Inside Fog Bowl 2.0: How NBC's Sunday Night Football Team Adapted on the Fly With SkyCam As fog blocked out cameras, the production team turned to SkyCam for primary game coverage By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Monday, October 23, 2017 - 5:02 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
When fog descended on Sunday night's Super Bowl LI Falcons-Patriots rematch in Foxborough, MA, NBC's Sunday Night Football production team was forced to adjust on the fly inside the truck. With high cameras blocked by the fog, SNF executive producer Fred Gaudelli, director Drew Esocoff, and their crew leaned heavily on the pair of SkyCam wired aerial systems at Gillette Stadium for the primary play-by-play coverage.
NBC Sports used its SkyCam system as the primary game camera throughout the foggy second half in Foxborough.
When the fog started rolling in [during the first half], it was crazy. I've never dealt with that kind of situation, says Esocoff. At that point, Fred said we were going to have to figure out another plan. I knew that SkyCam was used to cover every single play even though it is mostly used to go to tape, so it would be fine [for use as the live game camera]. Those guys, especially our pilot Cody Taylor and operator Ed Martino, did a fantastic job, and we were very happy with it.
The scene was reminiscent of the classic Fog Bowl 1988 NFC Divisional Playoff Game in which fog overtook Chicago's Soldier Field, creating a similar situation for CBS Sports' coverage of the Eagles-Bears matchup.
SkyCam Comes Through in the Clutch
The first hint of trouble happened just an hour before kickoff when SNF Technical Manager John Roch informed the production team that its fixed-wing aerial-shot plane was unable to take off.
[Prior to the game], it looked like a crystal-clear night, says Esocoff. When we found out our airplane couldn't take off, that was the first hint that something bizarre was about to happen.
As the fog worsened during halftime, Esocoff and Gaudelli plotted out their strategy.
Before the game, there was no sign of the fog to come at Gillette Stadium.
When the second half began, the main cameras that shoot the play-by-play action of the game seemed to be getting more milky by the second, Gaudelli said in an NBC statement. At that point, Drew and I talked about making the switch to SkyCam because both of them were the only unaffected cameras out of the 25-plus that we deploy. We knew we'd be making that switch pretty quickly, the way things were deteriorating visually.
Fortuitously, NBC was deploying two SkyCam WildCat Systems (both with Sony P1 cameras and Fuji 18 5.4 zoom lenses) for the first time on a regular-season game. As the fog grew worse during the second half, NBC's traditional SkyCam system served as the primary game camera, and the additional system was used for iso replays.
Being in live sports broadcast, we are always ready for either Mother Nature or technology to throw us a curveball, says SkyCam CTO Stephen Wharton. It was fortuitous, given the weather, that we had dual SkyCam WildCat systems deployed at Gillette Stadium, creating an opportunity to showcase two totally different looks: one focused on play action and one focused on tactical play development. We have great pride in being able to support this broadcast with our operating teams and technology.
Fog descended on Gillette Stadium, and, by the start of the second half, high cameras were essentially unusable for the NBC Sports production team.
By the end of the third quarter, the fog had become a central storyline and had to be covered along with the game, Gaudelli points out. Plus, we had fewer cameras to cover the game because of the conditions. Luckily, we had two SkyCams for this game, and that provided quality replay looks as well.
In addition to shifting SkyCam's role in the second half, Esocoff leaned heavily on his low-positioned cameras between plays.
I wanted to try to use my low cameras as much as I could, because I always wanted SkyCam ready for the snap of the ball, he explains. That was the biggest change. I didn't want to use SkyCam between plays like I normally would. The low cameras were less compromised [by the fog] than the high cameras. I couldn't be as aggressive between plays, but it wasn't overly complicated once we figured out the plan.
Impact on the Booth: Calling the Game Off-Monitor
The production team, however, wasn't the only group hindered by the fog. Up in the booth, announcers Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth struggled to make out the action on the field and were forced to call plays almost exclusively off-monitor.
I could see the field minimally, Michaels said in NBC's statement. I could see what the formations were, but, once the play started, it had to be off the monitor. You couldn't see a handoff or where a pass was going.
I thought back to when I did the [fog-covered] 1981 Gator Bowl. In those years, there was no SkyCam, but, tonight, our SkyCam was great. I couldn't see anything that night because the booth at the Gator Bowl was very high, unlike in Foxborough, where it's relatively low.
SkyCam as Permanent Game Camera? Don't Count on It
The SkyCam-heavy broadcast drew largely positive reviews from viewers and TV critics, with many comparing it to the primary view featured in EA Sports' popular Madden NFL videogame. Although the use of SkyCam as the primary game angle creates a dynamic new look, it also has its limitations.
NBC's two SkyCam systems played an integral role in covering the fog-enveloped field on Sunday night.
We've long talked about using SkyCam more in the live play-by-play coverage, says Gaudelli. However, what's stopped us is some of the system's limitations. For one, the ball is always moving away from th
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
29/04/2024
29 04 2024 - Media release Screen Australia announces James J. Robinson's debut feature First Light
First Light
Principal Photography is underway on Firs...
29/04/2024
Capitol Broadcasting recently became the inaugural company honored with inductio...
28/04/2024
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...
27/04/2024
On April 26, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher E. Kubasik joined CNBC's Mor...
27/04/2024
PORTLAND, Oregon Audinate Group Limited, the developer of the Dante AV-over-IP solution, announced significant new additions to Dante Connect, its cloud-based D...
27/04/2024
TORONTO Bell Media has launched 10 English and French-language FAST channels featuring entertainment, factual, news, and sports programming. The new free stream...
27/04/2024
An extensive new analysis of the news segments in the broadcast evening news programs of ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS has found that broadcasters devoted most of their...
27/04/2024
GERMANTOWN, Md. EchoStar's Hughes Network Systems has opened a new manufacturing facility and private 5G incubation center in Germantown, Maryland....
27/04/2024
Harry Pappas, one of three brothers who founded Pappas Telecasting Companies in 1971, died April 24. He was 78 years old....
27/04/2024
ATLANTA and LONDON Mexican telecommunications and broadcast company Televisa has selected Synamedia for an overhaul of its broadcast distribution....
27/04/2024
Participate in the Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry
Pascal Wagner April 26, 2024
0 Comments
By participating in this surve...
27/04/2024
SDVI Rally Access Workstation Earns Two Top Awards at 2024 NAB Show
Brie Clayton April 26, 2024
0 Comments
SDVI, the leading platform provider for clo...
27/04/2024
Berklee's Music and Health Institute Launches Community Health Musician Cert...
27/04/2024
Charter Communications reported higher first-quarter profits despite continued cord-cutting and competition for broadband customers....
27/04/2024
Two environmentally-focused groups are partnering to engage the unscripted TV world in finding better ways to address climate change. Reality of Change is an ec...
27/04/2024
Sarah Garcia has been promoted to weekend anchor at KTLM McAllen, Texas, known as Telemundo 40. Starting April 27, she will anchor Noticias Telemundo 40 weekend...
27/04/2024
CBS Sports said it launched a new 24-hour free, ad supported streaming television (FAST) channel devoted to the UEFA Champions League....
27/04/2024
Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts received $35.4 million in compensation in 2023, up 11% from the previous year, according to a proxy statement filed by th...
27/04/2024
Art Happens Here With John Lithgow, which sees the actor study dance, ceramics, silk-screen printing and vocal jazz with students in Los Angeles, debuts on PBS ...
27/04/2024
Remember Leave It to Beaver? Bewitched? Dragnet? When cable ratings were rising?...
27/04/2024
Next up for the weekend binge at Catchy Comedy is Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Every weekend, Catchy Comedy features The Catchy Binge, a marathon of a classic sitcom....
26/04/2024
Sundance Film Festival CDMX 2024 kicks-off today with screenings in 5 theaters in Mexico City and the opening-night film, FRIDA, directed by Carla Guti rrez...
26/04/2024
[Editor's Note: This interview is part of a larger feature about the women d...
26/04/2024
Once again this year, SGL Carbon opened its doors to interested children and young people. On the occasion of the German Girls and Boys Day, which took place on...
26/04/2024
Orders1 of $5.5 billion; book-to-bill of 1.06x
Revenue of $5.2 billion, up 17%,...
26/04/2024
Five Considerations For Communications Modernization In The 21st Century
In the digital-enabled battlespace, the Joint Force needs to shoot, move and communica...
26/04/2024
CBS Sports has launched Champions League as a new, 24-hour streaming channel that will serve as the year-round destination for nonstop highlights of the UEFA ...
26/04/2024
Despite tough competition in the streaming space, Roku reported solid results in Q1 2024, beating revenue expectations, with total net revenue up 19% YoY to $88...
26/04/2024
LONDON AND TORONTO Pinewood Toronto Studios has appointed Sarah Farrell as general manager of the Studios in downtown Toronto....
26/04/2024
Quantum to Offer Advanced Filesharing Technology and Performance in StorNext and...
26/04/2024
FilmLight Colour Awards welcomes 2024 entries and introduces new Emerging Talen...
26/04/2024
Picture Shop Announces Chris Evans as Head of Unscripted
Brie Clayton April 26, 2024
0 Comments
Picture Shop announced Chris Evans will lead Unscripte...
26/04/2024
Participate in a Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry
Pascal Wagner April 26, 2024
0 Comments
By participating in this survey,...
26/04/2024
Toy maker Mattel said it is working with Samsung to launch its first free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels later this year....
26/04/2024
Trusted Media Brands (TMB) said it named Marty Moe as president....
26/04/2024
Ron Howard is the director on Jim Henson Idea Man, a documentary that premieres on Disney Plus May 31. Henson of course created Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big...
26/04/2024
The ice continues to melt under the regional sports network business as the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League have made a long-term deal to broadcast...
26/04/2024
Heading into the upfronts, Warner Bros. Discovery said it launched Olli, a first-party data platform advertiser can use for converged, targeted advertising camp...
26/04/2024
CBS has renewed the drama The Equalizer, which will see season five on in 2024-2025. Queen Latifah stars....
26/04/2024
The CW has entered into an exclusive multiyear broadcast partnership for the Miss USA Pageant and the Miss Teen USA Pageant. The 73rd Miss USA Pageant will air ...
26/04/2024
Fuse Media isn't mincing words in a campaign urging its young viewers to register and participate in the 2024 elections....
26/04/2024
Dead Boy Detectives, a series from Neil Gaiman about a detective agency staffed by ghosts, debuts on Netflix April 25. George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri are in t...
26/04/2024
The Story Collective has gradually repurposed the former Mortlake Brewery to include production offices, workshops and sound stages
By Matthew Corrigan
Publi...
26/04/2024
Perkett joins the company following a 25 year career in product management, product marketing, engineering and user experience (UX) across multiple industries
...
26/04/2024
Teradek, the industry leader in wireless video transmitters and receivers, announced today the launch of new Bolt 6 LT 750 and Bolt 6 Monitor Module 750 RX with...
26/04/2024
NEW YORK Amagi has appointed Richard Perkett chief product officer (CPO)....
26/04/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced the results of the 2024 NAB Radio and Television Board of Directors elections. The...
Inside Fog Bowl 2.0: How NBC's Sunday Night Football Team Adapted on the Fly With SkyCam As fog blocked out cameras, the production team turned to SkyCam for primary game coverage By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
