Stay Tuned’s creator, executive producer, and director, John Kuri, wanted to deliver a program that gave the viewer an intimate connection with the recording artist. He selected a cinéma-vérité style mixed with traditional multi-camera concert recording techniques. He did not want cameras to interfere in any way with the concerts. The camera crew, operating a minimum of six cameras, were stealth-like, managing to go virtually unnoticed by both band members and audiences. Without meddling with the event they were able to capture a wholly unique close-up look at the bands. The result places the viewer inside the concert experience. The technique is especially effective since everything seen is spontaneous. John carried this style in his interview segments, making it seem a conversation between the viewer and artist.

All three concerts, two in San Francisco and one in Charlottesville, Virginia, were covered in their entirety, both with the multiple cameras and with 32 channel digital audio. John, who operated one of the main cameras during the concerts, tapped into his reservoir of production experience for Stay Tuned. A former art director, John developed the initial design for what is now a 3-D rendered virtual set, Stay Tuned Central, working in Photoshop and After Effects. He took that preliminary design to visual effects and 3-D artist Maurizio Giglioli who completed the animations and 3-D rendered set.

When producer Pat Ireland teamed up with John for the production, one of the intriguing factors of Pat’s Monterey Light & Sound (ML&S), was its history. As a recording studio located in the home town of the world famous Monterey Jazz Festival, it has seen the likes of music icons such as Jimi Hendrix, Janice Joplin, and its one time owners, The Beach Boys. It seemed only appropriate that a hip show for television should find itself assembled in that space. Audio recording engineer, Richard Bryant, who incidentally was a backup vocalist with The Doobie Brothers, finished all the audio mixing in the ML&S all digital studio.

Desiring to complete his vision for Stay Tuned, John elected to edit the program. He completed post production in the ML&S studio. There, John also worked with visual effects specialist, Keith Ireland. They developed the show’s main title animation and both did the balance of the visual effects compositing. Keith was a tremendous resource to the project as a result of his vast background as a computer specialist and graphic artist.

The Stay Tuned title music was written by Grammy nominated Bay area composer Ed Bogas and his partner, Mark Behm. It was the second collaboration for John and Mark, the two having worked together on a science fiction CD Rom title in 1996. Ed and Mark grasped the essence of the show immediately. As musicians they really appreciated the intent in bringing a program such as this to television.

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