Live From MLB at Field of Dreams: Sports Meets Cinema as Fox Sports Delivers Epic 4K HDR Production Fox Sports' Michael Davies: Yes, it's a baseball game, but it's more than that.' By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Thursday, August 12, 2021 - 4:30 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
It will be a beautiful blend of the past and the future on Thursday night as Fox Sports delivers a special, 4K HDR live production of the MLB at Field of Dreams game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox (7 p.m. ET, Fox) from the famous Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville, IA.
Fox Sports will broadcast the MLB at Field of Dreams game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox on Thursday evening.
At a new field constructed by Major League Baseball just for this game, Fox Sports has deployed a crew of more than 240 people and an arsenal of nearly 40 cameras, 50 microphones, and a commitment to deliver this game in a cinematic way that promises to make it quite different from a typical broadcast.
Yes, it's a baseball game, but it's more than that, says Michael Davies, SVP, field operations, Fox Sports. We want to make this like a movie. So we'll use cinematic techniques to tell the story. If there ever was a made-for-TV type of event, this is it.
Fox brass acknowledges that this is a unique broadcast for them. The broadcaster has a legacy of deploying flashy, futuristic tech for a big project. However, for an event so steeped in legacy, folks like Davies; VP, Field Operations and Engineering Brad Cheney; Director, Field Operations, Francisco Contreras; and Lead Tech Producer Tom Lynch wanted to integrate technology that would deliver a classical feel, rather than a futuristic one.
A total of 40 cameras and 50 microphones will cover the field built by Major League Baseball a quarter of a mile from the original Field of Dreams movie site.
Normally, if this was the All-Star Game or the postseason, you'd throw all the tech at it, says Davies. That's not this kind of game. We're using the technology to make this seem more like a movie. We looked at tools that could help us make this a more dramatic event.
Among those tools are drones (three supplied by Beverly Hills Aerials), a two-point FlyCam aerial camera system spanning the 1,429 ft. from the movie site to the MLB field, two shallow-depth-of-field Megalodons (each equipped with a mirrorless Sony A1 camera and transmitted to the truck by CP Communications), and a DirtCam buried just off the left-handed-batters box.
Also adding to the classic feel is an entirely new graphics package designed just for this event. Fox Sports EVP/Creative Director Gary Hartley and his team have created a package that doesn't look at all like Fox's usual MLB scorebug and insert graphics.
Although the game will be upconverted from 1080p HDR for delivery to homes in 4K HDR, the majority of the show will be captured by cameras shooting in 1080p, 4K, and even 6K (in the case of the drones provided by Beverly Hills Aerials).
The production compound at the Dyersville site is anchored by Game Creek Video Encore and is located just off the third-base line of the MLB field.
Delivering in 4K HDR, Cheney explains, offers a cinematic look to begin with. With the grass and the colors, you're able to capture the contrast that 35mm film gives you. HDR gives you that same ability. I think that's going to translate across, especially to the viewers watching at home on television. You're going to capture the feeling of a movie with the crispness, the detail, and the contrast.
To meet the challenge of this production, Fox Sports has brought in its top talent, including at the front bench of Game Creek Video's four-truck Encore unit. The Emmy Award-winning tandem of Producer Pete Macheska, Director Matt Gangl, and Technical Director Paul Harveth is at the front bench. In addition, top A1 Joe Carpenter is overseeing the unique audio footprint.
Gangl joked to the Chicago Sun-Times that he lost track the number of times he has watched Field of Dreams in preparing for Thursday's broadcast. He expects to direct the game in a much different way from his usual approach to a regular-season game.
Drones and other aerial cameras will play a key role in the Field of Dreams broadcast.
It is an interesting balance because everything we do as we move forward in sports television is advancing technology, Gangl said to the Sun-Times. More super-slow-mo, more big lens, higher-speed cameras. To me, it's using those things in a way that is a little more cinematic than standard game coverage. As much as I love great tight shots, and we'll find those emotion shots, I think there's going to be a lot more resetting grander shots, sweeping motions, things that give us place and proximity of where this event is taking place.
In addition, Cheney notes that he and Gangl took four trips to the Dyersville site over the past year and that, although production and operations teams plan together on a regular basis, there was a new level of creative collaboration for this project.
We were able to find solutions together that each of us may not have thought up, he says. It's a great process to be able to work together with Major League Baseball, walk into a place, say This is what I want to do,' and work together to find a way to make that happen.
For pre/postgame coverage, Fox Sports has built a studio set positioned just over the left-field wall.
The studio team, headed by Fox Sports VP, Studio Operations, Rod Conti has delivered a design unique to this event. The pre/postgame set is located over the left-field wall amidst the stalks of corn. During the game, however, it will aesthetically disappear.
According to Conti, MLB wanted a clear outfield t
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Live From MLB at Field of Dreams: Sports Meets Cinema as Fox Sports Delivers Epic 4K HDR Production Fox Sports' Michael Davies: Yes, it's a baseball game, but it's more than that.' By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
