April 2012
Let's closely follow the way tv shooting of an Italian "Serie A" soccer match is made.
The offer of soccer tv images is definitely huge nowadays and their distribution is interesting matter.
The match Parma-Juventus of 31st January is just an example and elected as our case study, though it was funnily postponed for snow!
The Parma Tardini stadium was being set-up for the event and the live tv broadcast was under preparation; a small tv compound on the right side of the stadium was crowded of tv facilities, ob-vans, and the mobile unit "Esterna 10" of One Tv Padova, the host broadcaster chosen for the event; Alessandro Scattolin was the technical engineer in charge.
Italian Lega Calcio who is the organism in charge for tv images has a recommended layout for the positioning of tv cameras within the stadium, which is issued before the event. Usually these layout comprise 3 typologies, including minimal shooting configurations which the service is allowed to integrate according to personal preferences. This standard layout are: Standard A, based on 14 tv cameras, Standard B based on 12 cameras, and Standard C with 8 tv cameras. These schemes are considered fixed but there are some differences among different stadiums and also the tv director has some freedom of choice.
For the match mentioned above, the service brought 12 tv cameras, 2 of which are Supermotion, along the border of the soccer court, generally placed angled in respect the shooting front. A jimmy jib, a front central camera placed very low near the ground, one "reverse" on the other side of the field, one placed on the back of the retro goal in high position placed on the short side of the field, which describes the schemes and a different angle during the match, two cameras at around some 16 meters, the main camera, the one which follows the main action, and a second camera placed side by side; the second offering the same point of view but with a different angle, feeding closeups and closer shots, medium shots and details. The last camera placed on the soccer court is the so called "beauty" which shoots long shots and the public, very used, for example, in graphic shots.
All signals are delivered to the matrix of the ob-van where all these companies who are entitled may use them. Working in HD and such "delicate" signals, for longer signal paths over 100 m, fibre optic links are used, while copper is still the choice under such figure.
For instance in such Parma-Juventus match the ob-van had to supply an HD signal plus Backup (to Infront) for international distribution, one HD signal plus back-up, plus SD backup to Sky, several SD signals to Juventus Channel, RAI, local tv stations; so the program signals were to be distributed in analog HD, SD, 4:3 and 16:9, everything embedded with correlate audio in stereo or Dolby E, and all metadata needed.
This same scheme is common to almost all matches, and every time the host broadcaster has to provide both main and backup signals, two separate complete and different signals used for international distributions and for personalizations.
In a typical A Series match with more than 14 cameras, beside the cameramen work three camera operators, a technical chief operator, six RVM operators, the video mixer, two audio mixers, one operator in charge for the audio, a "mike man" for each commentary booth, two stagehand, and a driver for each transport means used.
In this long list we must include also at least two tv directors, one taking care of international images, the other engaged on "personalizing" the program, two assistants, three or four journalists, a journalist manager, a technical director who is the interface between the host broadcaster and the tv channel, engaged in signals lineup.
As anyone may imagine to place such a huge list of equipments and technicians is a long story, it takes at least four hours.
