Overview
We produced the live three-camera recording of the 20th Annual Eugene J. McCarthy Lecture for the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. On Oct. 6, 2026, David Brooks, joined on stage by Bill George, spoke to a sold-out audience at the Benedicta Arts Center in St. Joseph.
We ran it as a live production: switched live on three cameras and recorded as it happened. A finished three-camera program of the full lecture existed the moment the evening ended.
The challenge
The evening used two formats on one stage: a podium address and a seated conversation in two chairs. Both had to be covered cleanly from camera positions that stayed out of the sightlines of a full house.
The Center also needed the lecture on video. A conventional multi-camera lecture recording is shot on separate cameras and cut together afterward, which can mean days of editing before anyone can watch the full program.
Our approach
Production
We ran three cameras into a professional broadcast switcher, where a director cut between them in real time. Audio came from the venue’s house sound feed, so the speakers’ microphones are heard directly rather than through the sound of the hall. The switched program was recorded in full as it was cut.
Live switching
Live switching moves the edit into the event itself. The director makes each camera decision in the moment, with the stage in view, and the program is complete when the house lights come up. It is the same live event production approach we bring to lectures and conferences across St. Cloud and Central Minnesota.
For the 19th McCarthy Lecture, with Jake Sullivan in March, we recorded three cameras and assembled the full-length lecture in the edit. For the 20th, the director cut the program live.
Results
The Center receives an edited video of the lecture. We have now produced video for both the 19th and 20th McCarthy Lectures.
We also covered the Center’s 20th-anniversary events and the daytime events with David Brooks for a highlight reel.
At a glance
- Event: 20th Annual Eugene J. McCarthy Lecture, Oct. 6, 2026
- Venue: Benedicta Arts Center, College of Saint Benedict, sold out
- Production: three cameras, live-switched by a director on a professional broadcast switcher
- Audio: house sound feed from the venue
- Recording: full program, recorded as it was switched
- Repeat client: we also produced the 19th McCarthy Lecture with Jake Sullivan
Credits
- Client: Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University
- Speakers: David Brooks, joined on stage by Bill George
- Production and photography: E&E Media Services
- Camera: Ethan Eltgroth
Planning a lecture, conference or ceremony? Our page on live event production explains how we work and what it costs, and our event video production page covers recorded event coverage. For a larger production with hosts and graphics, see a five-camera live show we produced at Saint John’s.
Tell us about your event, and we will follow up with a clear quote.