Indy 500: IMS Productions Provides NBC Sports With Tech Infrastructure at Improved Indianapolis Motor Speedway 103 cameras will capture the largest sports event since the beginning of the pandemic By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor Friday, May 28, 2021 - 7:30 am
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The Indianapolis 500 is an annual pilgrimage for racing fans around the globe, and, after 2020 marked a hiccup in the yearly tradition, 135,000 fans will flock to the grounds of Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in the world's largest sports event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. NBC Sports will televise its third consecutive race with the help of IMS Productions, which is providing the broadcaster with a wealth of technology, including the use of a drone for the first time and worldwide transmission of action at The Brickyard.
We're excited about hosting 135,000 fans, says Kevin Sublette, president, IMS Productions. I wish we had the full 350,000, but we're going to take what we can get.
Covering Every Turn: 103 Cameras Include Aerial Drone, 15 Onboards, Seven Super-Slo-Mos The 2021 Indy 500 will be covered by 103 cameras.
Based on its massive size - IMS could fit eight famous landmarks in the infield of its 2.5-mile oval - the Indy 500 typically hosts more than a quarter of a million fans during a normal year. With so much land to cover, NBC is working in tandem with IMS Productions to deploy a fleet of 103 cameras to capture the moves of all 33 cars on the track. Topping the list is a new aerial drone, which will provide bird's-eye views of the contest from above.
It will be used for the pre-race and also during the race, which has never been done before, says Sublette. During the race, the drone's flight path will be between Turns 2 and 3, but, before and after the race, the entire facility will be in play.
We've had great success with drones on other events, and Sean Owens is an exceptional young director with great ideas, says Sam Flood, executive producer/president, production, NBC and NBCSN. He's going to work it in and make sure the camera has the quality and the look that takes us to the next level. The one hard part about drones is, they're not up in the air for a very long time. They're up in spurts, where he has to time out when he wants to [deploy] it. Does he want to do it for a restart? Does he want to do it for pit stops? It's a bit of a math equation, but it certainly is going to be beneficial in building the hype.
Along with the drone's debut at Indy, an age-old classic will be back at the track: onboard cameras. IMS Productions recruited the assistance of BSI to handle the RF services for the devices, which will be installed on 15 cars - an increase of one from the 2019 Indy 500. Lastly, the race will also use seven super-slo-mo cameras around the track for chances at engaging video replays.
In the Compound: Live Coverage With Two Trucks, Safety Protocols The compound includes IMS Productions' HD3 and HD5 mobile trucks.
Each year, IMS Productions pulls off an impressive task with a smaller-than-usual crew. This year, a total of 125 staffers will be onsite for Sunday's festivities. As for the mobile units they'll be working out of, the compound will look a bit different from previous years.
Pre-race is going to come out of our HD3 truck, which will then throw to the main truck, HD5, for the race, says Sublette, and we'll stay in that truck for all of the post-race ceremonies. It's a little bit smaller footprint, probably the smallest footprint in terms of mobile units that we've ever had for the Indy 500.
All camera feeds will be controlled from this location, which will also feature a handful of other technologies, including 85 channels of tape recording and 15 operators working with 17 EVS replay servers.
RF capabilities will be provided by two additional trucks dedicated to BSI.
Although COVID-19 cases are declining and vaccinations are available, IMS Productions is prioritizing crew safety. In accordance with Marion County medical officials, crew members are still required to wear face coverings and follow other health guidelines. In addition, two separate production annexes have been constructed to host staffers and ensure social distancing.
We have one annex that has EVS operators and another to control the 10 robos that will be used, Sublette explains. We're still maintaining at least a 3- to 4-ft. zone around each person, making sure we're changing out the MERV filters regularly, and not allowing people to go into other mobile units unless they have a purpose to be in there.
Connecting the trucks in the compound to the venue is a bit of a laborious task, and, after 145,000 ft. of Tac 12 fiber was laid for last year's race, cabling will be increased to 225,000 ft. this year.
Since we own all of the fiber, Sublette notes, we're responsible for deploying, maintaining, and bringing it back to the trucks the day after the race.
A Race for the World: International Feed Grows to 29 Broadcasters in 209 Countries NBC's Marty Snider (pictured), Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns and Kevin Lee will serve as pit reporters.
U.S. auto-racing aficionados always have the date of the Indy 500 circled on their calendar, but there are passionate fans of the sport outside the U.S. as well. For those looking to get their IndyCar fix for a race on the grandest of stages, IMS Productions is supplying a robust world feed.
Within the television compound, a comprehensive plan calls for the signals from IMS to be sent to SES in Hawley, PA, for distribution to 29 broadcasters in 209 countries. The number of broadcasters and countries has been expanded from last year, and IMS Productions is tasked with producing even more international coverage.
