ESPN Mikes Up Players, Conducts FaceTime Interviews During Four-Game Spring Training Slate

ESPN Mikes Up Players, Conducts FaceTime Interviews During Four-Game Spring Training Slate Simple setup of an Apple iPhone, AirPods generates endless possibilities By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor

Tuesday, March 9, 2021 - 10:44 am

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After a frigid winter across the United States, all 30 MLB teams have flocked to the warmer weather of Florida and Arizona for 2021 Spring Training. Regional sports networks are busy providing games for their local markets, but for the four-game national schedule on ESPN, the broadcaster highlighted their coverage with multiple mic'ed up players and FaceTime interviews that were held in places like the dugout, clubhouse, or even a two kinds of transportation.

We had interviews with [Chicago Cubs outfielder] Jason Hayward on a golf cart talking about the weather that's coming and [Tampa Bay Rays outfielder] Kevin Kiermaier joined us from his car while he was about to go get a haircut in Port Charlotte, FL. says Phil Orlins, senior coordinating producer, ESPN. It was great to have opened a world to unlimited access to the players.

Set in Seoul: KBO Coverage Inspires Remote Interviews Over FaceTime ESPN used FaceTime for real-time interviews, including this one with Dominic Smith of the New York Mets.

Nearly a year after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still lessons and techniques being used by the production team. During the network's extended coverage of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), operations and productions were pushed to the limit to provide synchronized commentary with action that was happening on the other side of the globe. With a world feed coming from Seoul, South Korea, Orlins and company began laying the ground work for what was used during the 60-game regular season in 2020 and the current iteration that was used for Spring Training.

We wanted our coverage to also have a talk show format, says Orlins. In the world that we're living in, the whole key was easily accessing players anywhere via FaceTime. Back in Bristol at our central control room, we were able to sync everything up perfectly with almost no latency. We had around three to five guests on 150 games last season.

Due to physical limitations and access to players, the sports-video-production industry began to move away from the customary interview setup with manicured lighting and environment control. The virtual world has given way to more immediate availability, but productions are not as tethered as they used to be.

Game cameras were also used to capture full body shots of the players.

We began to realize that there were no [technological] limitations because we weren't tied down to a truck or satellite feed, he continues. It rapidly went from Can we possibly get this guy?' to He can join us from his home since he's only a one-minute call away.'

Fast-forward to last week's quartet of games and the workflow has relatively stayed the same. On-air talent still reported from offsite locations, including play-by-play commentator Karl Ravech in Bristol, CT, analyst Tim Kurkjian in Maryland, and analyst Eduardo Perez in Miami. While these interviews occurred over FaceTime, the behind-the-scenes setup was pretty minimalistic. The only issue that arose was when the broadcast cut to a full body shot on the main game cameras.

Every question and answer had about a two-second delay on those, but were in perfect sync with our broadcast team, adds Orlins. We sometimes went to the game camera to show the dugout or a shot of the player talking on the phone from a distance, but we kept the telecast on the FaceTime camera for the most part.

In the Field: Mic'ed Players Offer Inside Access and Spontaneous Commentary In what has become a Spring Training tradition, the network is upping their access by micing a select handful of players on the field. Prior to the stoppage of last year's Spring Training, the Chicago Cubs' corner duo of first basemen Anthony Rizzo and third basemen Kris Bryant wore microphones during a matchup against the Los Angeles Angels. This example leveraged the more traditional wired lavalier microphone that's attached to the jersey. This spring, ESPN opted for a more simplified version with Apple AirPods and an iPhone in their back pocket:

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Players already own their Bluetooth headphones, so this couldn't have been any easier, says Orlins. There was the initial debate of whether or not it looked right, but from the outset, I felt that it was going to create more natural-looking shots in a more relaxed environment.

Randy Arozarena and Brett Phillips of the Tampa Bay Rays are mic'ed up during their game against the Boston Red Sox.

In both instances of these real-time interviews, ESPN worked diligently with both the league and the participating teams to get appropriate clearance. Before selecting a player, MLB and the team need to clarify who is making the trip and who will be penciled into the lineup. From a team's perspective, the organizations have been more than willing to take part in this endeavor to grow the sport and highlight some of baseball's most notable names.

We had some guys call in on their own phone and use their own headphones, but we put an ESPN-owned phone in each dugout that they're able to pass around, continues Orlins. We wanted to keep a transmission path on FaceTime open throughout the course of the game.

Rolling With REMI: Bristol-Based Control Room Handles Remote Production ESPN's headquarters in Bristol was the center of their production efforts during the Spring Training period. REMI-style shoes were more prevalent than ever last season, and the network flexed their muscles once again with a standar

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/03/09/espn-mics-up-players-conducts-f...
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