Dave and Brian's Excellent Adventures

The real article....

A few days ago a reporter from Foster's Daily Democrat e-mailed my father and I hoping to get info for a story he was writing on locals and their connection with the Olympics. After reading the article, it's easy to tell that he NEVER read our e-mails, and read the display my father has at the town hall, in Madbury. If you are a local to the area (Madbury, NH) I strongly recommend you go to the town hall and check it out (Monday, Wednesday and Friday).

Here are the questions John Doyle, from Foster's Daily Disappointment, asked, and our responses:

From John Doyle:
Brian and/or Dave,

Here's hoping you'll check your email before too late . . . I am a reporter for Foster's Daily Democrat in Dover, NH. I would like to file an article this week on your adventures in Italy for the newspaper. It is my hope that email will be the most efficient vessel of communication for this report.

I understand that you are extremely busy out there, but I was hoping Brian and/or Dave could find a few minutes to answer a few questions that I can use in the article. I hope to file this report for Thursday, Feb. 9, so I would need your comments as soon as possible. As I write this, it is approx. 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Dover, N.H., which I believe means it's about 10:30 p.m. in Turino.

--First, please comment on your experience in Italy so far (also, please specify who is speaking, Brian or Dave):

--What have you been doing to prepare for the task of producing the Games for television?

--Dave, what is one of your best memories of working at the Olympic Games?

--I understand you will be helping to produce the Biathlon coverage for NBC. Any thoughts on the challenges of producing such a unique event?

--Do either of you have any additional comments?

Thank you again for your time. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to respond to this email or, if possible, reach me at one of the numbers below. Thanks.
John Doyle Staff Sports Writer Foster's Daily Democrat Dover, N.H. 603-742-4455 x5515 800-660-8310 x5515

My Response:
This is Brian Raynes:

My experience in Italy so far has been amazing. The Italians have been very nice. Where we are staying in Pragelato Plan is in a valley, surrounded by snow capped mountains. When the sun rises over the mountain, in the morning, it is breath-taking.

Working for NBC Olympics has been a challenge, as it is the largest event I've been a part of, as a broadcast engineer. I've worked on the World Series in 2004, when the Red Sox won, the US Open (Tennis) for the last two years, and I worked the last Goodwill games, in Brisbane, Australia. But, nothing compares to the Olympics. The crew here have been wonderful to work with.

For the last three days I have been working with the NBC production team to prepare the facility we've been given to produce Cross Country. Normally, most engineers are used to working in a mobile unit (as I did for the last 3 years [New Century Productions, out of Allentown, PA]) or a television studio (Fox Sports New England). We're working in office trailers that have been filled with racks of equipment. I've worked with TOBO (Torino Olympic Broadcast Organization) the host broadcaster to receive some video feeds from their set of cameras (They have 40).

We are producing Cross Country for the NBC Olympics. It isn't as much of a challenge for me, as an engineer, when I just deal with the video and audio feeds given to me. The challenge is more of the fact I'm working on an Olympics. Which may not have a lot of feeds to deal with, but combines the efforts of many people, including people from other venues, and other countries.

Last comments: It is always a pleasure to work with my father, David B Raynes, who this is his 6th Olympic event. And finally, it is always difficult to be away from family. But, I must thank my wife Lindsay M Raynes and my daughter Eva M Raynes for their support and "Hi!" (My child is 15 months old).
Brian P Raynes
Director
Little Bay Broadcast Services, LLC
www.littlebay.tv
603-534-5600

My Father's response:
As Brian has answered most of your questions, I will only response to one.\nMy memoriable experience is the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona where I was doing Rowing and Canoeing up in Lake Banyolas, which is about 80 km outside of Barcelona. We were too far to be a part of the "Olympic Experience" and were very isolated. The Production Manager found us a small restaurant in the area which would take our whole crew. It was actually a home and the owner put us in a special room, rolled his personal TV set in, and we watched the Opening Ceremony having a special, well prepared meal. And watching the archer shoot his arrow to start the flame in the cauldron still brings chills to me, even today.

posted by DaveandBrian @ 1:45 AM