Live From FIFA World Cup: Fox Sports Spreads Impressive Studio Presence Along Doha Bay Four separate sets are churning out prematch, halftime, postmatch content at the Doha Corniche By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor Saturday, December 3, 2022 - 8:45 pm
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There's the idea that studio coverage needs to create its own environment, and then there's the philosophy of Fox Sports' remote studio operations at the FIFA Men's World Cup in Doha, Qatar. Blending unique applications of creativity and technology with the natural and man-made beauty of the city, the broadcaster has developed four sets along the Doha Corniche, the 4.4-mile waterfront promenade that hugs Doha Bay.
We put a lot more attention into not only being correct or architecturally appropriate into the area but making [our sets] shine, says Rod Conti, VP, remote studio operations, Fox Sports. It has definitely become the star of our shows.
Doing The Homework: Fox Sports Spends Two Years Charting Out Every Detail Host Rob Stone at the main desk in front of the Doha skyline
Mesmerizing fans at home with bright lights, swooping shots, and bursting energy took two years of planning, planning, and execution by the Fox Sports team. As the city of Doha rose to meet the gargantuan expectations of hosting an event like the FIFA World Cup, Conti and his team chose a location that would identify for viewers what city the tournament is being played in. For past events, this meant choosing St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square for the 2018 FIFA Men's World Cup in Moscow or the Eiffel Tower for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in Paris. Unlike those two cities, however, Doha is only 127 years old and still developing into the modern age. The crew had some searching to do.
The pentagram-shaped set features LED displays supplied by Creative Technology.
When we came to Qatar, they didn't have [an iconic location] that stood out since it's a fairly new country, says Conti. When we were looking around for different options, which involved the Souq Waqif, Al Bidda Park, and the museums, we understood that this is a country on the move when we saw the downtown skyline. We've seen it grow incredibly, and everything started to come to life very quickly.
Pieces like Persian pillows, hand-made pottery, and desert rose crystals represent Qatari culture.
Working closely with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, a Qatari-run group that oversees delivery planning and operations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Fox Sports zeroed in on the Doha Corniche: a popular meeting place for locals and tourists alike that provides tantalizing vistas of the skyscrapers and the Doha Bay section of the Arabian Gulf. Since the skyline is continually growing vertically, Conti and VP, Field Operations and Engineering, Kevin Callahan wanted to marry this burgeoning town with its roots.
A digital-only set is opposite of the main structure.
We took the dhow boats, which we noticed were an older part of their pearl-diving history, and we said, You know what? The contrast of the old and the new might be the backdrop,' adds Conti. We saw this picture in our heads and knew that we wanted to have this spot.
Pen was put to paper, and conceptualizations became drawings. Collaborating with Los Angeles-based |drive| studio, Fox Sports EVP/Creative Director Gary Hartley and Art Director Johnny Cho produced the final blueprint for the project. Aiming to showcase the culture and daily life of the host nation, the pair made sure to feature work of local artists on the building's exterior and integrate symbols and iconography: rectangular flags on the ceiling to honor the Qatari passion for falconry, Persian pillows and tapestry, hand-made pottery, and desert rose, a rose-like crystal that can be found in-country.
A Flycam and Technocrane 22 are deployed at the Doha Corniche.
Planning transitioned into real-world construction in the latter part of 2022. With the set pre-built in Fox Sports' Charlotte, NC, facility and shipped overseas in 46 containers, operations shifted to Doha in mid September. As the sets were installed and put into place, the home of the onsite production team - a control room positioned within a temporary compound a few hundred feet from the sets - needed to be built as well. That project started on Oct. 1 and was completed on Nov. 10, 10 days before the competition's opening match between Ecuador and Qatar.
Inside the Design: Accounting for High Winds, Meshing AR With LED Floor Dhows floating in Doha Bay
With a beautiful vision, the broadcaster faced several challenges with the locale. With massive expanses of desert surrounding Doha, rain isn't part of the weather forecast, but high-intensity winds are. Although the windiest part of the year is February with an average speed of 10.9 mph, average speeds can reach 9.3 mph between Nov. 14 and April 15. Given a breeze from a large body of water and loose sand from the country, Conti deemed it necessary to have fail-safes and called in Filmwerks, Fox Sports' partner on other remote builds this year: the NASCAR Clash at the Coliseum in February, the 2022 Daytona 500 two weeks later, and MLB at Field of Dreams. Responsible for overall construction of the full 148- x 33-ft. footprint, Filmwerks implemented a system of glass windows that would block the wind and prevent debris from entering the set.
Every wall can be covered and protected within 30 minutes with our sliding system, he points out.
Alexi Lalas shoots a segment with a Technocrane 45.
With questions about the wind answered, the finished product has turned into an expansive presence featuring non-conventional shapes and workflows that have elevated every show. Each of the four spaces has its own distinct purpose. For example, a digital-only structure
