They're Gaga over Gaga!

Two inches away (in the macro setting) from the eyes of Lady Gaga shows the amazing
details the artists put into to these figures. I swore she was about to sneeze!

Situation: Unveiling the wax figure of Lady Gaga at Madame Tussauds in New York has its challenges for a news cameraman. The assignment itself is pure promotion. To be sure, an event staged to create an image, launch a brand, and help a company and pop star icon make some noise and, well, news, is key to keep in mind when covering one of these. But still, it'll probably find its way onto someone's evening news broadcast. Did I say, "News?" All the entertainment TV shows were well-represented. I guess that's the point! I might as well join in the fun, too. I was lucky to have a front row position, so fighting the other 30-plus still and TV cameramen wasn't my concern (though I did at one point turn around with a 22 pound, Sony PDW510 XD broadcast camera mounted on my shoulder and nearly knock over a photographer standing right behind me on his step ladder). C'est la vie! Today I hear Gaga's in Paris so I don't expect much drama like the kind this drama queen usually draws. We're being spared the dead meat outfits. Whew! To think this was a global launch where all eight Tussauds were unveiling other Lady Gagas is a testament to her power. Put that out of mind, I tell myself, and stop thinking unnecessary thoughts--editorializing and opining don't belong here. Just get the shots!

Often these staged events have a life of their own and things happen when you least expect them to. The last time I covered an unveiling in wax it was Taylor Swift's turn. Close to one-hundred photographers waited nearly an hour for the real-life Swift to move in and stand next to her wax twin, say ten words, and move on out. It was so hot under the lights I was secretly hoping for a meltdown. Now that would make for some great footage! You just have to be ready at all times and react as if you're on a "real" news assignment--say, in the streets during a protest march or in Times Square during a bomb scare--different kinds of "staged" events. Today, I was feeling particularly lucky after filming some of Lady Gaga's followers known as "Little Monsters." With wigs in soda can curlers, glass mirror masks, and lovely cigarette sunglasses (as in sunglasses made with glued-on cigarette butts), how could you miss? These wild visuals always speak louder than words!

Technically speaking, I found the spotlights to match the color temperature of my on-camera tungsten lamp so that was one less worry (thank you!). The tight space was my biggest concern. I waited for the gaggle of photographers to thin out before I stepped in for my one-on-on with Ms. Gaga. Then I photographed her from every which angle starting down on the 6-inch shiny black pumps and finishing on her radiant blond mane. The noise level was also close to the edge so interviews with Gaga's "Little Monsters" and the wax museum's director required a little extra monitoring. With a quick test and playback, by squeezing my headsets close to my ears, I made sure the voices were clear above the background chatter. Not an issue.

But more importantly, you never really know what you're really looking at through the lens until you ask. Journalism's five W's and that one H do apply even in these concocted promotional events! "So what's the deal with the hairdo?" I asked Tussauds's director of operations--hoping she'd satisfy my curiosity. "Oh, that's what she wore when she attended an electronics convention in Vegas," she replied. And so it goes.

Shot on location in New York on December 9, 2010.