Home > Courses & registration > LIVE SPORTS DIRECTION – 8-12 April 2024
8-12 April 2024, Wokingham, UK

LIVE SPORTS DIRECTION – 8-12 April 2024

Delivered from 8-12 April 2024, the ‘Live Sports Direction’ course took place in Wokingham, UK

The ‘Live Sports Direction’ course incorporates the essence of HBS’s experience of working on world-class sporting events and uses state-of-the-art EVS broadcast technology that replicates an outside broadcast environment to replace expensive production infrastructures.

Course Details

Venue: Wokingham, UK, EVS Office

Date: 8-12 April 2024

Number of Places: 10

Duration: 5 Days

Course Fee: 2,200 £

Course Information

The objective of this training is to benefit those who would like to take on the lead role in Sports Direction, practice the art of storytelling, and handle different camera formations. The theoretical and practical aspects of the course aim to encourage and develop the expertise and creativity of participants. The course will focus on soccer.

Course Objectives

  • To adopt the best practice for sports story telling across slow motion and replays in soccer, basketball, baseball, and other relevant sports
  • Understand the use of different cameras in a live sports production
  • Develop the ability to undertake medium to large productions
  • Understand various roles in a production team and work effectively as a team
  • Able to effectively use the configured EVS XT3 and X-One

Eligibility

  • Possess understanding of the rules of different kinds of sports
  • Have a general technical understanding on use of various broadcast equipment in live sports production
  • The course will be conducted in English

Sample Course Plan

Note: The below course agenda is for reference purposes only.

Day 1:  Theory & Practise

Match TV Director Role and Responsibility

  • Fundamentals of multi-camera live sport production-Operations, Personnel & Equipment
  • Team leader & communicator. Prior to the OB – site visit, camera positions, etc.
  • Cameras cutting & story telling
  • Managing the priorities and guidelines

Match Coverage

  • Coverage Philosophy
  • Camera Plans
  • Different styles of directing
  • Camera Positions and Camera Work
  • Explanation of different types of cameras
  • Main Camera, Close-up Camera, Pitch Centre, Pitch Level behind goal, 16/18 M Cameras, Handheld, Steady Cams, Reverse Centre, Cable Cam, High Speed Cams, Special Cameras (crane, tactical, Box Cams, In Goals, Beauty)

Other Match Deliverables

  • Running Order
  • Dressing room, team arrivals, warm up, teams in the tunnel, Anthems/Line-ups, Kick Off, Half time, Post Match, interviews, etc.
  • Match Graphics
  • Controversial incidents
  • VIP coverage

Practise Session: Introduction to the Live TV Simulator and preliminary practise session.

Day 2: Theory & Practise

Match Coverage

  • Replay Philosophy and Workflows
  • Replay Set-Up
  • Audio Production Plan
  • Key incidents like Goals, Corners, Free Kick, Bookings, Penalty kick, Substitutions, Penalty shoot-out etc.

Practise Session & Case Study

  • Participants divided into two groups
  • Group 1: Hands-on session with the trainer on the Live TV Stimulator ─ direct a soccer match.
  • Group 2: Lean production session on the X-One
  • Case Study: Review of soccer match, create a camera plan and explain their philosophy of directing/storytelling.

Day 3: Practise & Case Study

  • Practise session as per the groups on the Live TV Simulator ─ direct a soccer match.
  • Case Study: Review a soccer match, create a camera plan, and explain their philosophy of directing/storytelling of some major incidents and replays of the major events and incidents in a soccer game.

Day 4: Practise & Case Study

  • Practise session as per the groups on the Live TV Simulator
  • Case study submission by each participant
  • Trainer feedback to all the participants
  • Evaluation of the session, certificates distribution & closing ceremony

Our Expert

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John Watts,
Executive Sports Producer & Director

  • One of the world’s most experienced multi-camera live sports directors.
  • Won a BA
  • TA award and received 10 nominations, plus 4 Royal Television Society awards and a RTS Fellowship.
  • His extensive football credits include six English FA Cup finals, five English League Cup Finals, over 20 years of UEFA Champions League coverage – including the Finals in 2002, 2003 and 4K coverage of the Final in 2016.
  • He has directed the host broadcast coverage at the FIFA World Cup™ in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and the European Championship in 1996, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016.

For more information about our experts, please click here.

  • FTA award and received 10 nominations, plus 4 Royal Television Society awards and a RTS Fellowship.
  • His extensive football credits include six English FA Cup finals, five English League Cup Finals, over 20 years of UEFA Champions League coverage – including the Finals in 2002, 2003 and 4K coverage of the Final in 2016.
  • He has directed the host broadcast coverage at the FIFA World Cup™ in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and the European Championship in 1996, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016.

For more information about our experts, please click here.

 

The Professional Equipment

Live TV Simulator XT3

Based on EVS technology, the XT3 Live TV Simulator is a tool to re-create the experience of live direction within a controlled environment. It includes two EVS XT3 live video servers with two remotes and an IP director – enabling up to 12 ISO camera feeds in High Definition 1080i format for ingest/playout, instant replay and slow-motion tools and a Dyvi live video switcher. The system allows a single production operator to create replays, control audio, cut together a live feed with a built-in video switcher and even add graphics to live programming.

X-One

The X-One enables up to 6 ISO camera feeds in High Definition 1080i format for ingest/playout. Based on EVS technology of X-One, the Unified Live Production Simulator can import any other media files. X-One features a contextualised user interface (UI) that adapts to the type of production on which it is deployed. This allows a single operator to manage graphics, audio and replays with ease.