Dancing with the Stars Ireland – Season 5 (RTÉ / ShinAwiL, 2022)
Role: Production Assistant & Video Editor
Produced by: ShinAwiL for RTÉ One
Aired: January–March 2022
After a two-year break during the pandemic, Dancing with the Stars Ireland returned for its fifth season in January 2022. The show came back with a new judge, several new professional dancers, and a new filming location that, thankfully, was much closer to home.
Being full-time Production Assistant at ShinAwiL, I joined the production from the very beginning. Well before the official lineup or judging panel had even been announced. Using the camera and Adobe editing skills I learned in college, I filmed and edited interviews and run-throughs with and for the producers and RTÉ during the judge selection process. It was exciting to be involved in those early stages, months before the public knew what was coming.
Soon after, I went on location to film the opening scene for the new season and help shoot the idents and promo visuals used throughout the series. These included the clips and photos shown when each couple is introduced at the start of their dance. It felt incredibly glamorous, even if I did end up with green paint on my favourite skirt while helping to prepare the green screen area.
When the show went live, I created the weekly dance announcement videos for social media. I edited the clips, sent them to one of the producers for notes, made adjustments, and delivered the final versions for posting. I also started a small creative side project, editing rehearsal versus live performance comparison videos. Since I didn’t have access to the production Dropbox, I went directly to the dancers who I’d gotten to know over the weeks of prep. They sent me their favourite rehearsal clips. That collaboration became one of the most enjoyable parts of the season for me. Another element of the show I enjoyed was getting to know the camera and sound crew who were filming the BTS footage used in the weekly “how they got on” type videos. I had a set number of video drives to manage for the three units so there were a lot of phone calls, and driving to drop off and/or collect hard drives to bond over.
For three months, my weekends were dedicated to DWTS. I managed the cue sheets, often reprinting and updating them right up to the live broadcast. It was hectic, sometimes chaotic, but at the energy of a live production made it all fun. I did at times have help from another PA or two, which made the rush more manageable.
As with Last Singer Standing, I handled post-production delivery by dropping the recorded shows to the post house, collecting the final tapes for RTÉ, and archiving each episode in-house.
The long hours and constant pace made it an intense but unforgettable experience, and one that shaped my understanding of live television production.