BLACKMAGIC DESIGN: CAPITALIZING ON CREATIVITY BY INCORPORATING DIGITAL FILM

WHITEPAPERS Capitalizing on Creativity by Incorporating Digital Film Into Sports Broadcasting

By Bob Caniglia,

Director of Sales Operations for the Americas, Blackmagic Design

Today’s limited in-person crowd sizes and the ever-changing sports video climate have demonstrated the need to captivate virtual audiences in new ways. Recently, there has been an increase in utilizing cinema cameras with larger sensors in live sports and sports broadcasting, supplementing the use of traditional broadcast cameras. Even the recent Tokyo Olympics used cinema cameras to leverage high dynamic range (HDR), shallow depth of field, and 4K while capturing footage at the Games. Cinematic broadcasting offers new storytelling options and diversified capabilities for engaging fans and viewers.

As consumers of media, we are so used to seeing cinematic images right at home on our TV screens or even our mobile devices. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, with the explosion of digital film, HDR, 4K (and even 8K), and streaming video, our living rooms turned into movie theaters while we watched the latest releases from our couches. There is a place for that experience in sports broadcasting as well. Sometimes our eyes crave that blockbuster action and in-your-face, in-the-moment entertainment regardless of the medium.

At the same time, the pandemic forced broadcasters, networks, and studios alike to get more creative when it came to capturing and delivering content. For example, virtual fans were used in lieu of empty stadiums, streaming video became even more popular, and broadcasters explored new tactics to engage viewers, like additional and unique camera angles. As spectators began to return in-person, a new hybrid video model emerged where broadcasters retained the new tools developed during the heart of the pandemic and employed them alongside — and as part of — traditional broadcasts. Even as COVID-19 regulations lessen and life begins to return to normal, the new hybrid video model that emerged over the past two years will likely continue in some capacity, particularly in the sports world. It will be important to continue to adapt and keep finding new ways to make the viewing experience engaging for both in-person and at-home viewers.

Blackmagic Design’s URSA Broadcast G2

> CINEMATIC SPORTS BROADCASTING

Cinematic shooting lets you focus on certain aspects of the sports world in a way that most broadcast cameras don’t allow. A more cinematic style will allow you to focus in on things like specific athletes, plays, teams, etc., or focus away from certain elements of the game, such as an empty arena or empty seats due to low attendance numbers. For example, larger sensors are more common to cinema cameras and produce shallow depth of field, which provides the ability to blur a background. With cinematic broadcasting, you can get that much more creative and diversify the visual elements in your video, such as focal point, lighting, location, shot selection, scale, color, and more. As we know, video as a medium is a great way to get a message out there. Incorporating various new video elements takes the message further and allows us to tell a more interesting story that may resonate with an audience in new ways.

While sports broadcasting has relied solely on broadcast cameras in the past, there is room at the table now for new types of cameras. Of course, adding new cameras to your arsenal is a big decision and can be a significant invest-

ment. But with today’s technological advancements, cameras of all disciplines are becoming more and more affordable while still maintaining high production value, allowing broadcasters of all shapes and sizes to take advantage without interrupting quality or creativity. With affordable cameras, anyone can be a professional broadcaster, from those with at-home setups to small and mid-size athletic programs to web broadcasters and large broadcasting companies.

Affordable cameras and their features can add to your bottom line in numerous ways. For example, adding more cameras to a job or event increases production value, and being able to change the lens mount means you can work with affordable lenses or even your existing lenses, saving you the expense of new accessories.

All of this might beg the question: what is a cinema camera, and how does it differ from a broadcast camera? Are there any similarities? As time goes on, the lines get more blurred.

> THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

There is no formal definition of a cinema camera. It all depends on who you ask and when you ask them. There are some filmmakers who believe a cinema camera must shoot a certain resolution or feature a sensor of a certain size. Others believe it’s more about overall image quality and professional “cinema” features, such as formats, codecs, metadata, built-in LUTs, etc. If a camera does these things well, it can be considered a cinema camera. The dynamic range and shooting formats we use today are not very old, but “cinema” as a medium has been around for more than a century. With the creation of the digital age, the progression of digital film technology and the infinite advancements in production over the years, our idea of what constitutes a cinema camera is always evolving.

Similarly, there isn’t a strict definition of a broadcast camera. Typically, they are designed to meet traditional broadcast standards and are not meant to be rigged up elaborately like some cinema cameras. They tend to have smaller sensors than cinema cameras, making it easier to keep everything in focus, and they are more lightweight and portable, which is beneficial for newsgathering or for a person operating the camera solo. They often use motorized zoom lenses, unlike cinema cameras, which allow the camera operator to reframe shots live without noticeable disruption to the viewer.

Historically, these two types of cameras have been manufactured separately and used for entirely different purposes. However, with technology advancing at incredible rates and the ability to pack more technology into one camera body, these two traditionally disparate camera types have begun to meld together. There are affordable cameras on the market today that deliver digital film quality for broadcast use, while still including the tools essential to broadcast workflows, offering multiple uses depending on the user’s needs. A single camera can allow you to do everything from run and gun to ENG/unscripted work to studio/ scripted work to streaming to on-location work on the sidelines of any game or sporting match.

Imagine having ENG camera controls positioned around the camera so you can locate them by feel, wide dynamic range for color and accurate skin tones, an incredible low light sensor for amazing images using natural light, a YRGB color corrector built in, full remote camera control and customizable lens mounts, all in one camera body. Additionally, a camera with an interchangeable lens mount provides the ability to get shallow depth of field one day with a PL or EF lens, and use a traditional B4 parfocal lens the next day, thus providing a full range of “looks” for a live event.

Incorporating digital film into your sports broadcasting offers new creative options and opportunities to engage with your audience. Even better, there are cameras on the market today that do both, which makes it easy to capitalize on this new discipline. These cameras easily integrate into today’s existing broadcast systems. With the flexibility of multiple camera applications in one camera body, both traditional and online broadcasters, as well as sports content creators of all sizes, can enjoy the creativity of being able to shoot Hollywoodquality digital film without breaking the bank while engaging audiences in new and innovative ways. <