Live From NFL Draft: AT&T Stadium Provides Open Canvas' for Largest NFL Media Draft Production Ever

Live From NFL Draft: AT&T Stadium Provides Open Canvas' for Largest NFL Media Draft Production Ever The Draft airs on broadcast TV for first time, with Fox simulcasting NFL Network's coverage of Rounds 1-3 By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor

Thursday, April 26, 2018 - 2:58 pm

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Each year, NFL Media rolls out an NFL Draft production that is larger than the previous one. This year, though, the league's media arm is taking it to a whole new level. With the Draft located in an NFL stadium for the first time and NFL Network's early-round coverage being simulcast on Fox (marking the Draft's first appearance on broadcast television), NFL Media has rolled out its largest Draft production to date at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.

We truly have an open canvas [at AT&T Stadium], as opposed to other locations, like Radio City [Music Hall], Chicago, and Philadelphia, which were all great but had their limitations in terms of space, says Dave Shaw, VP, production, NFL Media. We've got a lot more room to work with here both inside and outside, which makes the setup easier, and we have a much bigger set than in the past, when we were trying to fit in some tight spaces. We're in one of the largest stadiums in the league, he says, adding, Yet we still want to give it an intimate feel.

The Fox Factor: Co-Branding at the Draft

Although NFL Network and Fox Sports coverage will be co-branded and the on-air talent combined (Fox Sports' Troy Aikman, Joel Klatt, and Jay Glazer are joining the coverage), NFL Media is overseeing the entire production in Arlington. Fox will take a clean feed from NFL Media and insert its own ticker and branding at the Fox Sports broadcast center in Los Angeles.

It's a great partnership so far, says Shaw. It's exciting to have another outlet to broadcast the Draft because it means [that] even more fans will get to watch the picks.

Fox will carry Days 1 and 2 in primetime but not Day 3.

Inside the Compound and on the Sets: More Space = More Freedom

For the second consecutive year, NFL Media has rolled out Game Creek Video's Encore (A, B, and C units) to serve NFL Network's growing Draft production. Encore is serving NFL Network's two primary sets: the interior set inside AT&T Stadium and the exterior set at the NFL Fan Experience.

The 40 40 exterior set, provided by Filmwerks, is fully enclosed and climate-controlled, but the front windows can be opened, weather permitting. Steve Mariucci, Steve Smith Sr., and Aikman will man the set on Day 1; Chris Rose, Peter Schrager, and Klatt will take over on Day 2.

The outside set, which features three hard cameras and a jib, will undergo a makeover each day: casual d cor for Good Morning Football featuring comfy chairs and a front table will be converted to a traditional desk setup for NFL Network's Draft coverage in the evening on Days 1 and 2. On Day 3, the exterior set will become the primary location (the setup inside will be disassembled), and picks will be made remotely from team facilities around the country.

NFL Media's (from left) Adam Acone, Christine Mills, and Dave Shaw

The 40 40 footprint gives us that flexibility to do those set changes, says Adam Acone, director, media operations and planning, NFL Network. We have a lot more operational space than in the past, not only for our technical equipment but [also for] VIP viewing areas and whatever production needs.

The set inside the stadium is part of the theater design created by NFL event-production partner C3 Presents. It's larger than NFL Network's interior sets in previous years, allowing the operations team to deploy a longer jib arm in addition to four pedestal cameras.

Last year, in Philadelphia, we had a much smaller footprint because we were working in a much smaller overall space. Here, we have a lot more operational space, so that gives us more freedom and room, says Acone. The [longer jib arm] allows us to show off the scale of the stadium and the theater. You're going to have 23,000 fans in here, so we'll really use that jib to [create] relationship shots from the crowd down to our desk.

The interior set will be manned by Rich Eisen, Mike Mayock, Daniel Jeremiah and Stanford head coach David Shaw (Day 1) or Charles Davis (Day 2). NFL insider Ian Rapoport will have his own location near the stage on Days 1 and 2.

On Red Carpet, Social Media Takes Center Stage

Game Creek Video's Pride (A and B units) is also on hand in the overflow compound outside the stadium, producing Good Morning Football each morning and NFL Network's Red Carpet Special prior to the start of the Draft on Thursday.

The Red Carpet production continues to grow each year and not just on the linear-TV side. In addition to two NFL Network positions (featuring Melissa Stark, Kay Adams, Michael Irvin, and Nate Burleson speaking to prospects), NFL Media will have a sizable social presence, including live-streaming #NFLBlitz coverage on Twitter with Marc Istook and Erin Coscarelli.

The main social activation, notes Christine Mills, director, remote operations, NFL Media, is for the prospects to spin a giant wheel with 32 team locations on it to determine their destiny. In addition, we have a #NFLBlitz location, which is new to the carpet this year.

Going Big on Cameras: TechnoCrane, JitaCam, and StradaCrane

NFL Network's camera complement also continues to grow. The network is deploying 32 of its own cameras in Arlington and also taking 12 feeds from ESPN.

With more space to cover inside AT&T Stadium, NFL Network has rolled out a MovieBird TechnoCrane to create epic, sweeping shots. This position will be integrated for AR virtual graphics, marking NFL Networks' first use of AR at the Draft. In addition, a JitaCam has been positioned above the t

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2018/04/26/live-from-nfl-draft-att-stadium...
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