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Behind the Scenes
Our ultimate goal as photographers for the band is to produce a high quality,
entertaining slide show for the students, friends and family members of
the University of Minnesota Marching Band.
The road we take to achieve our goal each season is involved, exciting, trying, at times, and most of all rewarding -- both professionally and personally for each member of the photography staff. We'd like to share with you a glimpse of what we do�
The process begins each spring as we gear up for the coming fall season. The volunteer photography staff is assembled. (It is important to us that you know we operate as a group of volunteers. None of our members are paid.) In addition to the main photographers, Dave Whitaker and Tonya Wilson, several student assistant photographers are recruited. A rough schedule is outlined and assignments are handed out. As the summer progresses and the schedule changes so do those assignments until fall arrives. Once Spat Camp begins the photography staff goes into attack mode seeking out every opportunity for great photos of the marching band and its members.
The photography staff shoots approximately 4000 to 6000 pictures each season including any post-season trips. We are in the process of transitioning to a fully digital process, which makes a number of lives easier through the season. Our road forks in two directions at this point: The Slide Show and Picture Sales.
During the season a small group of students volunteer to become the Slide Show committee. These students are responsible for selecting the images and music that are used in each show. For a period of about 5 weeks this group meets weekly to develop the soundtrack to the show and filter through the thousands of slides that come in from the developer. After the soundtrack is determined, each student picks a song or two for his/her own show(s). At this point, there are about 3 weeks left to write the program, finish selecting slides, put them in final order and enter them into the computer for presentation at the Marching Band Banquet. The week before the banquet can be a hectic one. Every night is spent completing the above tasks and tying up the loose ends so the shows will be great for the banquet.
You may be wondering how we, as volunteers with no monetary support from the University, can put on such a show. OK� so you probably weren't wondering that, but we're going to tell you anyway! Each season, the entire cost to produce the show is covered by the producers. This expense can be a great one when you take into account the cost of film, developing, printing, maintaining equipment, archiving and a multitude of other small but significant expenses. The way for us as producers to recover these expenses is to sell reprints of the photos that are taken throughout the season. Remember the digital scans of each photo? This is where they come into play. You, the student, mother, father, grandparent, friend or sibling, can review each image online at GopherPhoto.com. Any and all images that you wish to have as your own are available for purchase from us. Once you have ordered, our processor will print the images for you using digital technology and ship them directly to you.
With every purchase you make, you are helping to offset the cost of producing the Marching Band Banquet Slide Show. We strive to keep the prices reasonable and do not drive them up for the purpose of making a profit. Again, the purchase you make is going to help us recover lost expenses.
So, we THANK YOU for any purchases you have made in the past and any you will make in the future. You are helping us to put on a better and better slide show each and every year. Thanks again.
- The Producers of the University of Minnesota Marching Band Slide Show
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