WBD Sports goes all-in with over 60 cameras and an on-site studio when conditions permit.

Ice repositioning makes Fenway Park’s Green Monster a great backdrop for NHL on TNT broadcasts

In Boston, the 2023 edition of the NHL Winter Classic (2pm ET, TNT) is gearing up, the calendar is turning, and the crew has quite the elephant in the room. And somehow, it’s not Fenway Park’s legendary Green Monster (more on her later), the NHL and its broadcasting partners Warner Her Brothers Her Discovery Sports (formerly Turner Sports) For me, it’s simply the weather.

The 2023 NHL Winter Classic will be the second New Year’s event at Boston’s Fenway Park. This year, the NHL changed the position of the rink. It was the first time the Winter Classic was held at a baseball field and the rink was not arranged to run from third base to first base.

This NHL Winter Classic – 14^th In the history of big events, this is the second event produced by WBD Sports, but in many ways the first that the network has been able to go “all in” as it envisioned when it first landed. It’s an event. A marquee event in 2021 when he signed a rights deal with the NHL.

The 2021 event was, notably, a huge success at Target Field in Minneapolis. With temperatures forecast to exceed 50 degrees Fahrenheit in Boston on Monday, the event could see a difference of nearly 60 degrees.

“I can’t believe it” and a smile Lee Estroff, Director of Technical Operations, WBD Sports“I mean, this is what a Winter Classic should be. The fact that everyone is outside and you don’t have to run around from trailer to trailer and deal with frostbite is very comforting. We’re all here.” , I think we have a new perception of how cold it is here, and we are all very happy and very grateful.

Panger Vision, AnkleCams and 50ft Jib Highlight Large Camera Arsenal

As historic and architecturally unique as Fenway, the stadium is a camera crew’s playground. WBD Sports’ operations team takes every opportunity to position cameras in unique locations to capture the beauty and historic venues of the event.

There are approximately 60 cameras deployed throughout the stadium (approximately 50 for the games alone). There are over 20 robo, 12 super slow motion, his SkyCam at 4 points, and his 3 cameras that shoot with shallow depth of field. His other two are his AnkleCams, with Jib Tek robo embedded in the bottom corner board. The network first added DoF in last season’s Western Conference Finals.

“We will bring [AnkleCam] This year it’s even better,” says Estroff. “You’ll see more zooming, more movement. We’re really excited about them.”

The production team is also committed to introducing the venue’s star, the Green Monster of Fenway Park, on this broadcast. A 37-foot-2-inch high left-field wall served as a backdrop for the field-placed rink, with WBD Sports placing his 50-footer. A tall jib right next to the field. This angle is sure to become your favorite for the front bench. This winter classic NHL from Joe Whelan’s TNT lead producer/director team When Paul Hemmingeven as Technical Director Paul Harvath.

Another angle that the show promises to grab viewers’ attention is the recently introduced ‘Phanga Vision’. “Panger Vision” attaches a small dream chip AtomOne mini Air to the headset. NHL on TNT analyst Darren Pangwill serve as inter-bench reporter for this Winter Classic.

Introducing the latest technology: PANGER VISION 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jEQJBbbLLi

—NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) December 21, 2022

Developed in conjunction with wireless solutions provider RF Film, Inc., the system first aired on December 21 during TNT’s broadcast of the New Jersey Devils vs. Florida Panthers game.

Eric Grossman, Principal Technical Manager, WBD Sports I have been leading the way at the venue to build an operational foundation for attracting the best visuals for game production. Engineering Director Dan Nabors, Jr. When Assistant Manager, Technical Operations Engineering Will Cook It has played an important role in the setup. Technical Operations Manager David Cabeea When Technical Operations and Innovation Manager Jimmy Bry.

Studio makes long-awaited debut

As for the weather, according to Estroff, this year’s weather has made the setup simpler and more efficient.Complete facilities on site [the 10+-truck compound is anchored by NEP Broadcasting’s SS8] As of Friday morning, the crew was actually ahead of schedule.

The biggest operational improvement, however, is the ability to finally bring NHL on TNT studio shows to the site.

Last year, the crew couldn’t go to Minneapolis due to weather, largely due to the rise in the Omicron variant of COVID-19 that surged in the United States in the last few weeks of December 2021. Postponement of live sporting events, including multiple NHL games. Instead, the studio crew was hosted from what was then Turner Sports’ Techwood campus in Atlanta.

𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙘 𝘿𝙖𝙮 ❄️ 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/kkR0GE1ORo

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 2, 2023

This year’s show’s studio set (a Filmwerks product) is in the middle of the field.

According to Estroff, the studio team is thrilled to finally be able to attend the event in person. “The Winter Classic is a special event that we all look forward to,” he says. It’s such a cool and unique opportunity for us. The studio folks who missed it last year are so excited to be here and enjoy this one. ”

Commitment to Elite Audio

In addition to eye-catching visuals, WBD Sports devotes significant resources to the audio aspects of their shows. More than 40 effect microphones cover the entire facility and capture the abnormal sound space of the facility. In addition, four players, head his coach and his two referees wear microphones.

during the summer Randy PekicA veteran A1, who will be mixing the third Winter Classic, took a trip to Fenway Park to watch the Boston Red Sox play and get a better sense of the ballpark’s sound map.

MORE: WBD Sports Brings NHL Winter Classic BIG, LOUD

“We want to use audio to put the audience where the player is,” Pekich explains. “This is just like an audio follow his video show. Whatever you’re watching, you can also hear.”

The program will be produced in 5.1 surround.

Rearranged links change dynamics

Of course, this isn’t the first time the NHL Winter Classic has been held at Fenway. This event rivaled the Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers here in 2010. The game was broadcast by his former partner in the league, NBC Sports.

However, there is one big difference in this year’s event. The NHL decided to change the location of the rink, and Winter he will not run the rink from third base to first base for the first time in Classics history. Instead, it flows from third base to right field. The TNT crew is thrilled with the prospect of putting Greene’s monster head-on as the background of the game.

Estroff credited league officials with helping WBD Sports make moving to venues a more streamlined process. Dan O’Neill, Senior Vice President of NHL Arena and Evert Operationsand league Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer.

Coverage of the 2022 NHL Winter Classic begins Monday at 1pm ET on TNT. NHL in TNT ShowdownCoverage of the game will begin at 2pm ET and will also be on TNT.