MLB All-Star 2019 Wrap-Up: Vendors Unite in the Compound, on the Set for Fox, ESPN, MLBN Recapping Game Creek, NEP, Filmwerks, Arctek, CES, and Harb efforts in Cleveland By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Tuesday, July 16, 2019 - 12:59 pm
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Here's a look at the roles played by key vendors - Game Creek Video, NEP, Filmwerks, ARCTEK, CAT Entertainment Services, and Harb Productions - inside the MLB All-Star 2019 truck compound and on studio sets at Progressive Field in Cleveland for Fox Sports, ESPN, and MLB Network.
Game Creek Video Trucks Drive Fox, MLBN Productions
Game Creek Video's trio of Encore mobile units housed Fox Sports' MLB All-Star Game production for the second consecutive year.
The Game Creek Video team with the Encore mobile unit at Fox's MLB All-Star compound
The control rooms for the game production and the onsite studio shows were located in Encore's B unit (to serve the studio shows, a Grass Valley Karrera switcher panel took 2 M/E from the primary 9 M/E GV Kayenne K-Frame switcher). Encore, which features an Evertz IP router and state-of-the-art infrastructure, offered plenty of firepower for Fox's massive All-Star Game production, which featured 39 cameras (including 15 high-speed systems) and 15 EVS servers (including 10 EVS XT4K systems).
As far as Encore goes, even with all these cameras - many [of which] are super-slo-mos - we still have the availability to put in about 18 more cameras and 10 more EVS [servers], says This truck gives you almost unlimited flexibility. It's a really great home for Fox to showcase the All-Star Game, but it also helps us to find out what we need to do during postseason. This helps us define what we are going to do moving forward with Fox, and Encore gives them a lot of options.
MLB Network once again used all Game Creek Video trucks (overseen by Game Creek Video Engineering Manager George Bailie) for its All-Star production with one notable change: the Pride mobile unit (A and B) replaced Riverhawk as the home of its onsite studio shows. Maverick and Edit 3 handled the world-feed production for the third straight year, and Webby was deployed on the Red Carpet Show production.
NEP's EN1 Quintet Returns for ESPN HR Derby Coverage
NEP's EN1 fleet of trucks (A, B, C, D, and an E equipment hauler) was home to ESPN's Home Run Derby production for the sixth year in a row. Three separate control rooms served ESPN's cavalcade of productions in Cleveland: one for the Derby and the Celebrity Softball Game (taped on Sunday and aired on Friday night), one for onsite editions of Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter, and one dedicated to ESPN Deportes' coverage of the Derby and the All-Star Game.
NEP's EN1 engineer-in-charge Bruce Hogenboom aboard NEP EN1 at ESPN's compound in Cleveland.
The truck already had two control rooms, which are used during the NFL season for ESPN's Monday Night Football game production and studio show, and a third control room was built in the graphics area of the A unit (graphics was moved to the D unit).
With the Grass Valley Kayenne K-Frame [switcher] with 9 M/E available to it, we can easily accommodate three control rooms. Not a lot of trucks can say that, says NEP EN1 Engineer-in-Charge Bruce Hogenboom. The infrastructure is already in place, so it's not very difficult just to plug the additional control panels and things like that in for this show. We're also sharing all sorts of cameras back and forth, which is what EN1 does really well by design.
Filmwerks Rolls Out Sets for Fox, MLB Network
Filmwerks provided all sets for both Fox Sports and MLB Network. Fox also worked with Filmwerks to create an on-field rover set (dubbed the Frover for Fox rover) along the first-base line that can be struck and carted off the field in less than minutes in advance of first pitch.
Fox Sports' on-field set at MLB All-Star in Cleveland
The Frover takes the concept of the [mobile] set we did for MLB Networks to the next level, says Filmwerks Project Manager Bill Talaska. It's got the double-acting cylinders, so the roof comes down very low. It's all hydraulic steering so it can bring itself out here to the field and back. And it folds up to a nice tight little package. What's new [compared with the MLB Network set] is, this one actually has a load-supporting roof that we can put lights on.
In addition, Fox is using SportsTime Ohio's set in centerfield, which is based on the Filmwerks-designed set that Fox used at the 2016 World Series featuring the Indians. Filmwerks added an awning and rebranded it with Fox Sports wrapping and flooring for the All-Star Game.
MLB Network brought back its primary rover set on the field, which can be struck and carted off the field in less than six minutes, as well as a secondary set near the right-field foul pole - both supplied by Filmwerks.
Filmwerks also worked with the league to create a DJ booth high above left field for the in-ballpark experience.
ESPN Adds Redundancy With Arctek Satellite Uplink
In addition to its primary fiber and backup IP transmission paths, ESPN enlisted ARCTEK Satellite Productions' Green Ku satellite truck to provide a satellite uplink for its telecasts of the Home Run Derby and ESPN Deportes' coverage of the All-Star Game. A backup IP transmission link and a satellite uplink were provided by Arctek.
ARCTEK Satellite Productions' Green Ku satellite uplink truck provided another layer of redundancy for ESPN in Cleveland.
We specifically added a satellite truck this year as a backup because we felt that was the most reliable in order to ensure redundancy for a big event like this, says ESPN Remote Operations Manager Paul Horrell. The thinking behind that is, we've used IP backup with great success
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MLB All-Star 2019 Wrap-Up: Vendors Unite in the Compound, on the Set for Fox, ESPN, MLBN Recapping Game Creek, NEP, Filmwerks, Arctek, CES, and Harb efforts in Cleveland By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
