THE SPECIAL AWARD
LIVE DIRECT A ND
Tonight’s Special Award goes to multi-camera director Hamish Hamilton, the man who helped kick-start 2012’s inspirational London Olympic Games coverage. Wor ds by M att h ew Be ll
From the oscars to the Rolling Stones, multi-camera a riot was about to break out,” he notes. “At the time, director and executive producer Hamish Hamilton I thought, ‘Career over – I’ve blown it.’ Thankfully, has been bringing the world’s biggest live events to MTV and the German police agreed I had done the the TV screen for almost two decades. But last year, right thing.” as executive producer and broadcast director of the Despite his inauspicious start, Hamilton knew opening and closing ceremonies, the recipient of this he had found his vocation. His second gig – British year’s Special Award worked on the biggest of them dance act The Prodigy in Red Square performing in all – the London Olympics. front of 150,000 crazed Muscovites “I was a small part of the in 1997 – confirmed it. “The AS A DIRECTOR YOU most amazing cultural event that’s Prodigy’s performance was amazing HAVE TO STEP INTO ever been staged in the UK, a and the crowd were insane – the conduit for the talents of people THE GALLERY WITH police waded in with batons at such as Danny Boyle and [closing HUGE A MOUNTS OF one point.” ceremony creative director] He adds: “At the time, a lot of CONFIDENCE AND A multi-camera Kim Gavin. It was a humbling concerts on television CLEAR DIRECTION. experience but exhilarating,” were really boring. I used to love Hamilton recalls. going to gigs, jumping up and Taking the opening ceremony out of the down and becoming immersed in the experience, but Olympic Stadium and into the living rooms of a that didn’t come over on television. With The Prodigy worldwide audience numbering 900 million was there was so much energy and passion, and I found a not a job for the fainthearted. way to shoot music live and give it a sense of occasion “I get unbelievably nervous and have moments and energy.” of panic, but as a director you have to step into the The Blackpool-born Hamilton’s career had taken gallery with huge amounts of confidence and a clear a sharp turn and there was no going back. direction,” says Hamilton. “The stakes are so high – The multi-camera director has gone on to direct you’re only nano-seconds from complete and utter half-time Superbowl shows featuring The Who and disaster at any point. The highs are really high but the Beyoncé, countless MTV and Brits Awards and live lows can be really low.” concerts by Coldplay and Jay-Z. But his TV career Aside from the Olympics, Hamilton picks Robbie started on a smaller stage. After leaving university, he Williams at Knebworth and U2 in Boston as his trained as a producer with the BBC in Northern highest highs. And the lowest low? That came directing Ireland and Scotland, working on youth programming. his first live event, a 1996 MTV show in Hamburg. A move to London at the behest of Janet Street-Porter “We came off air an hour or so early. I had to plead brought work on BBC Two youth strand DEF II, with MTV Network control to take us off air because including the Rough Guide To… travel shows. 18