NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships: ESPN Deploys On-Screen Data Markers, Extra Robos to Deliver Deeper Coverage
16/04/2021
Friday, April 16, 2021 - 11:58 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
It's a big weekend in the gymnastics world as the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships makes its first ever live appearance on broadcast television.
An ESPN crew of more than 50 people is on-site at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX to deliver live coverage of the event which begins Friday with Semifinal I at 1 p.m. ET and Semifinal II at 6 p.m. ET (ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN App). However, it's the Championship Final which will be live on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC that has the teams visiting the North Texas region buzzing.
At the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, a jib is one of the tools being used to deliver access to the viewers at a time where social-distancing guidelines make it tough to get up close to the athletes for the ESPN production crew. (Photo Courtesy Maria Soares, ESPN)
It's so exciting, says senior coordinating producer Maria Soares, a 29-year veteran of ESPN who is overseeing her first NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship. And not only is the production team really excited about it, but every coach and gymnast, everyone that we talked to, it really is such a highlight for them. I think for them, it just represents the level of where the sport is, and really just how much the sport has grown. It's probably the second thing, if not the first thing, that everyone mentions as we walk around Fort Worth. So, yeah, it's a really big deal for everyone.
While COVID protocols are still very much in place, the ESPN operations team is overcoming various restrictions and access limitations with acquisition gear positioned to get the viewer closer to the action. That means more strategically placed robotic cameras and POVs, as well as a jib that will do its best to reposition itself throughout the competition.
There are approximately 17 cameras in the building with POVs locked off on each individual apparatus, as well as six cameras run by human operators, seven Marshall POVs, and the jib. Those unmanned units are mostly placed in backstage areas to capture athletes, surrounding events, and, ultimately, the trophy presentation on Saturday.
Director Dan McVan (left) and producer Cara Lagana rehearse the trophy presentation earlier this week. The Championship Final will air on ABC beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET. (Photo Courtesy Maria Soares, ESPN)
By nature of the sport itself, Soares says, we like to tell the story by being up close to the gymnasts that are on the floor. Given a lot of the protocols that we're working with this year, we had to just find new ways of telling those stories. We just had to be a little bit creative in how we get as close to the story and the gymnasts.
The producer-director team of Cara Lagana and Dan McVan will anchor the front bench in the production truck. This is Lagana's first NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship in the producer's chair after spending the last two regular seasons overseeing the network's coverage of the sport. She was slated to produce last year's championship before it was canceled by the NCAA following the COVID-19 outbreak. Soares, meanwhile, gave McVan kudos for playing a key role in shaping of the network's coverage in face of the on-site restrictions.
[Dan] has so much to do with how we're going to visually depict the sport, Soares says. He really has had to reimagine it with where we're going to have the different cameras.
The production team will also been implementing some fresh graphical elements to help tell the story of the tremendous athleticism of the student athletes. Included are height and distance markers on the vault, protractors for body angle and a height grid on the bars, and a split-o-meter on the balance beam. These aren't new elements for ESPN's college gymnastics coverage as it was utilized in the 2019 SEC season, but it's the first time the network has been able to utilize them this year due to the nature in which events needed to be produced. Naturally, Soares is excited to have them back.
Added graphical elements use unique measurements to display the athleticism of the competitors. (Photo Courtesy of ESPN PR; example from 2019)
It's cool for us to get to bring them back, she says, We've got our own truck on site and we're back with our ESPN production folks on site. We're really able to and enhance the sport the way we love to do it.
Anyone who has worked on a gymnastics event will tell you how challenging it can be to tell a live linear story for the audience at home. With so many things happening simultaneously, building to a dramatic championship moment doesn't come as easy as working to the end of a timed game might. Additionally, there's a higher likelihood for casual viewers with the Championship Final on broadcast on Saturday. These are all factors that the front bench is prioritizing in their storytelling heading into the weekend.
When you have four apparatuses going at the same time, your brain functions differently. Your producer functionality is different. I think that's what's unique, says Soares, who has experience working Olympics and Pan-Am Games in her years working at ESPN International. Basically, [the challenge is] how you manage the flow and how you prioritize between all these different things going on.
Senior coordinating producer Maria Soares (left) in the primary of two mobile production units on site with assistant director Robin Segreti (center) and producer Cara Lagana (right).
LINK: | https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/04/16/ncaa-womens-gymnastics-champion... |
See more stories from svg |
Most recent headlines
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
28/04/2024
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with URSA Broadcast G2
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...
29/03/2024
Dalet to Demo AI-Enabled Production, Automation and Monetization at NAB Show
PARIS Dalet has announced that during the 2024 NAB Show (booth #W1713), attendees can experience firsthand Dalet's collaborative, AI-enabled workflows that ...
29/03/2024
DirecTV Inks Deal to Carry 2024 Colorado Rockies Games
DENVER AND EL SEGUNDO, Calif. DirecTV has announced a new agreement with Major League Baseball that will allow Colorado Rockies fans to see this season's ga...
29/03/2024
S&P: Media, Telecom M&A Plunges to 13-Month Low
S&P Global Market Intelligence has released new data showing that dealmaking in the North America for media and telecom companies remains in the doldrums....
29/03/2024
NAB Show: Pebble Launches PRIMA Software Platform
EPSOM, Surrey, UK The automation, content management, and integrated channel specialist Pebble, has announced that it will be launching a new software platform ...
29/03/2024
Gray Television to Air Arena Football League Local Games
ATLANTA Gray Television Inc. has inked a multi-year agreement with the Arena Football League to bring Saturday arena football games over-the-air to local audien...
29/03/2024
Muvhango: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]
Muvhango: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African webs...
29/03/2024
Gqeberha: The Empire - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]
Gqeberha: The Empire - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South...
29/03/2024
My Brother's Keeper: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]
My Brother's Keeper: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The Sou...
29/03/2024
Umkhokha: The Curse - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]
Umkhokha: The Curse - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South ...
29/03/2024
Skeem Saam: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]
Skeem Saam: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African s...
29/03/2024
House of Zwide: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]
House of Zwide: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episode of South African soapie House of Zwide on The South African...
28/03/2024
No votes for all
Out of an estimated 20,000 journalists in Pakistan, less than one thousand are women according to a recent Gender Disparity Report published by the Internationa...
28/03/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know 8 Women Filmmakers With Shorts at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival
A still from Jasmin Baumgartner's Bye Bye, Bowser, which screened as part ...
28/03/2024
The Best Shared Storage For Video Production
alt= class=wp-image-12214 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Best-Shared-Storage-EVO-logo-960x540-1.jpg/> Embarking on a cinematic journey or crafting a ...
28/03/2024
Future-Proofing the B-52
L3Harris is upgrading critical electronic warfare systems to ensure the iconic aircrafts spectrum superiority for decades to come....
28/03/2024
Supporting the RCAF for more than 25 Years with L3Harris' WESCAM MX-Series
L3Harris' WESCAM MX-Series EO/IR systems have supported the RCAF for more than 25 years....
28/03/2024
ENCO to Add AI News Anchor to Qimera Virtual Production Set
NOVI, Mich. During the 2024 NAB Show, ENCO will be showcasing an AI-driven virtual anchor delivering live news from a realistic 3D virtual news set....
28/03/2024
Johan de Nysschen Named President and CEO of ARRI Americas
MUNICH ARRI has announced that Johan de Nysschen has been put in charge of the ARRI Americas team as president and CEO ARRI Americas Inc....
28/03/2024
Fubo Inks Carriage Deal with YES Network
NEW YORK The YES Network and FuboTV have reached a multi-year carriage agreement that will allow Fubo to launch YES in its Pro base channel plan in time for YES...
28/03/2024
Dalet to Demo AI-Enabled Production, Automation and Monetization at NAB 2024
PARIS Dalet has announced that during its 2024 NAB showcase (booth #W1713), attendees can experience firsthand Dalet's collaborative, AI-enabled workflows t...
28/03/2024
Blackmagic Design Used on 2024 Oscar Nominated Films
Blackmagic Design Used on 2024 Oscar Nominated Films Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments Blackmagic Design congratulates the many film professional...
28/03/2024
Arkona to Introduce BLADE//master Control and Orchestration Service at NAB 2024
Arkona to Introduce BLADE//master Control and Orchestration Service at NAB 2024 Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments New option for BLADE//runner ke...
28/03/2024
Join Maxon for NAB 2024
Join Maxon for NAB 2024 Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments Maxon returns to NAB with presentations by artists from around the world and demos of t...
28/03/2024
Boston Conservatory to Present Center Stage Production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Huntington
Boston Conservatory to Present Center Stage Production of A Midsummer Night'...
28/03/2024
The 4K cameras giving audiences an astronaut's view of Earth
TVBEurope meets Charles Black, founder and CEO of Sen, which has sent a payload of 4K cameras to the ISS to livestream images of Earth to audiences around the w...
28/03/2024
2024 Big Night In Raises $145k to Support Triangle Arts Councils
Capitol Broadcasting and WRAL-TV once again proudly supported our local arts community with the broadcast of Big Night in for the Arts Thursday, March 7, 2024. ...
28/03/2024
JIC, MRC Announce Accord On Roles In Judging Measurement Companies
With more companies offering different approaches to measuring television viewing and campaign effectiveness, two of the groups that evaluate potential media bu...
28/03/2024
Hulu Added to Disney Plus App for Bundle Subscribers
The Walt Disney Co. said that it launched Hulu on Disney Plus, which makes Hulu programming available via the Disney Plus app....
28/03/2024
GroupM To Double Ad Spending On Women's Sports Programming
Giant media buyer GroupM said it plans to double its media spending on women's sports....
28/03/2024
Scripps Renews State Farm As Sponsor of Friday Night WNBA on Ion
Scripps Sports said that State Farm has signed a new multi-year agreement to continue as the title sponsor of Ion's Friday night WNBA telecasts....
28/03/2024
Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington Sign On for Imperfect Women' on Apple TV Plus
Elisabeth Moss and Kerry Washington will star in, and executive produce, Imperfe...
28/03/2024
Telemundo Station Group Addresses Climate Change With Month-Long Initiative
Telemundo Station Group launches the month-long climate change initiative Our Planet Thursday, March 28. The multiplatform campaign ends on Earth Day, April 22,...
28/03/2024
Circle City Broadcasting Renews Nielsen Ratings Deal
Nielsen said that Circle City Broadcasting, owner of WISH-TV in Indianapolis, has renewed its local TV measurement deal....
28/03/2024
Lionsgate Extends Deal With Seth Rogen's Point Grey Pictures
Lionsgate Television said it extended its deal with Point Grey Pictures, the production company led by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver....
28/03/2024
Ariana DeBose Back as Tonys Host
Ariana DeBose returns as host of the Tony Awards Sunday, June 16, on CBS and Paramount Plus. It is her third consecutive time hosting, and it will be the 77th T...
28/03/2024
The Steve Wilkos Show' Renewed for Season 18
The Steve Wilkos Show has been renewed for its 18th season in national syndication, Tracie Wilson, executive VP, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios & E! News, sai...
28/03/2024
Sinclair Selects Embrace as Its Media Orchestration Engine
PARIS Embrace, a developer of advanced automation and orchestration software solutions, has announced that Sinclair Broadcast Group has selected Embrace's P...
28/03/2024
Nielsen and Circle City Broadcasting Renew Local TV Measurement Deal
NEW YORK Nielsen has a multi-year renewal with Circle City Broadcasting, Indianas only locally owned and operated broadcast and digital news media network, for ...
28/03/2024
JVC to Demo Its First Ever 40x Zoom PTZ Camera Series at 2024 NAB Show
LAS VEGAS JVC Professional Video has announced that it will debut its new KY-PZ540 Series PTZ Cameras with 40x zoom at 2024 NAB Show (Booth C4720)....
28/03/2024
Brightcove Launches Cloud Playout 2.0
BOSTON Brightcove has announced the launch of Cloud Playout 2.0, a platform that the company said will offer customers new ways to create linear channels, monet...
28/03/2024
NBC Sports Chicago to Air First-Ever Animated Real-Time Local Sports Telecast
The Chicago Blackhawks and NBC Sports Chicago have announced a collaboration with the NHL to bring fans the first-ever local animated real-time sports telecast....
28/03/2024
The Best News Coverage is Real, Live, Balanced, Professional
The Best News Coverage is Real, Live, Balanced, Professional Andy Marken March 28, 2024 0 Comments Hero image source News of the World, Perfect Wo...
28/03/2024
DJ Sbu makes shock return to SABC radio after almost a decade
DJ Sbu makes shock return to SABC radio after almost a decadeRevered radio host, media personality, philanthropist, and businessman DJ Sbu will finally be back ...
28/03/2024
Smoke and Mirrors: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]
Smoke and Mirrors: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South Afr...
28/03/2024
VEON Pays Back Outstanding Balance and Cancels its Revolving Credit Facility
28 Mar 2024 VEON Pays Back Outstanding Balance and Cancels its Revolving Credit Facility Amsterdam, 28 March 2024, 09.30 CET - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON, Euronex...
28/03/2024
TNT Sports Gets Its College Game On for March Madness Audio
TNT Sports Gets Its College Game On for March Madness Audio Marching bands, crowds make up for lack of court FX and wired players By Dan Daley, Audio Editor ...
28/03/2024
Cosm/ESPN Deal Will Bring NBA, NHL, Tennis, College Football, and More to Shared Reality' Venues
Cosm/ESPN Deal Will Bring NBA, NHL, Tennis, College Football, and More to Share...
28/03/2024
MLB 2024: The Famous Group, Miami Marlins Team Up for AI-Powered Intro for All 2024 Home Games
MLB 2024: The Famous Group, Miami Marlins Team Up for AI-Powered Intro for All 2...