Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

NCAA Men's College World Series 2024: ESPN's Cameras Take Viewers Deeper Into Wild Atmosphere in Omaha

17/06/2024

NCAA Men's College World Series 2024: ESPN's Cameras Take Viewers Deeper Into Wild Atmosphere in Omaha MindFly BodyCam, UmpCam, live drone, and aggressive mic placement highlight a loaded production plan By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital

Monday, June 17, 2024 - 3:37 pm

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

June in Omaha is a sports television tradition.

The relationship between the NCAA Men's College World Series and ESPN traces back to the roots of live sports on cable TV. The Worldwide Leader has been broadcasting games of this event since 1980 - less than a year after the network first went on the air. And yet, one could already make a strong argument that this 2024 edition might be the most exciting MCWS ever.

Camera operator Shane Marshall captures North Carolina's Vance Honeycut following his walkoff home run at the NCAA Men's College World Series on Friday. (Photo: Josh Lavallee/ESPN Images)

Walk off winners in the first three games of the dual double-elimination bracket tournament for the first time ever.; the second cycle in series history; and iconic defensive plays in the outfield lit up the opening weekend. And that's not even touching on the innovation that ESPN has brought to cover all of the excitement of this star-studded field.

College baseball and the Men's College World Series as a whole continue to thrive, says Phil Orlins, VP, Production at ESPN. Viewership and the scope of the production continue to increase each year. The long run of MCWS has always made this a great place to try new technology and in recent years the NCAA and the umpires have been great partners in allowing us to bring the coverage closer to the action than ever before.

On Board With Blue A wealth of resources has been made available at Charles Schwab Field Omaha Schwab for the production team headed up by Scott Gustafson, ESPN's production lead for college baseball. Most notable among the specialty camera lineup at this year's MCWS are the return of the RF UmpCam worn on the mask of the home plate umpire and the debut of the Mindfly AI BodyCam on the chests of the first and second base umps.

An umpire wears the Mindfly AI BodyCam during a game at the 2024 NCAA Men's College World Series. (Photo: Josh Lavallee/ESPN Images)

The MindFly BodyCam gets us unprecedented access and intimate views, says Orlins. The chest mount with AI stabilization provides a comfortable and smooth viewing experience while bringing the viewer onto the playing field like never before.

Here's a clip of the Mindfly AI BodyCam in action:

--

The Mindfly BodyCam vest, which is worn underneath the umpire's top shirt, is a system that has become increasingly popular at ESPN over the past month. It was worn by a backup goalie during pregame skate prior to a Stanley Cup Final game and by a referee during a UFL Playoff game.

UmpCam - which is proved by 3G Wireless - is being made available on the UmpCast AltCast on ESPN+ for all games, before getting the promotion to ESPNU for the Finals.

On the Field and In the Skies The front bench working in the truck in Omaha producer Bill Palladino, directors Scott Johnson and Jeff Evers, technical director Bob Yodice, and associate directors Brian Zwolinski and Heather Wilson are also painting gorgeous pictures all week long thanks to continued expansion of cameras that has established themselves at this event.

An angle that has become a staple at this event - and made its debut at the Women's College World Series earlier this month - is the on-field shallow depth-of-field cinematic camera.

On-field camera operator Shane Marshall with his rig on the field during the 2024 Men's College World Series.

(Photo: Joshua R. Gateley/ESPN Images)

This year's rig, which is operated by cameraman Shane Marshall, is a Sony A7 on a Ronan gimbal. It has permission from the NCAA to be in the dugouts and make its way out onto the field to track action during moments when the ball isn't live, including following a home run hitter around third and to home plate and pitchers coming off the field after closing out an inning.

The College World Series offers a unique stage where the stakes are so high and the players are so animated, and the Shallow Depth' is the perfect camera to bring this high drama home to the viewer, says Evers. [This] is a special setting for this camera because Shane is allowed to operate the camera in the dugout while play is going on. This gives us the ability to capture unique angles and images of players and coaches that we would not be allowed to capture in an MLB game.

A pair of NEP Fletcher Nucleus 4K pan-and-scan robotics are recording at 240 fps (frames-per-second). This one pictured is shooting down the third baseline. (Photo Courtesy: Phil Orlins/ESPN)

Meanwhile, up in the Omaha skies, a live drone returns as part of the arsenal, acquiring atmosphere from the city, as well as the stadium. Its most aggressive move has been in being able to fly above the playing field and escort in a pitcher entering from the bullpen.

We were successful in launching that initiative last year and the results were spectacular, says Evers. The images were incredibly powerful. This year, with the help of the NCAA, we are going to try a couple of additional drone movements inside the stadium to further bring the viewer at home closer to the experience of being in the stadium.

The drone, which pilot Mike Shea operates, is a product of ESPN's internal drone group.

ESPN's camera plan at the 2024 NCAA Men's College World Series includes seven super slow-mo cameras and four large lens manned cameras. (Photo: Joshua R. Gateley/ESPN Images)

ESPN operations has secured three hotel rooftops, as well as space at the Omaha Convention Center, the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridg
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/06/17/ncaa-mens-college-world-series-...
See more stories from svg

North America Stories

17/03/2026

FCC Announces TV Translator Call Sign Changes

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/03/2026

2026 NAB Show Offering Free Show Floor Passes to Creators

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/03/2026

QuickLink's Latest StudioEdge Models to Make North American Debut at NAB 202

QuickLink's Latest StudioEdge Models to Make North American Debut at NAB 202 Brie Clayton March 16, 2026 0 Comments The Multi-platform Remote Gues...

17/03/2026

Frankenstein Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio

Frankenstein Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio Brie Clayton March 16, 2026 0 Comments Sonnenfeld enhances the controlled interplay between warm and c...

17/03/2026

New Voyavox from Link Electronics with Real-Time Speech-to-Text Captioning to be Featured in NAB Booth #W2910

New Voyavox from Link Electronics with Real-Time Speech-to-Text Captioning to be...

17/03/2026

Berklee City Music Stewards META Fellowship Supporting Massachusetts Music Educators

Berklee City Music Stewards META Fellowship Supporting Massachusetts Music Educa...

16/03/2026

DAZN to Stream NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tourneys Free in Select International Markets

DAZN will allow fans in select international territories to watch the NCAA men&#...

16/03/2026

IDM and Skate Board Association Announce Arena and Training Complex Planned for Big Bear Lake

IDM and The Skate Board Association (SBA) have announced a partnership with Coop...

16/03/2026

NAB 2026: Solid State Logic Introduces ST 2110-to-Dante Converter

Solid State Logic (SSL) will debut the Net I/O ST 2110 Bridge at NAB 2026 (booth C6907), a standalone unit that converts between ST 2110 and Dante audio formats...

16/03/2026

NAB 2026: Marshall Electronics Launches First 4K All-IP Weatherproof NDI Camera

Marshall Electronics (Booth C8339) is introducing its first all-IP 4K POV camera, the CV574-WP, at NAB 2026. The camera carries an IP67 weatherproof rating for ...

16/03/2026

Sony Expands Camera Authenticity Solution to Support Video

Sony Electronics' Camera Verify (beta), a feature of its Camera Authenticity Solution which enables news organizations to share content authenticity informa...

16/03/2026

FloSports and Storied Sports Partner on Women's and College Sports Content

FloSports has announced a partnership with Storied Sports, a content and IP studio founded by former espnW and The Players' Tribune executives, to develop s...

16/03/2026

Montreux Jazz Festival Names Gravity Media as A/V Production Provider

Montreux Jazz Festival has announced a multi-year collaboration with Gravity Media, who will become the Festival's Audio Visual Production Provider followin...

16/03/2026

USSI Global Names Ralph Annunziata Senior Vice President of Operations

USSI Global, a provider of customized network, broadcast and digital signage systems and services, has announced Ralph Annunziata joined the company on Jan. 5 a...

16/03/2026

NAB 2026: Boland Communications to Show New OLED Displays and Video Wall Applications

Boland Communications (booth C3519) will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 in Las Vegas, ...

16/03/2026

ST 2110 On The Go? A Peek Inside BRISK, FOX Sports' Broadcast Remote IP Studio Kit

Built in partnership with Diversified, the system As the sports broadcast indus...

16/03/2026

Amagi Report: FAST Viewership Up 21%, AI Adoption Growing Across Media Operations

Global FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) viewership grew 21% year-over-year ...

16/03/2026

Behind The Mic: Netflix, NBC Tap Matt Vasgersian to Call MLB and Tony Dungy Is Out at NBC

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...

16/03/2026

L3Harris Carries Goddard's Legacy Into a New Era

Dr. Robert H. Goddard and a liquid oxygen-gasoline rocket in the frame from which it was fired on March 16, 1926, at Auburn, Massachusetts. Credit: NASA....

16/03/2026

L3Harris Military GPS Receiver Deliveries Surpass 100,000 Units

Precision-guided munitions shown in production illustrate one of many operational systems benefiting from modernized M-Code GPS, supporting assured positioning,...

16/03/2026

A+E Global Media Signs New Multiyear Deal With Nielsen Covering Audience Measurement and Media Intelligence

NEW YORK - March 16, 2026 - A E Global Media and Nielsen today announced a new,...

16/03/2026

Spectrum Launches Multiview for March Madness

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/03/2026

Ikegami To Spotlight Latest UNICAM 4K-UHD Cameras At 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/03/2026

A+E Global Media Signs New Agreement With Nielsen

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/03/2026

Shotoku Brings Broadcast-Grade Control to PTZ with New Au...

Shotoku USA, Shotoku Broadcast Systems' North American operation, will unveil significant additions to its platform at NAB 2026. Topping the list is the wor...

16/03/2026

Ikegami to Showcase Latest Generation TV Production Camer...

Ikegami USA will demonstrate the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast-quality cameras, controllers and monitors on Central Hall booth C3819 during th...

16/03/2026

[Updated] Carr Threatens Broadcast Licenses Over Iran War Coverage

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/03/2026

ELEMENTS launches GRID at NAB Show 2026

ELEMENTS launches GRID at NAB Show 2026 Brie Clayton March 15, 2026 0 Comments North Hall, Booth N1717 ELEMENTS returns to NAB Show 2026, with an exp...

16/03/2026

Blackmagic Design Cameras Capture Artist Salavat Fidai's Micro Sculptures

Blackmagic Design Cameras Capture Artist Salavat Fidai's Micro Sculptures Brie Clayton March 15, 2026 0 Comments 6K sensor and open gate capabilit...

16/03/2026

DHD to Introduce Latest Generation Broadcast Audio Mixers at NAB 2026, Las Vegas

DHD to Introduce Latest Generation Broadcast Audio Mixers at NAB 2026, Las Vegas Brie Clayton March 15, 2026 0 Comments Hero image: Front of DHD RM1 P...

16/03/2026

Netflix Has Released the Trailer for 'Love at Last,' Starring Eda Ece and Kaan Yildirim

Back to All News Netflix Has Released the Trailer for Love at Last, Starring Ed...

15/03/2026

Carr Threatens Broadcast Licenses Over Iran War Coverage

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/03/2026

Study: Applied AI Moving Into Core Media Workflows

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/03/2026

GlobalM to Showcase Live IP Media Transport at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/03/2026

Milano Cortina 2026 - Yospace helps ad-funded rights-hold...

Yospace, the trusted leader in Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI), stitched 5.4 billion one-to-one addressable OTT advertisements across the 17 days of Milano Cortina 2...

14/03/2026

Telestream Advances Production-Ready AI Across Its Product Portfolio

Telestream Advances Production-Ready AI Across Its Product Portfolio Brie Clayton March 13, 2026 0 Comments New AI capabilities drive smarter automati...

14/03/2026

Kraken Graded in DaVinci Resolve Studio

Kraken Graded in DaVinci Resolve Studio Brie Clayton March 13, 2026 0 Comments Senior Colorist Dylan Hopkin delivers the first Scandinavian feature in...

14/03/2026

Tedial Powers the Future of Media Operations at NAB Show 2026

Tedial Powers the Future of Media Operations at NAB Show 2026 Brie Clayton March 13, 2026 0 Comments Transforming Media Through Intelligence, Flexibil...

13/03/2026

SVG Sit-Down: Net Insight's Andreas Eriksson on Scalable, Predictable Live-Media Infrastructure

Recently named CEO Andreas Eriksson has taken the helm at Net Insight at a pivot...

13/03/2026

Scripps Sports To Broadcast First PWHL Game on National TV in U.S.

Scripps Sports and Ally Financial are partnering with the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) to broadcast its first game on national linear televisio...

13/03/2026

Disney+ Follows in ESPN's Footsteps With Launch of Verts Vertical Video Feed on Mobile

Disney+ has launched Verts, a vertical video feed on its U.S. mobile app, markin...

13/03/2026

LTN and Appear Announce Integrated Solution for Live Event Video Transport and Distribution

LTN, a managed IP video transport company, and Appear, a live production technol...

13/03/2026

PFL Signs Betting Data and Streaming Agreement With Sportradar

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has announced an agreement with Sportradar for global betting data and streaming rights. Under the deal, Sportradar becom...

13/03/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 7: Milwaukee Brewers' Jami Patton - Game Pres with the Brew Crew

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...

13/03/2026

Peacock To Add Vertical Video Option for Live NBA Games

The streamer will be the first entertainment platform to offer AI-enabled vertical video for live games, starting with the NBA...

13/03/2026

Ease Live Deploys Interactive Overlay Platform on Red Bull TV for Premier Padel

Ease Live, an Evertz company specializing in interactive graphical overlays, has deployed its platform on Red Bull TV for Premier Padel coverage. The deployment...

13/03/2026

ESPN's Andy Jacobson on Pushing the Envelope to Debut MNF Playbook'

Monday Night Football, ESPN's premiere NFL property, has continued to be improved and upgraded from a production perspective. Alternative broadcasts are aug...

13/03/2026

NAB 2026: Net Insight Introduces Nimbra 520 Media Processing Node

At NAB Show 2026, Net Insight (booth W1653) is introducing the Nimbra 520, a high-density media processing node for live contribution and distribution across ma...

13/03/2026

NAB 2026: Harmonic Takes Wraps Off Spectrum X Plus Media Server

Harmonic (booth W2831) has announced Spectrum X Plus, the newest generation of its Spectrum X media server, offering double the channel density of previous gene...