channel’s “Hoarding: Buried Alive” that Peter Roof helped shoot in late May will air Sunday Aug. 21 at 9pm ET. The series goes inside the homes of extreme hoarders to explore the psychology behind their compulsion to accumulate and store large quantities of nonessential things. The subject, Donny, lives in a rural area on Maryland’s southern Eastern Shore and had filled his house and entire property with equipment, machinery, parts, books, furniture, and papers.

At Thomas Jefferson’s mountaintop home, Monticello, near Charlottesville, VA on Independence Day 77 people took an oath and became US citizens. The annual naturalization ceremony featured a keynote speech by Coca-Cola Co. chief executive Muhtar Kent, a dual citizen with the US and Turkey. In a prepared speech he said, "As you become Americans in the place Thomas Jefferson loved most of all, you represent his dreams of the future.”

The company he leads, Coca Cola, covered the event with four cameras and prepared a short vignette that was sent and shown later on the holiday at various sporting and holiday venues around the country.

More two-wheel racing coverage but this time the vehicles were powered with 250cc or 450cc engines. Thousands of fans packed into Budds Creek MX Park on Saturday, June 18 to watch the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship host its fifth round of the 2011 season. The races were covered live with 13+ cameras for Lucas Oil. For the second year Peter Roof operated hard camera six at the base of a jump and large hill. It was loud, dirty, smelly, and hot but a lot of fun. The broadcast was sent to the web and to the Speed Channel.

A roster of some of the most elite professional cyclists in the world competed Sunday, June 12 in Crystal City, Arlington, Va in The Air Force Cycling Classic. This was the second day of racing for Pro/Am teams competing in the Omnium competition. The 2 kilometer criterium circuit went along the city streets and around sharp turns. Speeds exceeded 25 miles per hour in a tight pack of bicycles. Six cameras provided total coverage of the course. Peter Roof operated one camera at the only 180 degree turn. Triax camera cable was strung for several blocks with some runs going over the streets. The live broadcast was seen on local cable channels and on the internet.

Every year the E.W. Scripps Company conducts the National Spelling Bee in the Nation’s Capital. This year the event moved just outside the beltway to the Gaylord Convention Center at National Harbor. Hundreds of kids compete from all around the nation. This interests local news TV stations and NBC NewsChannel assists affiliates by coverering the events and interviews participants as they progress through the competitive rounds. Again, Peter Roof helped in this coverage. Also new this year: two Panasonic HPX500 cameras were used, one on the stage and the other shooting b-roll and interviews. Material was fed back to the Washington bureau via fiber either from the interview camera live or a P2 player. The new venue allowed for a little more space to setup without getting caught up in the crowds or with other crews.

The producers for The Learning Channel’s production of “Hoarding: Buried Alive” asked Peter Roof to fill in for a crew member and run a second camera. The series goes inside the homes of extreme hoarders to explore the psychology behind their compulsion to accumulate and store large quantities of nonessential things. On this week-long assignment the “before” material was gathered along with the beginnings of a complete clean up of the subject’s home. This hoarder lives in a rural area on Maryland’s southern Eastern Shore and had filled his house and entire property with equipment, machinery, parts, books, furniture, and papers.

Two Panasonic HDX900 cameras cover the main interaction with the subject, friends, counselors, and volunteers. A few POV cameras view the clean-up efforts from loaders and time-lapse of dumpsters filling up. As you can imagine, the working conditions were harsh. Moving around was difficult since there were rusty pieces of machinery everywhere and narrow pathways around the place. Bug spray and sunscreen had to be applied regularly. You had to stage gear in a designated area for fear of having your accessories swallowed into the piles of junk. The location was so remote that most of the b-roll depicting the community did not show any people. The completed episode aired in August.

A brief segment about preparing and participating in a demolition derby has been added to the Alt Gobo library. It can be viewed by visiting the “About/Samples/Magazine” tab or click on the photo to get to the menu. The clip is 7:44 in duration.

The story is about amateur driver John Guazzo, who followed his childhood dream to crash a car in a demolition derby. The program follows his final preparation and running the race.

The derby is a competition where drivers collide their vehicles into opponent’s vehicles and win if they are the last ones still moving. There are four classes of vehicles and the derby is run four times a year at Potomac Speedway in Budd’s Creek, Md. Proceeds go to area charities.

The event was recorded in June 2009 using a Panasonic HPX170 tapeless video camera capturing to P2 cards. Camera was set to record in high definition at 720P. Peter Roof produced, photographed, and edited the program.

Following the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death the Sunday before it was time to finish up the visual tour of the Pentagon’s September 11 Memorial. The raw material was shot on a nice evening in May 2009. Peter Roof produced, photographed, and edited the program.

On September 11, 2001, terrorists crashed Flight 77 into the Pentagon, killing the 59 passengers on board the aircraft and 125 military and civilian personnel who were working inside the Pentagon.  The Pentagon Memorial park consists of 184 memorial units, each of which are dedicated to an individual victim by its unique placement within the collective field. The "terrazzo" finish of each memorial unit rises dramatically from the ground on one end, and on the other end hovers over a small pool of lighted water in the surrounding gravel field of the park. Each unit has a specific directionality to distinguish victims on board Flight 77 from victims within the Pentagon.

The simple but elegant memorial units are at once a glowing light pool, a cantilevered bench and a place for permanent inscription of each victim's name. The interplay between the flowers of surrounding crape myrtles, the crunch of gravel underfoot, and the water flowing under each bench provides an experience in the park that is touching and moving, one that creates a place of peace and remembrance, and allows for individual interpretation by each visitor.  

Helped Toby Roberts again record a performance of Gonzaga High School's Spring Musical. This year the production was "Kiss Me Kate." I ran a Panasonic HPX500, one of four cameras. The 500 is a P2 tapeless camera that can take in 4 audio channels. Three of the 12 mics on and around the stage were recorded on my camera assigned to cover tight action from the back center of house. The photo is a still taken directly from the recorded material. Other cameras cover the action from the left and right sides plus a wide cover shot from the balcony.

Alt Gobo was invited to help shoot another PSA spot for Women in Film and Video’s Image Makers program. This year the chosen client was Dachshund Rescue of North America. The star of the spot was Edgar, a long-haired black-and-tan Dachshund adopted last year from DRNA by a Washington DC couple. Please click here to view the finished spot.

The Image Makers program takes a diverse group of high school students and allows them to explore careers in film and television by pairing them with professional members of Women in Film and Video, a professional association of television and film professionals in the Washington DC area. They gain hands-on production experience while producing public service announcements for local charitable organizations. It helps foster the next generation of filmmakers while helping the local community.

The program is taught over the course of eight Saturdays and concludes with a show where each of the finished PSAs are presented to the non-profits. In one session Peter Roof and Kathi Overton gave the students a “Five Minute University” class in lighting, camera, and sound.

In this production Alt Gobo provided the HPX170 DVCproHD camera and lights with Peter Roof on camera. Sound was provided by Kathi Overton who also assisted on lighting and camera. The location was Studio B at Interface Media Group in downtown DC. Alt Gobo used the Glissade®, a 1-meter camera slider of its own design since dolly and trucking shots were used throughout the production.

(Photo by Matt Uvena. Kathi Overton, center, pulling focus for Peter Roof, right)

Covered Caribbean Fishery Management Council’s Fisheries Leadership and Sustainability Forum workshop in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Stakeholders met to explore pathways for advancing the management of data-poor stocks. This was held in a hotel’s conference room. But unlike most windowless conference rooms this program presented a particular challenge to the video production person since one entire wall was a view of the tropical Atlantic Ocean. The photo shows what you would see if the camera were panned left. Dozens of presentations were recorded in high definition and tapelessly using a Panasonic HPX500 camera.

Worked on a pair of re-creation scenes for the Discovery Channel’s “Curiosity: The Questions of Life” series. Alt Gobo’s Peter Roof performed duties of Assistant Camera for DP Mike Peters. Camera used was the Panasonic HPX3700 P2 camera with Letus lens adaptor including four prime and one zoom lenses.

EDUCATION FOR INNOVATION: A DIGITAL TOWN HALL from Innovation Economy on Vimeo.

The Innovation Economy hosted, “Education for Innovation,” a digital town hall discussion on how we can create the next generation of innovators. Speakers included Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría, ITIF President Robert Atkinson and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman.

Event was recorded live in high definition in the Newseum studio and webcast live. Alt Gobo’s Peter Roof was one of five camera operators.

Program that aired on The Pentagon Channel takes a look at the extraordinary combat actions on the part of the last three Medal of Honor recipients. About 12 minutes in are interviews with the sons of Chief Master Sergeant Richard L. Etchberger recorded by Peter Roof on XDcam.

Provided live shots for NBC stations on election day and night for more than 17 hours. Most live hits were generic where any station can use the live shot at the top of the hour. Some stations requested custom shots with expanded analysis of one of the most significant mid-term elections in recent history. Used Panasonic HPX500 P2 camera transmitting a 16:9 image via SDI. Location was on the street or roof with the Capitol dome in the background. At night a half-dozen 18KW HMI lights helped illuminate the dome three blocks away.

Ran handheld camera on stage with one of the bands in the Red Bull Soundclash. This is a unique contest which sees two bands from opposing genres go head-to-head. The competition this time was between Washington area rapper Wale and indie rock band Tokyo Police Club. About 2,000 people attended the event that was held on Pennsylvania Ave NW just two blocks from where the fans of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert held their “rally” earlier in the day.

Much like a political debate, both bands handed each other the stage in the innovative, back-and-forth musical conversation. The two bands from very different musical genres were not performing for a panel of judges or experts but for the audience, who had the final vote. In a surprising twist of fate, Tokyo Police Club came out on top.

The stages faced each other and nine cameras covered the event including two jibs and four hand-helds.

Watch the video here.

For the ninth year Peter Roof led a crew providing presentation support for the awards ceremony for the National Capital Business Ethics Awards. Support included preparing and projecting Power Point slides, lighting for the stage, and sound for the room.

NCBEA recognizes companies that have demonstrated their integrity, civic and social responsibility, and business excellence in the Greater Washington region. Hosted by the National Capital Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals in partnership with George Mason University, the competition is open to any organization (except financial service companies). Recipients of this highest honor in business ethics have an executive-level commitment to business ethics, specific examples of how they implement their corporate code of conduct, and clear communication that sets expectations for ethical behavior.

Every October, the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation sponsors the official national tribute to all firefighters who died in the line of duty during the previous year. Thousands attend the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Video production is provided by CrossCreek Television Productions. The scope of the production has grown to 15 standard def cameras including a Steadicam, jib, and two remotely operated cameras. This is the second year that Peter Roof of Alt Gobo ran one of the hand-held cameras.

Excellent autumn weather held the entire weekend. It was quite a moving event and difficult to not be touched by the profound grief that brought these families to the service.

Photo by Bill Green for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

Afghan-Americans contribute to every sector of American society and none is more important than the key area of law enforcement.

Host Mariam Atash Nawabi sits down with Wyce Babar, an Afghan-American policeman in Prince George's County, Maryland for a behind the scenes look at police work and to discuss the day-to-day challenges of being a police officer.

Production was accomplished with two Panasonic HPX170 cameras recording tapeless to P2 cards. Mike Broleman and Peter Roof were the photographers. In addition, two point-of-view HD cameras were mounted in the officer’s cruiser to capture additional angles as he patrolled the town. Another angle included dynamic car-to-car video in the streets of Riverdale.

The segment is a part of a program called “Pul,” a weekly public interest program, recorded in the United States for broadcast throughout Afghanistan.

Watch segment.

Twenty-eight people who came to the Washington, D.C. area from as far away as California, Florida and Maine are now part of world transplant history. Fourteen people with serious kidney disease have received new kidneys in the world’s largest paired kidney exchange. The transplants were performed between May 26 and June 12 on nine different days by transplant teams at Georgetown University Hospital, Washington Hospital Center, Children’s National Medical Center and Inova Fairfax Hospital.

Peter Roof directed the two-camera, live webcast celebrating this event at the Washington Hospital Center. MORE

Former First Lady Laura Bush sat down to discuss her enduring commitment to fighting for the rights of Afghan women and girls. The interview is a part of the program “PUL” – a weekly public interest program, recorded in the United States for broadcast throughout Afghanistan. This groundbreaking half-hour show informs a nationwide Afghan audience about critical issues, domestic and foreign, featuring interviews with leading Afghan and American officials and experts, as well as professionals involved in fields ranging from public health to agriculture to arts and entertainment. Hosted by Mariam Atash Nawabi.

The interview can be seen here and was recorded in a gallery of the Women in the Arts Museum in Washington DC. Kathi Overton and Peter Roof lit the scene and ran the Panasonic HPX170 tapeless cameras.

Camera operator Peter Roof continues to enjoy working on the Miller Center of Public Affairs National Discussion and Debate Series. This is the third season for the series and for Roof.

The series was created to encourage a vigorous, well-informed discussion on the national stage about the major issues of our time. MacNeil Lehrer Productions covers these events with five cameras on a set "in the round." A production of this scale has its usual challenges but some locations have necessitated special procedures. At the Library of Congress the entire setup was restored within an hour after the library was closed to the public. The programs are now shot in HD and webcast live and broadcast on PBS stations a few days later.

The Image Makers program takes a diverse group of high school students and allows them to explore careers in film and television by pairing them with professional members of Women in Film and Video, a professional association of television and film professionals in the Washington DC area. They gain hands-on production experience while producing public service announcements for local charitable organizations. It helps foster the next generation of filmmakers while helping the local community.

The program is taught over the course of eight Saturdays and concludes with an awards show where each of the PSAs are presented to the non-profits. Peter Roof gave the students a highly distilled class in lighting and camera work at one of the sessions. This year Shelter House and Suited for Change both had a PSA made for them by the participants.

At the production phase Alt Gobo provided camera, light, and sound resources on the Suited for Change PSA. That spot was shot using Alt Gobo's Panasonic HPX170 DVCproHD camera with Peter Roof as DP and Kathi Overton on sound. This production was the inaugural run for Alt Gobo’s new 8-foot mini camera crane which was used in the last scene before the closing graphic.

Since 2002 Peter Roof has helped the Greater Washington and Northern Virginia Chapters of the Society of Financial Services Professionals present their annual National Capital Business Ethics Award ceremony. Roof worked closely with the organization to compile visuals that were projected during the program. Lighting and sound reinforcment services were also provided.

The Doc Swing iPhone application puts acceleration, tempo and rhythm information at your fingertips with an intuitive graphical display that provides instant insight into your swing.

To illustrate the functionality a foursome of golfers on a practice round using the device was recorded in high def. The material was edited and prepared for posting the next day at the client's location.

The world's largest model rocket headed towards space on Sat. April 25, 2009 from a farm field on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Weighing in at 1,648 pounds and more than 26 feet tall this missile is a scale replica of NASA's Saturn V rocket. It made it 4,441 feet closer to space seconds after Ohio ameteur rocketeer Steve Eves pressed the ignition button. The actual Saturn V rocket carried NASA astronauts and equipment into space for the lunar exploration program in the 1960s and 70s. Forty years before this flight a full-scale Saturn V carried the first man to step on the moon. This rocket was 10% in scale to the original and cost about Eves about $30,000.

The program "Daily Planet" on Discovery Channel Canada took interest in covering the historical launch. Alt Gobo's Peter Roof ran one of two BetacamSP cameras covering all aspects of the people of gear involved in making, and the crowds witnessing, the event. Brad Fulton worked the other camera and Michael Poole was on sound.

The Image Makers program takes a diverse group of high school students and allows them to explore careers in film and television by pairing them with professional members of Women in Film and Video, a professional association of television and film professionals in the Washington DC area. They gain hands-on production experience while producing public service announcements for local charitable organizations. It helps foster the next generation of filmmakers while helping the local community. The program is taught over the course of eight Saturdays and concludes with an awards show where each of the PSAs are presented to the non-profits. In 2009, Image Makers is starting its twelfth year bringing together students and WIFV volunteers. This year the Washington Youth Choir and Make Piece both had a PSA made for them by the participants.

At the production phase Alt Gobo provided camera, light, and sound resources for one spot. The Make Piece spot was shot with Alt Gobo's Panasonic HXP170 DVCproHD camera with Kathi Overton as DP and Peter Roof on sound. The WYC spot needed additional sound so that second unit work was done by Peter Roof with heavy tech and advisory support from Kathi Overton.

Thirty-second commercial aired in select cable markets nationwide. Shot in high def (720P/24P) using prime lens adaptor. Edited in Final Cut Pro. Alt Gobo was the production company and made this spot with the assistance of the following people:

Crew:
Producer/DP: Peter Roof
Co-producer, technical supervisor: Kathi Overton
Associate Producer: Sharon Sobel
Writer: Wendy Wilson
Editor: Louise Hernon
Makeup: Patty McFarland
Audio: Kathi Overton
Gaffer: Louise Hernon
Grip: Jesse Fresco

Cast:
Veteran: Daniel Lee Mascarello
Wife: Stephanie Harkay
Daughter: Chloe Kasey
Announcer: Heather Hathaway

Special thanks:
Tom and Linda Roof
Steve Shannon

The most significant inauguration to date demanded extensive coverage. Peter Roof was hired to support the affiliate services provided by NBC NewsChannel. Requests came from around the world and as many as 27 crews were either provided or supported at their facility located two blocks from the US Capitol, site of the swearing-in ceremony. In the cold wind Roof helped setup ten live positions and supervised four paths on the street where he ran one camera. Six positions on the roof of the office building housing the NewsChannel DC bureau were on a shared, double-decked scaffolding erected for the first time for this occaision.

Since 2003 aerial camera operator Peter Roof has helped cover the New York Marathon. Two helicopters were used to cover the entire event live on NBC4 in New York. Roof flew in a Bell 206 Jet Ranger and operated a FLIR FSI UltraMedia II gyrostabilized camera gimbal mounted to the nose of the aircraft. With one stop for fuel the crew covered the race live from the spectacular start over the Verrazano Narrows Bridge to the finish line in Central Park. The pair also gathered beauty shots of Manhattan for the broadcast.

In the fall of 2007 Peter Roof helped gather some HD material for "Under Our Skin," a documentary about Lyme disease. This program was a part of the SilverDocs documentary film festival . Roof was the DP for aerials shot in the Washington region plus he shot one local interview on the ground.

Using rain barrels is a brilliantly simple concept. Rainwater streaming off your roof is diverted and held in a barrel to be used later. This slows water that usually carries pollutants and nutrients directly into the watershed where it does more harm than good. Aquabarrel makes and installs a line of products from engineered and salvaged materials.

To show off their unique product Aquabarrel asked Peter Roof to shoot/produce and Kathi Overton to edit a three minute program for streaming on the web, YouTube, and other outlets. Fresh material was shot in 720P/30P high definition using the Panasonic HVX200 tapeless camera and edited on Final Cut Pro. The program shows the different options and the key features that separates this product from its competition. View clip.