Live from Final Four: Kansas' Rock Chalk Video Finds Dramatically Different Role In Latest Championship Run Video team partnering with communications to dedicate more efforts to digital and social distribution By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Saturday, March 31, 2018 - 11:12 am
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The last time the Kansas Jayhawks were in the Final Four, it was in 2012. Six years may not seem like a long time, but its lightyears in the world of video production and distribution.
Want some perspective on just how much things have changed for Rock Chalk Video Kansas Athletics' in-house video production arm at an event like this? In 2012, the team's chief role was to capture footage to build internal materials and for historical archive. Behind-the-scene footage at the Final Four was seen by maybe 200 people at a special dinner for university boosters at the end of the academic year. This week, a video of the team celebrating their dramatic victory over Duke in the Elite Eight to qualify for the Final Four was seen by more than 624,000 people on just Facebook and Twitter alone.
It's amazing says Douglas Shepperd, Associate Director, Video Services for Kansas Athletics. Now all these people are able to see this stuff. There's so many moments that are so powerful than so few people were seeing that, now, we're getting out in front of everyone and we're doing it super quick when it's still very relevant.
It s been an emotional ride but we wouldn t change a thing. This is family. #KUbball pic.twitter.com/LwSn9xFrW3
Kansas Basketball (@KUHoops) March 26, 2018
Rock Chalk Video which was founded in 1999 by its current director Mike Lickert has long served as the brains behind Kansas' in-venue videoboard shows but, at an event like this, their roles and demands shift dramatically. Now there's a much greater focus on acquiring compelling behind-the-scenes content, exciting player footage, and insider access that fans of the Jayhawks have never enjoyed before on a stage like this.
.@Devonte_Graham4 wants to do it for the #KUbball family. pic.twitter.com/JJi4vkS00b
Kansas Basketball (@KUHoops) March 30, 2018
Going to a Final Four, its really hard to get back here., says Shepperd. We're very fortunate and blessed to work at a school where we're working with a big-time program year in and year out but getting here seems like it's going to happen and often it doesn't.
In addition to Shepperd and Lickert, the Rock Chalk Video team here on site includes Associate Director, Video Services David Pedersen, Technical Services Manager Andy Leslie, Director/Editor Kayla Higginbotham, Video Services Specialist Connor Lowry, and Video Production Specialist Tim Cornell. When back on campus, the team is typically supplemented with a stock of 15-20 at any given time.
Douglas Shepperd, Kansas Athletics
Here in San Antonino, the crew is shooting primarily with a Sony A7S and a Sony FS7 that they has customized for some slow-motion shots. The FS7 is outfitted with an AbelCine HDX35 Mark III B4 Optical Adapter that pairs with a big B4 lens. It's smoother functionality that the Rock Chalk Video team likes, offering a fast servo zoom as the camera shoots at 180fps. A few of the team's cameras are coupled with Sony 55mm lenses and there is a Ronan Gimbal being used by one of the shooters at events like Friday's open practice.
Events like a Final Four can certainly be a catalyst for the team videographers to want to go above and beyond in the collection of content, but Shepperd advises other schools fortunate enough to be in this position to grab as much content as you can get but don't introduce too many new wrinkles that could upset the apple cart.
Always try to capture the moment, says Shepperd. Whatever access you can get, take it, but the last thing that you want to do is be a distraction to the team. If you've never been in the coaches meeting room, don't just show up and say I need to get this because we're at the Final Four.' That's going to make all of the players and coaches uncomfortable. So don't take the moment for granted and don't just change your game plan. Everyone in your department has a routine.
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Live from Final Four: Kansas' Rock Chalk Video Finds Dramatically Different Role In Latest Championship Run Video team partnering with communications to dedicate more efforts to digital and social distribution By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
