Squeeze Play....

The Indians played host to the New York Yankees in their second to last game from Chain O' Lakes Park in Winter Haven. The team was expecting a crowd in excess of 9,000 for a ballpark that normally will fit in around 6.000 or so baseball fans. In addition, the YES Network, the TV home of the Yankees, had selected this game to televise alongside the cameras of SportsTime Ohio. During the regular season, no problem...here in this cozy little ballpark.... a problem! We had to try and place cameras in duplicate positions down by the dugout, up in the stands and out in center field in a park where that sort of real estate is hard to come by easily.

Enter into the scene two members of the Indians organization that make things work at spring training camp - from the broadcast corner there is Alex Slemc, and from the sales side is Ryan Lantz. The task fell upon their shoulders to accommodate both telecasts, and the patrons entering the facility, while working with the team in the confines of this cozier park. Finding nooks and crannies to place cameras, cables, and microphones tested the limits of the available space and opened the door to some creative thinking on the part of the production folks to accomplish their ultimate broadcasting goals.

The cameras in the low positions were right next to each other as normal. But in this park, notice just how close to the stands they are...so close that the New York operator had to sit in the stands to operate his camera so his head would not be obstructing play. As tight as things seem to be here, the field is close to the fans offering them an intimate view of play on the field. That interaction has made this park a fan favorite.






You can see how close the operators are working in relation to the stands and each other. The trick in setting these low cameras was to make sure that the fans had unobstructed views. Ryan and Alex took great pains in planning the position of these cameras to insure the greatest amount of fan visibility. From the truck, both directors realized there would be some limitations but certainly wanted to work with the Tribe and joined in their efforts to make the cameras as inconspicuous as possible.


Meanwhile, over at the truck compound, things are a little tight. There is the basic amount of room for one TV remote unit - and now there are two. From this view looking up the street, not so bad.....









On closer inspection however, notice how close both units are to each other....and imagine the crews loading and unloading gear out of the "belly bays" during the setup period...

Indeed, it was tightly packed, but very workable, and everyone on both crews pitched in to make it so...





Our truck was the closest at the retaining wall as the expando portion folded out toward it away from the other truck...this greatly helped in the flow of traffic between the two units. As I mentioned it took a lot of coordination and our engineers from Lyon Video - Ed Shrider, Troy Flavian, and Tom Sacory - were up to the task.




And as part of our production team, taking time out of their morning while hard at work, are our producers for the 2008 season, Jim Murphy on the left, and Jeff Yakawiak on the right. Both lads have been working not only on the preseason games but the regular season as well....there is plenty to do!





So a big thanks from this corner to everyone involved...it was quite the day - oh and the Indians won....But it's only preseason you say......OK.....whatever.....we still beat the Yankees!

Free HD TV!!!!!....Step inside...

Now that I have your attention - Opening Day is coming from Progressive Field over the next week. And of course, if you do not have a ticket, you will want to catch all the action on WKYC or SportsTime Ohio to see all the action right in your living and have it right in your living room!

So what if you dont have the latest and greatest of TV's to view the game on...you have a chance to win one! I just wanted to take a quick second and promote STO's HD TV Giveaway! You can jump right in and register for your chance to pick up a great TV set and watch the 2008 championship season in HD!

So quit reading here......go......check it out and good luck!

Lights...Camera...Automobiles?

In the course of preparing for the season, we have to prepare not only for the action on the field, but for all of the graphics and other elements that we make a part of the show. Thanks to Greg Golya, who you may have seen earlier in the blog here, we can show a little more of the production-side of the business.

The goal was to complete shooting a final scene for the new open for our pregame show of 2008. It will be a part of the Northern Ohio Chrysler Jeep Indians On Deck Open. You will have the opportunity to see this prior to the start of every pregame show that airs on the network. The shot that was being worked on would be composited into a virtual environment which would include Indians highlights and 3D models of Chrysler and Jeep vehicles.

This shoot occurred at the beginning of March. There was a setup day to light and prepare the vehicles. To do this, you would need a rather large facility to house these vehicles. Off to Akron the production team went to Bruce Gates' Art Factory located on Grant Street. And the cars were not the only stars of the day - we added our own Matt Underwood and Rick Manning (who flew up from Florida whilst in the middle of their pre-season duties) and Al Pawloski, who serves as the host for the pre-game show.

The crew for the day consisted of the following folks:
Production Director, Steve Pullen
Director of Photography, David Litz
Greg Golya, Art Director
Gaffer, Danny Wollenberg
Key Grip, Keith Nickoson
Studio Owner and Still Photographer, Bruce Gates
Stylist, Julia McComb (soon to have her own gardening blog on cleveland.com)
Car Detailer, Doug Shaheen (owner of D.E.S. Auto Detailing Services 216-999-9090)

The grip truck arrived with a full load of gear. This includes lighting, electrical, and material used to shield the lighting during the shoot. Here is Danny in the process of unloading a lot of the gear which is taken to the staging area.

The cars have to look perfect on camera. Doug Shaheen is here to make sure that they have that luster for the camera.

Checking out the shot on the set are Steve Pullen and Dave Litz. It will be their job to make sure that the lighting is set for the exact spot the talent interacts with the vehicles. This turned out to be a 2 day shoot for just a small amount of footage which will eventually be used. It is time consuming, but the reward is to be found in the end product - and everyone will take a great deal of pride in their contribution for the shots!

Steve and Dave check a monitor below to make sure that the cars are lining up the way that they want before they are shot.

It's not all work on the set - the guys share a light moment as they prepare themselves for proper placement next to the appropriate vehicle.

Studio owner Bob Gates positions a car for yet another shot in the production.

Keith Nickoson adjusts one of the many flags on the set. These flags keep light from appearing in places on the cars that would cause a glare during the shooting process. Lighting these vehicles takes a long time and can be very difficult. Each small part of a light reflecting off one of the cars can cause a flare or a "hot spot", which means the team has to adjust even more to make sure the lighting is absolutely finished to perfection.

So there it is - just another part of the production that contributes to the look of the show. We are happy to add our new title sponsor for the pregame.....and like you, I cannot wait to see the final product airing during the season. Stay tuned!

Heading to the 'Haven....

There is no doubt it is winter in Northeast Ohio. The beauty of Spring and with it, Indians baseball seem to be months away... So while you are waiting, there is nothing better than watching a light dusting of snow drop over the area, while enjoying the heat of a warm fire from the friendly confines of your home. (Snow is best viewed that way...)


But if you sit back and relax, and close your eyes, you may hear the crackling within the fireplace - but you may drift off thinking that it is the sound of Tribe bat cracks....one after the other. And the wind that is whistling around the house and through the trees, just may sound more like the roar of the crowd after a big defensive play or a game winning hit. That warms things up a bit.... and then cruel reality strikes - someone has to shovel the driveway....


Take heart sports fans....baseball is in the air - it may be Florida air - but it is indeed that time again. And for one last year, that means trekking to the 'Haven...or more commonly known as Winterhaven. The birds are heading north and Indians fans are heading south - taking advantage of one more glance at Cleveland's baseball complex in Central Florida. There will be many visitors from the area looking to take a "spring break" and many others who wish they were making the trip.


So if you cant board that plane jetting south bound or your family's schedule or pocketbook wont allow to make you the trip either, dont worry! You can sit by the fireplace and join us on STO for 8 games from Chain O'Lakes Park. At the end of the month, you will be able to see the last game from Winterhaven on March 27th. Then head to he closet, dust off your uniform, and grab a hot dog, because Opening Day comes your way on WKYC-TV on March 31st at 3:00 PM - with plenty of pregame fun prior to the first pitch! And through the 2008 campaign check out the bulk of the schedule either on WKYC or SportsTime Ohio - all in high definition!


And throughout it all, this will be a page that you want to mark as we bring you some behind the scenes thoughts, stories, and happenings from the Indians TV crew. Some of it will be a little technical but mostly it will be just fun... A chance for us to tell you how the show is going or how great the steaks are in Kansas City! This will be called "From the Truck" - from the folks who present to you the telecast of the show. It should be a great season on the field and we are equally looking forward to many success on your HD screen. So join us for the ride - it should be a great time!