Course planning and TV production

Close cooperation between the course planners and the production team is needed for a successful TV production.

 

The contact must be established as early as possible to avoid unnecessary (spoiled) work for the course planners. The TV producer will come up with special requirements which will clearly have an influence on the courses. As a course planner for a High Level Event, you have to realise that “It is difficult to create the world’s best course in a high level event with TV coverage”. It is often a question of compromise. Normally you will not have the final ideas from the TV producer when you start planning your courses. However, you can consider general requirements from TV producers.

 

Pay attention regarding how to lay cables in the best way to all the places where you need pictures and intermediate times from the terrain (camera positions, time controls).

 

TV-legs need 3 controls (within 60-150 seconds from each other), as shown below.

 

 

 

Figure 2. Example from TV 2 at WOC 2019 long distance Pre warning and TV legs in women and men classes

It is optimal to have the prewarning ca. 1.30 minutes before the runner appears in the first camera (should not be under 1 min or above 2.30). The TV sequence will normally last for 1 to 2 minutes. The example above shows that you can move a camera to a different control between the races to save resources (few cameras).

 

If a course contains several TV legs, it is required that the TV viewers can easily distinguish them.

 

 

Refreshment control shouldn’t be shown on TV camera records (prewarning is ok!). Refreshment service on the arena passages is accepted.

 

Photo controls shouldn’t be combined with TV-controls.

 

For optimal TV coverage it is better to have the Start on the arena and an arena passage during the race. This means that you need a quarantine zone close to the arena.

 

However, sporting fairness and terrain possibilities must be balanced against TV production. If necessary, the Start can be removed away from the arena, in which case you need TV-camera at the Start. Remember to find suitable routes for laying cables.

 

The table below shows the advised number of TV sections related to the competition format. In addition, there should be cameras at the Start, at the arena passage and at the Finish.

 

There should be the same number of TV sections for both men and women (exceptions can be done on Long distance). This means you must normally plan the same TV-sections for women and men, to save on resources and costs.

 

Type of course	Number of TV-sections out on the course	Remarks
Long distance	3-4	2-3 cameras on each section
Middle distance	2	2-3 cameras on each section
Relay	3-4	1-2 cameras on each section

 

 

Proposed number of TV – sections related to competition format.

 

The camera sections should be distributed as evenly as possible on the course. It is preferable to have more cameras towards the finish for Relays.

 

As an example, TV production from a Long distance competition requires 12 to 15 cameras for a full production (including Start and arena production). Normally the distance for laying cables will reach 8 to 10 km.

 

In cases of limited access to cameras, the production must be scaled down relatively according to the resources.

 

Since TV production is strongly linked to GPS tracking, it is necessary to test the transmission signals in due time before the race. If the mobile coverage is poor, you must put out extra resources to get the necessary quality required by the TV producers.

 

A TV-production can’t be successful unless GPS tracking and timing can be a great part of what is shown on the screen.

 

Since several companies have to cooperate to give all necessary input to the production team during the race, you need a skilled coordinator in the organisation to check out the interfaces and make the agreements.

 

There will need to be several meetings and surveys well before the race date.

 

As a goal, the course planners must have the final agreements with the TV production team as soon as possible before the competition. The SEA must be involved as soon as possible into TV discussions.

 

Media and spectators

Media

 

The course planner should provide a photo control not far away from the arena. For fairness reasons this control must not be too difficult to find, since runners should not have any advantage if there are photographers out there or not. The course planner shall point out the photographers position close to the control. This control must be common for women and men. No refreshment or brand tape are allowed at the photo control. There should be enough light at this control in all weather conditions.

Photo Control 151 at WOC 2019 – the detail on the right shows the running direction out of the control and the dedicated (marked) positions nearby the control for the photographers.

Planning for Photo Controls at WOC 2019

· an organised transport to the photo control

· taking photos from dedicated (marked) positions nearby the controls (guided by a media person who knows the details: briefing of this guide in the morning of the competition day or the evening before)

· remember the brief of the photographer

· transport back to the arena after the last runner has passed the photo control

· taking photos from the last runners at the finish line

 

 

Spectators

 

There must be an arena passage to satisfy the spectators. The course planner must also consider if it is possible to have the Start at the arena to give an extra experience for media and spectators (otherwise viewing conditions could be better from home – it’s the atmosphere in the arena, that provides something extra for on-site viewers).

 

An alternative or a supplement to an arena passage is a spectator control which can be seen from the arena. The spectator control must have a prewarning control to simplify the speaker’s job.

 

A Prewarning control must be 1 to 2 minutes before the arena.