Outdoor Sports Television Production, Game On!

As with anything involving the participation of Mother Nature, outdoor sports television production frequently finds itself at the mercy of her ever-changing moods. Every producer forced to step foot outside the enclosed studio finds themselves fighting a constant battle to follow the action, get the show filmed correctly, and have the final product cut and edited on time. Normally this would not appear to be such a problem, especially with a trained team of experts in your corner. Throw blistering heat or smothering humidity into the mix however, and the little issues pile up to cause big delays.

We’ve all seen coverage of a football game or Olympic event held outdoors. Careful preplanning assures that teams working on outdoor sports television production have carefully insulated trucks where they can hide from the evil weather to do the majority of their directing and editing. What happens however, when a team is scheduled to cover a ski competition and the camera lens keeps freezing over? What is to be done when thick and stagnant humidity causes blips in the visual feed? Who’s head is on the block when the film crew following a bike race from the back of a quickly moving pick up has to change tape in a hurry and drops a vital piece of equipment? The answer is no one. As popular as outdoor sports television production has become, everyone in the production industry is well aware of the constant problems nature can create at a moment’s notice.

The increase in demand for outdoor sports television production is the driving force that keeps crews from simply muttering curses and throwing in the towel after the fifteenth issue or so. Viewers want to see just how far that skier actual jumped, or just how long the mountain biker had to skid on his knees before righting his cycle again. With a society of television junkies to support, outdoor sports television production crews are finding themselves with more work than time to get it all done. Job opportunities abound with many networks, with one major prerequisite. Anyone applying for a job in outdoor sports television production must have unending patience and a laid back temperament in order to survive the first day.