Being an EVS operator is demanding but super exciting at the same time. If you really want to go big, you have to go international, which means constant travel. Don’t like airplanes? Then this job might not be for you—at least not for international events. Domestic gigs can still be great, though!
However, in my case, I was incredibly bored working in Poland. I couldn’t handle the repetitive loop of the same cities, people, requirements, and running orders. So I decided: it was time to go big. It was tough—really tough. Few people were willing to help me out, but that’s a story for another time.
Right now, I’m returning from Riyadh, where I worked on the '1001 Seasons of Elie Saab' fashion show with Camila Cabello, Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, and Halle Berry. I feel fulfilled—another show done, another level reached, pushing the bar even higher.
So I flew into Riyadh from Warsaw, Poland, checked my room, organized my things, and mentally prepared for what’s coming.
But first things first—I know this hotel has amazing breakfasts. Let’s go for it!
Doing an EVS montage for the Red Carpet event was a demanding job. When you see the list of stars—Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Camila Cabello—you understand the scale of the event. Especially with the owner of Done and Dusted, one of the top TV production companies in the world specializing in major events, present in person.
The plan was to prepare for the Red Carpet, and while doing that, I also needed to start organizing EVS clips and music for the main event. My role involved supporting both the Pre-Show and the Main Show, where I created the closing clip. Right before the show, I had a bit of time to walk around and get a sense of where the stars would be walking on the red carpet, allowing me to mentally plan the future EVS playlist.
The hardest part of creating the closing montage video is that the best moments are always at the end, and there’s rarely enough time to add the final touches fully. For example, if everyone is opening champagne or saying goodbye, this happens just seconds before the producer says, ‘EVS PLAY.’ So, you have to be prepared—calculate, plan carefully, and leave a few last seconds in your playlist for that final shot.
Another tricky part is adding the endboard, which contains all sponsors, to your playlist. You add the endboard and reserve space before it for the last moments of your montage. There’s no room for mistakes. You prepare the clip, place it in the correct position, make sure the last clip has the right duration, and rewind your playlist to the beginning, because just seconds later, you’ll hear, ‘EVS ready? Roll!’
The fun part is that you’re creating the montage with music embedded in the EVS playlist, allowing you to sync with the beat. The music has a set length, so if it’s 2:45 minutes with a 15-second endboard, you know your montage should be 2:30 minutes long, so the music ends perfectly with the endboard. It’s all about timing.
In the end, everything went smoothly. The best outcome you can hope for after the show is a producer saying, ‘You nailed it! Thank you!’ Especially if you’re doing almost a live edit.
It was an 18-hour workday—quite crazy, but I was very happy. Luckily, I had the entire next day to sleep it off. Then, I went straight to the airport.
The trip was: Riyadh-Doha-Warsaw.
I really do love Hamad International Airport in Doha; it’s just amazing. It even has a little jungle inside.
Job is done, and the next one starts in 9 days. I’ll be visiting the United Arab Emirates to work on a complex project using EVS IPDirector, IPEdit, Edit While Playout mode.
Now it’s time for a flight—check out my trip in the video below. See you soon!