Live from the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup: Fox Sports Studio Eiffel Tower Backdrop Dazzles By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Sunday, June 30, 2019 - 11:58 am
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The 2019 Women's World Cup marks the third time that Fox Sports has faced the challenge of finding a location for its studio show that not only captures the identity of a nation but also will wow viewers. In 2015 the backdrop was Vancouver Harbor with its dramatic mountains and buzzing seaplanes. For the 2018 FIFA Men's World Cup in Russia the backdrop was Red Square in Moscow. And this year Fox Sports has again found a backdrop that is, literally, priceless as the studio's location at the Trocadero in Paris gives viewers back an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower. Drive Studios, based in Los Angeles, was tasked with the challenge of creating a studio environment that would connect it to one of the world's most iconic landmarks.
Rod Conti (left) and Rob Mikulicka oversee operations at the Fox Sports World Cup set in Paris.
The first thing we saw was the color as well as the steel and crossbeams so we wanted a set that would have a steel look as well as match the color to the best of our ability, says Rod Conti, Fox Sports, VP of World Cup Operations. And then at night the color on the set has the same orange laid into it that is seen in the sparkles on the tower.
Cross beams were incorporated into the set's walls and fleur-de-lis patterns can be found in the walls as well. A touch screen monitor in the main set is also available and can be moved around as needed.
Design touches in the Fox Sports World Cup studio embrace the Eiffel Tower aesthetic.
The specific location on the Trocadero is behind the Caf de l'Homme but the Caf itself has been transformed into an operational hub for the studio team. There are also two additional shooting options via a stand-up set with touchscreen as well as a caf table.
The original plan was for the restaurant to be open and home run the cameras from here [to Los Angeles, says Conti. But when we were in Russia last year and looked at what was back of house there, we knew we could get lighting and audio into what would have been a small space here.
Once the decision was made to take over the restaurant a full production team was able to be on site, creating a more cohesive team as both talent and production personnel could work side by side. At its height there were upwards of 120 people on site. The control room for the studio show is located in NEP's Aurora OB unit, home to the video department, the front bench team, audio mixing, and control of robotic cameras on set. One big change from 2015? EVS and graphics operations are located in Los Angeles where the studio show content is finalized before being played out to viewers.
The Fox World Cup studio design reflects reflects the Eiffel Tower girders.
It's one of those things that makes and sense and so far, has had some hurdles but it has been easily done as communication has been great [with the team in L.A.] and it's been working pretty seamlessly.
A key part of the Fox Sports studio show philosophy is to not employ glass walls behind the talent, a move that removes the possibility of glare and also gives the entire studio a more open and connected feel to the surroundings. Soft curtains can be repositioned to deal with weather issues and given that the studio in Vancouver was basically in front of a harbor that doubled as an airport the team long ago learned how to overcome any audio issues that might arise from background noise.
The Fox Sports World Cup studio also features a smaller outdoor set.
Trocadero is a busy place and is a center point for everything from protests to picnics. And physically its stone surface make it seem as solid as, well, rock. But underneath its hard shell is a soft underbelly of caverns and tunnels.
It's hollow underneath so weight became a big issue as we were limited to 400 kilograms per meter, says Conti. The most difficult thing was reducing the weight and size, so it took a couple of engineering groups to do that.
With the tournament's final three games this week all being played in Lyon the Fox Sports venue production team will be in motion, complementing the efforts from main studio.
Kevin Callahan, Fox Sports, World Cup, director of technical operations, says Fox Sports had two separate plans for contingency plans for the final three matches depending on whether or not the U.S. was playing.
We hoped all along the U.S. would make it and our goal is to take the viewer to where the fans are so we will have shots of the American Outlaws, the U.S. fan club that follows the international teams.
We will have shots of them walking to the stadium and then shift to an outside presentation platform at the stadium provided by FIFA TV and HBS, says Callahan. Announcer Jenny Taft will be there and once the fans are inside the stadium, we will go to the usual pitch side position with Alex Curry and then Jenny will move inside. Basically, wherever the fans are we'll have coverage.
The Fox Sports World Cup venue kit will be in Lyon with two technicians who will ensure signals get back to the IBC properly. Camera shading will also be done from Lyon.
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Live from the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup: Fox Sports Studio Eiffel Tower Backdrop Dazzles By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
