For Live Sports People

[bdmovies]

Can I get a rundown of your schedule on gameday? I'm really trying to make our production look pro, but it's difficult when you've got 7 hours of school, 2 1/2 hours of play practice and 2-3 hours of debate practice on a regular basis. So time is of the essence and I really want to make the best of EVERY second I have. I'm just looking for some advice. Basically I've got 3/4 cameras, hopefully commentators and replay. Also we are using KLTV's sports skin, hopefully a new updated version w/ the crawl and input boxes comes out b4 Oct 23. I do multiple things during the show: Direct, TD, Graphics, Audio, Produce?, and replay and anything else that is in the control room, I'm the only one in there :) so any time saving advice from you guys?

[kltv]

Our schedule varies depending on how much cable stringing and setup is involved. For our baseball tournaments we usually setup a day or two in advance since we have to run cable to most of our locations. But for basketball we have cables run to all the camera locations and can be set up and ready to go in about half an hour. We just drive the truck up and plug in.

If you want player lower thirds, type them all in advance. That can take some time. If you can get all the teams rosters and pretype all the lower thirds and save them before the season starts or before game days, that can keep the stress lower.

My advice if you are going to be in the truck yourself is to try and keep it simple and straight forward. Don't go super crazy on your scoreboard. I put options in there for flags and clocks and innings and pitch counts, but if you are by yourself I wouldn't try it. It can be really hard to remember to update it while you are trying to switch the show. So stick with the important stuff, periods/quarters and the score.

Audio should be okay. Hopefully you can set it and somewhat forget it. Just keep an eye on the levels and don't forget a mic for natural crowd sound.

If you are doing replays with the VT DDR you may want to look at this scripting I made for doing replays. I made this to help people quickly cue replays for sports. Not everybody can do it fast enough, so this adds a replay button to your DDR... http://www.gurrad.com/kris/Instant_Replay.zip You can customize which DVE it loads and the amount of time it back it cues the replay. It is set at 10 seconds by default. Place it in the VT4\Skins\DDR2\MainWindow\Default directory to make it available to the DDR. Then right click on a DDR and choose the Instant_Replay skin. You'll see the new button show up to the right of the selection/project buttons.

And I am looking in to the crawl options, but I'm not sure what the outcome will be. I do plan on working on that and the volleyball and hockey versions this weekend... hopefully.

There are lots of folks on here doing sports productions with the VT. You are in good hands here.

Kris

[bdmovies]

Thanks for the advice. Yes although it's not a "truck" it's an actual control room (somewhat) I don't have to worry about running cable for most things. It's mearly running a couple of cables from the CR, easy enough. My goal is to have a pro style district tournament and broadcast it on the web. That's in late October, and then basketball starts. And yes, I have most definetly forgotten to update scores, or I've updates the wrong score before. Thanks for the advice.

[Tarheel Cougar]

I'm not sure what kind of timesaving advice you are looking for. But having done high school and college sports for about 13 years I can try to give some tips that have helped us.

The most time-consuming part is the setup and breakdown. If you can get your camera cables on reels with your video, audio, intercom all on one cable or several cables tied together, it makes running them much faster. We also throw down rubber mats instead of taping each cable when possible.

At our home stadium, we pre-wired it with video and audio so all we have to do is roll up, set up cameras, and plug the truck in.

Delegation of duties and smart packing is key also. We leave our announcer headsets hooked up to our clearcom talkback boxes so we only have to make minimal connections when we arrive. Also, switching to an LCD monitor helps us make fewer trips from the truck to the press box because of the weight. And I can't emphasize the importance of a crew that knows what they are doing, it can make everything go so much faster.

For a 6 camera football shoot, it takes us about 2-2.5 hours to set up everything but graphics and match colors. And this is working with high school students with little or no training.

For a clock, we try to use a PIP rather than try to keep up with the time ourselves, that way we know is accurate. (Not the score digits, just the time). Also, in the past we have had a looping jump back with our logo in front of it as a "replay wipe" -- we just play the loop continuously, dissolve from live action to the loop, then to the replay, then back to the loop and to the game. That is until we can get something done in LW.

What other kind of tips were you looking for?

Good luck!

Jared Amos

[vanderwielen]

These are helpful tips. We set up 6 cameras for football, 3 announcers, wire the ref, crowd mic and so on.

Our setup is typically:

Football - 3 hrs (pizza for crew takes 1/2 hour)
Basketball - 1.5 hours
Baseball 1.5-3 hours
Soccer 1 hour (3 cameras)

the most time saving aspect of our set-up has been using camplex (www.camplex.com) units which remote the camera, program audio, intercom, tally light and remotely power the cameras... all thru a flexible rb59 coax. it save alot of time versus stringing large snake and making all the bnc, 1/4", xlr connections...which eventually fail.

tear down is where alot of mistakes are made since everyone is in a hurry. piling up cables in a heap will cost you. but dont forget a walk thru to make sure you put everything away.

[Jim_C]

Our set up is in theaters, but the goal is the same. Set up a bunch of stuff and chase kids around with cameras.. :)

I would emphasize packing and casing.
Everything has a place (ONE place) and a place for everything (ONE place). Make sure everything has cases or heavy duty carrying bags. Make sure everything is labeled as to where it goes and make sure it is all put back in that place.
Color code your cases to match various functions. Cables, cameras, intercom, and pack it all together (colors).

If you are packing it in a truck or even a room pack it according to what you need first. The first thing you set up should be the first thing you can touch and get to. So packing it back into the truck, pack the last thing needed first.

Have a written inventory of each case and what goes in it. Keep copies. It is very handy to give to new recruits to stick in their back pockets. Helps if you need to send them for something and really helps when loading up.
Also let's any temporary help that might have sticky fingers for fancy gadgetry know you are on top of your inventory.

Prewire as much as possible.
And wire management is key. Bundle wire runs as much as possible. Make common paths for back and forth wire runs. Might take a little more cable then going straight point A to B, but will look much better.
Learn the over/under for wire coils. Fire anybody immediately if you see them wrapping a cable around their wrist and elbow. ;)

Think dressing(care of cables and visual appearance of set up) and looking professional. If you have to tape something and it is in public view, use black gaff tape (or color matching what you are taping to.)
Carry different size sections of black drape to cover or wrap ugly tripods, road cases, crew, etc.

As for your control room. Since you are a one man show, get or create a big U shaped desk. Even using tables. Try to be able to reach everything by swiveling in your chair.

And having something to dump to in case of an emergency. Even a VHS deck with a looping logo or such. If you plan for a disaster there is less of a chance of it happening than if you had not.

Good Luck

Jim

[bdmovies]

Thank you all for the advice so far. These are very helpful hints.

[ncsu1]

Since I'm literally just getting started (got a VT4 unit yesterday) with the same kind of stuff.. what are some recommendations.. for anything really.. I just need ideas. What do you guys use for the long distance wiring, for starters anyway.

[PIZAZZ]

For the systems we built for the NCAA we designed a system using flexible/durable Cat5 cable and custom balun boxes. We can do up to 1000' with this design. You would never be able to do that with normal video cables.

We have been extremely slammed with these and unfortunately haven't had much time to take pictures. I promise I will post some pics and info soon.

The basics of the design is there is a box under each camera between the camera and tripod plate. That camera box has 2 Ethercon Cat5 connectors on it in the front. The back has a 3pin XLR for Communications out. There are also Tally lights on the boxes for the camera operators to see who is live and on air. The Ethercon Cat5 connectors are a much more durable version of the RJ45 that is used in the live sound/lighting industry. It locks in the jack when inserted. It can't be pulled out inadvertently like a regular RJ45 connector.

The cables we supplied for NCAA are 2 x 100' and 2 x 250' with some female to female cable joiners. I still subscribe to the common rule of never using more cable than you have to. We need 2 Cat5 cables in this design so that the Y/C signal and 2 audio channels run down one Cat5 and then Com and Tally run down the other Cat5. We loomed the 2 Cat5 cables with a product called Techflex so that they are all in one run to lay out. Each cable run is wound up on a cable reel.

These cables run from each camera back to the custom TriCaster rackmount we built that has the other end of the baluns in it along with a TriCasterPro and the com power supply. The TriCaster rackmount is 5 rack spaces tall and 16" deep made out of aluminum and SECC steel.

Each Ethercon panel mount is color coded either Green or Red along with the ends of each cable. A 5 year old can set this up. I know I tested it with my own son.

With our current Cat5 Balun design we could do Composite, Y/C, or Component video along with Tally signal. We will have the complete kit available as a simple addon for any video switching system. You can use it with a TriCaster or VT or ???.

[Tarheel Cougar]

Jef, I was looking at balun systems for permanently wiring a gymnasium and possibly an auditorium and would be very interested in seeing how cost-effective it is compared to traditional cabling, especially at extended distances (200'+). We wired thousands of feet of BNC and XLR's in our football stadium a few years ago and while they have served us well, having the extended distance and tally would be great. We also have multicore BNC/XLR reels in our trucks but are limited in distance. Can't wait for pics!

Jared Amos

[ncsu1]

What about a more basic setup?

[vanderwielen]

Tarheel and NCSU, what kind of cameras are you using?

[PIZAZZ]

What about a more basic setup?

What do you mean like more basic?

6' SVideo cables from Radio Shack basic?

1 camera basic?

Depends what you are trying to do. There are many ways to skin a cat.

[PIZAZZ]

Jef, I was looking at balun systems for permanently wiring a gymnasium and possibly an auditorium and would be very interested in seeing how cost-effective it is compared to traditional cabling, especially at extended distances (200'+). We wired thousands of feet of BNC and XLR's in our football stadium a few years ago and while they have served us well, having the extended distance and tally would be great. We also have multicore BNC/XLR reels in our trucks but are limited in distance. Can't wait for pics!

Jared Amos


Jared, The balun solution is quite cost effective. The majority of the time, as long as you are aiming for long distances, Cat5 and Baluns are very inexpensive. They are even more cost effective in permanent situations since the Cat5 cable can be the normal 8-10 cents a foot type of cable. The flex Cat5 cable we used is definitely not in that range of cost but it is still cost effective compared to regular video cables at over 100' distances.

[ncsu1]

nothing fancy at the moment.. DV Cams and those types... not going for quality to start with, more just getting it. I was thinking S-Video Baluns with CAT5

[PIZAZZ]

nothing fancy at the moment.. DV Cams and those types... not going for quality to start with, more just getting it. I was thinking S-Video Baluns with CAT5

OK that is some good info. Y/C baluns and Cat5 is NO sacrifice in quality. You will get the same quality as any plain jane Svideo cable.

We will also have a more basic balun box for Cat5 solutions that only uses 1 Cat5 cable. The box will have Y/C, 1 channel of audio, and tally possible with it. If you don't want to use tally then you could have stereo audio from the camera.

We implemented the audio from the camera to help with the Natural/ambient sound. We don't have the expense of shotgun mics or have to worry about one more thing to setup and tear down.

[Tarheel Cougar]

Tarheel and NCSU, what kind of cameras are you using?

Mostly a random mix because of differing funding levels and different needs at the times they were purchased. With our truck we have a DSR-300 with a 18x lens and 2x extender (eng and studio kits), a pair of JVC DV 5000's with studio and eng kits (we have ccu's for them in the studio but just run BNC in the field), a pair of Sony HVR-Z1U's, a Sony PD-170, and a Sony DSR-200. We use the smaller cameras for talent in the booth and for clock, and also sideline. Somehow, they all match very well for the most part!

NCSU: Our reels are a few years old but similar to these: http://www.markertek.com/SearchProduct.asp?item=RAVR. I would certainly look at the balun route now. Since you are a NC native you may want to check us out at cougarsportsnet.com (http://www.cougarsportsnet.com), we did the football state championships last year at Duke and have some pics in the photo gallery. This is a school program with high school kids that I volunteer with. We soon hope to stream our games online since we have a Tricaster in hand.

Thanks for the info, Jef. I think for permanent installations Cat 5/6 may be the way to go. I'll definately keep an eye out!

Jared Amos

[Jim_C]

A lot of live event folks here from the Carolinas.

We are stationed in Myrtle Beach, but our events are all over the country.

We shoot with Sony DXC637 3ccd betacam units. CCU's in the truck.

Usually 1 or 2 at regional events but up to 7 at the finals....

Wish there was a more central (and closer) meeting spot for us all to chat and chow.
Not a whole lot of Video/Broadcast going on here in Myrtle.....

http://tinyurl.com/lhool

http://tinyurl.com/hp8od

Jim

[bdmovies]

Is anyone from here from Central Florida?

[billmi]

Yes, I am over in Brevard county.

[doc debolt]

for the stuff we do - we mainly use Triax setups - carries your power, video, tally, clearcom, return feed to cams, etc...

expensive - but worth it.

doc

[pmisisco]

I'll throw in my two cents... We shoot with five Canon GL-2 cameras (soon to be upgraded), which are equipped with Camplex Pro-X1 coax units. We've also got a sixth box camera we use as a general POV/beauty shot. We've been pretty happy with this setup, it's turned out to be easier than we thought to match cameras without real CCU's. We're looking at picking up some more modern cameras, but haven't quite decided which ones yet.

Our VT4 is set up in a rather unusual configuration - it's only used as a CG and as a clip player, upstream of a Sony BVS-3200 switcher. We use Kris Gurrad's scoreboard scripts extensively, with our own graphic templates. Replays are done with a pair of BUF Sport DDR's. We love them. The truck itself is a converted amulance - which we're also looking at upgrading.

Pictures of our truck, in various incarnations, can be seen here: http://members.fcac.org/~pmisisco/

[Tarheel Cougar]

I just had to laugh because we are also in what was once an ambulance but now a "Cambulance"! Nice pics. We also had a Yamaha Promix01 inside until it died about 2 years ago, now we have a larger console. We switched from a 12 input Echolab to a Panasonic MX70 switcher at about that time. (We got the MX70 so we could ditch our TBC's, as you know ambulances aren't very roomy). I'm waiting for the new VT software before I think about putting our VT inside, our system isn't yet stable enough for me to send it out on the road confidently. We use a Compix for CG.

Who did the wrap/paint on the exterior?

[bdmovies]

Okay, thanks for the advice. I have been getting input from several different people (in different places) and I am glad that to see that the info matches up from everywhere. But now I have a new question. What kind of documents to you use. I am a very organized person but I don't know what kind of things I should be making.

[pmisisco]

I just had to laugh because we are also in what was once an ambulance but now a "Cambulance"!

Cambulance! That's fantastic... I actually need to put some updated pictures of the interior on my site. The audio mixer has since been swapped for a Behringer DDX-3216. Our VT4 was built by Encompass Media (out of PA, I beleive) and has proven to be road-worthy. It's been racked up for 5 months now, with no problems at all.

The graphics on the outside of the truck were done by a company in Chantilly, VA called M&M Graphics. It's a wrap on the box portion, and paint/decals on the cab. The wrap was done in 2003, and is really starting to wear out.

I saw your pictures via a link in a previous post... Good stuff. It's nice to see other people in the same line of work!

[bdmovies]

What kind of documents to you use. I am a very organized person but I don't know what kind of things I should be making.

Bump...

I'm looking for time sheets, ddr records, cg stuff...the normal stuff in a truck. While I have been in a truck for a Orlando Magic game, I didn't not find out about paperwork

[kltv]

The only things I really have on me are CG related items. I usually have line-ups and rosters and that's about it.

If I had commerical breaks to worry about I'd have the logs with me too, but I haven't needed that so far.

As far as DDR replay stuff, usually I try and set the in and out points on the replay clips while I still have them in the DDRs, then copy and paste them over to the VT-Edit storyboard to cut them together with some transitions for half-time or end of game playback. I don't really have to write anything down unless I want to remember specific clips for some reason. Like a really controversial play, or a cool slam dunk. Something like that.

Kris