“Gorgeous. Three, three. Three, one. (click) Three, six. Six!Very Nice. Keep it going guys. Keep the pace, doesn’t mean you slow down. Pull out five. Ready? Pull Five. Go! (click) There we go,” says a stern but melodic male voice in a dark trailer.
The clicking sounds are the result of several well lit buttons being pushed as Mark Ritchie, Governor Ball director, talks to his camera crew as Lord Huron performs a 60 minute set on Saturday. Lord Huron took the main stage at 4:45, and for the next hour, Mark is the conductor of the most intrinsic visual orchestra in New York. Today, Mark Ritchie and his team are directing, packaging, and editing the first ever 4K live stream from Governors Ball. Talk about pressure.
In its six year history, Gov Ball has managed to achieve another first, live streaming. Partnering with Vice, Corrino Films, Live Nation, and Samsung, the event is streamed to fit across multiple channels and platforms, including Vice’s new television Network, Viceland, the marquee outside of Samsung’s flagship store in Manhattan, and Video On Demand for those who want to see the festival for the first time, or those who want to relive their favorite moments again. To the non-techie, this sounds cool enough, but those who saw the miles of cables and fires running throughout the festival and became excited know that this is a true feat.
Directing is a daunting task in itself, but on the fly editing of a live festival and streaming a huge amount of data to a store across town could be a fast paced nightmare. Luckily, with Ritchie, at the helm, he and the Corrino Films team treat this like a dream, “Dont tell my boss, but they probably wouldn’t have to pay me”. He laughs at the end, but the look in his eyes and the excitement in his voice is indicative of a person who not only enjoys his job, but enjoys perfecting every nuance of his craft. If bills were not a thing, or America was still on the barter system, there is no doubt that Mark would happily take his payment in good shoes, coffee, or nights on the town.
