As Bromfield School students returned to classes Wednesday, four members of the Harvard Lions Club were hard at work constructing an “infinity wall,” also known as a “cyclorama,” in the basement-level Harvard Cable TV studio with its low ceilings.
John Cooper (left) and Wade Holtzman troubleshoot installing an infinity wall in the cable studio, Aug. 29.(Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
The new construction, a series of curved wood surfaces, will make the studio wall appear higher according to Community Cable Access Committee Chairman Bill Johnson. “All we’re trying to do,” he said, is “create the impression that we have about 10 feet of ceiling,” replacing the green wall seen by a studio camera with a computer-generated image, leaving viewers with the impression that the studio is larger than its actual dimensions. Together, these additions help compensate for the relatively small amount of space available for live video. Previously, only the lower portion of the studio wall could be used for this purpose. Newscasters had to be seated and the camera pointed downward. Now, said Johnson, it will be possible for newscasters to stand up and move around on the set.
The work is entirely a volunteer effort by Johnson, Wade Holtzman, Mark Cooper, and Tom Tonge. “They’re my Lions Club buddies,” said Johnson, who had originally proposed the work to Monty Tech as a student project. On Tuesday, Holtzman and Cooper were installing the last of three units, whose pieces were cut using Holtzman’s tools and assembled in Cooper’s workshop.
How many hours did it take? “A lot,” said Johnson. What was the hardest part? The plastering, trying to create a smooth surface where the cyclorama meets the wall, he said. Holtzman had a different answer: “Bill’s never-ending suggestions.”
