Rando Mere was a teenager when the first radio-controlled racing models arrived in Estonia. No one really knew how to tune their tiny internal combustion engines yet, but there was a lot of excitement as they whizzed and flew over hills and jumps on a winter off-road track, making a racket more for the men themselves than for their children.
The first competition series with such models in Estonia were organised by Rando. He started one of the first proper, functioning radio model businesses. Rando was, and clearly still is, a doer.
How is television made?
As an important step between entering the world of radio and the media, Rando dealt with the import and sale of GoPro cameras. The growth of this venture in the first few years was 300-400%, but nevertheless, under Rando's leadership, about a fifth of GoPro's turnover was spent on producing various marketing videos from extreme sports and motor events.
„Once this thing got going and was actually still growing, I myself needed a change. I felt that I had done it with my heart, but it was time for someone else to take over and manage it in its more stable phase.“
Alongside the sale of action cameras, Rando had actually been involved with the live production community for a few years.
„I understood that essentially two types of broadcasts are made. One is full top quality, offered in Estonia only by Levira and ERR, which is recognisable in all details, even from how the cables run. And then there's the other group of smaller players, who do it about ten times cheaper, with less staffing and many times more efficiently, but where there are always more problems.“
Obvan's departure task was to make transfers with cheaper and more economical means than traditional telephony, but to organise it in such a way that the solution would be reliable.
“For me, a live broadcast is like a motorsports event. People might think that what's needed for rallying is a car that can withstand the demands, but in reality, success in motorsports requires perfect technical and mental preparation, a flawlessly functioning support team, and also the favour of external forces. Furthermore, a deficit in one area cannot be compensated for by a larger amount of another component; all aspects must be at a high level. The trainer of young karting drivers, Risto Ojapõld, once told me some golden words. In motorsports, preparation is the work, and the result in competitions is the pay. And those who have better preparation than their competitors always receive the higher pay. It's exactly the same with live broadcasting.”
But what will be the clear distinguishing feature of the solution and a guaranteed win?
„In Estonia, we are the only live production team that can carry out the entire broadcast on the go, relying solely on our own batteries and power.
We have benefited from being autonomous at many events, for example, when the electricity offered by the organiser fails or when we need to pack up and set up quickly.“
The team has only utilised the full potential of this solution once – when they had to arrange a transfer for the premiere of Ott Tänak's film through the city of Tallinn.
The transfer team does not function without a shared commitment
The team has 6 members, none of whom joined the team by asking how much salary they would receive when they started working. These people initially joined, simply wanting to know what and how things are done, or they had previous experience from a production company.
„The strength of the current team lies in the fact that it's everyone's hobby. None of us has studied to be a cinematographer, director, producer, or technician at any film school.“
However, these four roles need to be filled to make a broadcast. The technician ensures that the equipment is correctly in place and connected, and that the director is always presented with the correct lighting setup image on the control desk. The cameraman works directly with the camera and ensures the quality of the shot. The director needs to manage the cameramen, having a comprehensive understanding of how the entire event unfolds. The producer organises everything related to making the broadcast – from where to park, where the team can get passes and food, but most importantly, communication with the client both during and on an ongoing basis with the broadcast.
Kuigi võib tunduda, et režissöör on kõige vastutusrikkam amet ja ilmselt täidab seda tiimijuht Rando isiklikult, siis 90% ajast on tema hoopis produtsent.
„The director's job is mostly thankless. There's a saying that if a broadcast is successful, you had a great presenter, but if the broadcast goes pear-shaped, you had a bad director.“
From how Rando assembled his dream team, his advice for anyone who wants to get involved in this world also stems.
„Not that I want to devalue academic education, for example at BFM, but when you come from university with a diploma in hand, you feel a justified expectation of finding work in your field. But this diploma might not give you a better starting position than that of someone who has attended events with us and shown interest in how things work. Academically acquired knowledge will probably help you reach a higher level faster in your work, but in this world, it is not a prerequisite for employment.“
Nothing remains the same in the television market.
Traditional TV needs to start operating many times more economically. Advertising revenue is largely going to social media, and we have catch-up services and Netflix. Here, Rando sees a very clear role for resourceful creators who produce similar results many times cheaper. In today's situation, he is essentially placed in a "phone book" for major media houses, when urgent help is needed during broadcasts.
„Roughly half of our work involves a larger company using our services as a subcontractor, and we produce a portion of their broadcast. The rest are productions commissioned directly from us. Quite often, we're not out as one unit but are at multiple events simultaneously with a couple of people and a camera.“
This trust is based on Rando's very measured and sensible approach with clients.
„Firstly, never jump ahead of your client. This means that if a large client orders a transfer from their service provider and they use our help with it, then we are the grey mice within that transfer, doing our part without being noticed. We don't go directly to the client to offer our services, otherwise we would lose the trust of our employer. Secondly – if you have promised something, then do it as you have promised. Don't let your problems become someone else's problem. If I have needed someone's help in the past and that person calls me 3 hours before the start of a transfer to ask if I can arrange some transport for them, then yes, I will arrange it… this time… but there won't be a next time.“
Commercially, it's more profitable to produce toilet paper, but...
These are Rando's words in the last heading of this chapter. …but television is more exciting than manufacturing some object. It's about capturing experiences and events – picking up recent history and being present for it. And it's not always the things with big headlines and budgets that provide inspiration.
„We've done very large broadcasts, but my coolest experience was when we did a broadcast of my own child's kindergarten dance festival. Everything was super simple – we had a couple of cameras outside and the children were jumping around in some car park. That broadcast had 700 concurrent viewers. All the relatives who couldn't make it were probably glued to their screens, and I don't think I've ever received so much warm feedback.“
To everyone who is wondering if live television could become their new challenge, Rando offers just one piece of wisdom: “It won’t be easy, but it’ll be worth it!”
Text: Jonas Nahkor
Photos: Karola Koopuu
First published: 28.02.2020 www.miks.ee
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