“In 3…2…1… and we’re live.”
Muster is one of the longest-standing traditions at Texas A&M, honoring current and former Aggies who have passed. Every year on April 21, Aggies gather at over 300 Muster celebrations worldwide to remember these classmates while reminiscing about their times at Texas A&M. Campus Muster is held at Reed Arena, making it the largest Muster ceremony with over 12,000 in attendance.
Learn more about the history of Muster and its importance to Aggies
Muster is one of three university events livestreamed by KAMU every year; the others being Commencement and Midnight Yell Practice. For those unable to attend the campus tradition in person, KAMU-TV provides a live TV broadcast and livestream for the Brazos Valley and beyond. This year’s KAMU Muster livestream has garnered more than 6,000 views from across the nation. Aside from cities all over Texas, Aggies also tuned in from Birmingham, Alabama; Atlanta; Chicago; Las Vegas and Denver, just to name a few.
Watch the livestream replay on our YouTube channel
Purchase Muster recordings on DVD, Blu-ray or USB flash drive
This year, we followed KAMU’s Muster crew to get a behind-the-scenes look at how the livestream comes together.
Planning Stages
Preparation for Muster begins around two months in advance, but the process is the same every year. It begins with a Muster Committee meeting with KAMU program coordinators Zach Partin and Alazar Asrat, where they discuss the engineering and captioning needed for the live event. Crew coordinator Zaria White then chooses and schedules student production assistants who will operate cameras and audio throughout the event.
Recording equipment is set up at Reed Arena three days before the event to ease operations. The KAMU crew run cables throughout the arena that connect the cameras to the TV truck.
The livestream and recordings are made possible by a KAMU crew comprised of five student production assistants, two broadcast engineers and one broadcast director.
April 21 – The Day of Muster
5 p.m.
The KAMU crew arrives at Reed Arena to meet at the TV truck. There, they have time for last-minute questions and prepare for the live event.
6 p.m.
The crew is given a general rundown of the ceremony and a minute-by-minute breakdown of the events taking place during Muster. Broadcast Director Zach Partin then hands out specific assignments to each crew member and assigns them a camera to operate.
6:30 p.m.
The crew is getting ready to head in and find their assigned cameras to ensure their headsets, audio and visuals are running smoothly. Back in the TV truck, the engineers are making sure camera and audio settings are correct and the livestreams are ready to go.
6:50 p.m.
“10 minutes out,” director Partin says over his headset. The camera operators anxiously await the start of the ceremony as they search for the perfect opening shot.
7 p.m.
“Camera one, ready,” director Partin says as the ceremony is about to begin and camera operators are ready to go.
“In 3…2…1… and we’re live.”
The two-hour ceremony feels like it goes by in a matter of minutes when working. Camera operators are constantly looking for the next shot while fixing their lighting, focus and framing. The audio operator ensures each speaker can be heard clearly while covering background noises. The broadcast director is giving out directions and communicating with camera and audio operators nonstop as he searches for the next shot…
“Camera three, film an attendee.”
“Camera one, find the next speaker.”
“Camera two, pan across the audience.”
Meanwhile, engineers are watching the livestream to ensure it is running smoothly.
9 p.m.
Immediately after the ceremony, the rest of the crew heads back into Reed to aid camera operators in disassembling and packing up their equipment.
And that’s a wrap!
The KAMU crew is proud to serve the Texas A&M community and is honored with the opportunity to stream and record the annual campus Muster ceremony. Despite the long hours and hard work, KAMU is happy to contribute to keeping this cherished tradition alive.
