Video Environment

Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Center

When operating the camera for the Mad Ants, I am directly employed by the team and operate the center camera from my position just above the railing between the upper and lower halves of the 200 level in section 217. The camera is set up above the seats below the railing and I sit above the railing, which makes operating the camera somewhat uncomfortable. Because of the posts along the railing, I cannot be directly in line with center line on the court but I am as close to it as possible.

Video operations here are two-fold: for the first three years working for the Mad Ants, my sole responsibility was recording the game on a series of supplied microcassettes, which I shipped to the NBA offices the next shipping day, and generating a DVD recording of the entire game for the coaching staffs and the officiating crew. I provided all of the equipment and even the DVDs. The subsequent years, however, the NBA provided the video equipment (but not the DVD recorder, which is supplied by the Mad Ants.) These past three years, however, the games are being broadcast through an Internet connection and my wide shot is now also used in conjunction with two shoulder-mounted cameras, one each on either end of the court, to produce the broadcast. Since my primary objective is to record the play, I can’t zoom in on anything during play, and I have to zoom out and then zoom in for time-outs.

(This shot was taken about 45 minutes before game start: I usually arrive at least 1 12 hours before game start. It usually takes me about 20 minutes to get all my equipment collected, carry it up to the shooting location and get it set up and connection, but I like to arrive early in case there is a problem.)

Both of these pictures were taking with my Christmas present for myself: a Sony DSC-WX150 still camera. I wanted to get a camera that I could carry around with me easily, to augment but not replace my heavier Olympus E‑510.

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