Here’s a view of the 50 yard line at the FargoDome from the press box. I got to be a tape/replay operator for the game coverage on FOX Sports Net this weekend, and NDSU had food spread out for us all the way at the top of the Dome. It was a long hike, but the Rice Krispie bars alone were worth the effort! Obviously the game isn’t even close to starting yet in this picture; there’s so much preparation involved in television coverage of a game like this, I had to take my pictures well in advance of the actual game/show.

Here’s one of the top cameras for the game. These are sweet, and worth a lot more than my house. I rarely operate a camera for shows like this, I’m almost always in the truck. That’s nice, though; I can sit down during the show and see ALL the cameras at once. The truck is the best seat in the house!

Through this helmet run the mighty Thundering Herd, otherwise known as your NDSU Bison. Or maybe just a tape/relay op with his pockets stuffed full of Rice Krispie bars and free Pepsi products on his way back to the truck. Take your pick, but they didn’t turn on the smoke machine when I did it.

The aforementioned “truck.” This one was out of Calgary. They roll in, crank out the sides of the trailer, and lock the inside counters into place. Then we hook up controllers for our equipment, power everything up, and get ready to make television. The camera guys and grips start stringing cable, and there is a LOT of cable to pull when doing football at the FargoDome.

This is the main control room of the truck we used. The computer in the lower left runs the “FOX Box” scoreboard at the top of the screen. To the left of it is the mandatory Bin O’ Candy…no show would be complete without a dizzying amount of sugar available! Ahead of that is the row where the graphics operator sits, and the Technical Director is at the top of the screen. Beside him sit the director and associate director. On the other side of that wall of monitors is my workspace.

This is where I camped out for the day. My replay controller and keyboard are on the lower left, deck controllers center and right, and of course a plethora of monitors. We used three of the four decks as well as six channels of replay. The replay producer / EVS whiz sat behind me at a console where he could compile highlights and stuff for game summaries while doing replays as well. He also taught me a lot about running the “Elvis” system, so I increased my knowledge quite a bit. I’m really thankful to get some bona fide training on this gear…last time I just had the manual! 🙂

And let’s not forget the swag. I love collecting passholder lanyards from the different shows I’ve worked. The passes are neat to hang on to as well, and remember where I’ve been over the years. I’ve come to the point that I feel weird going to a sporting event and NOT having something saying “Total Access” hanging around my neck.

This weekend’s show was a blast and I got even more time on the EVS replay system I’m learning. Since I can’t buy time on one and I have to learn as I go, this weekend was an enormous blessing. I learned enough about my workflow this weekend to feel competent at being an EVS operator in a second-seat capacity. That means as long as there’s a guy in back doing the stuff I haven’t been taught yet (like building highlight reels and interstitials) I’m good to go! Hopefully I’ll get more opportunities to expand my skills and become a full-blown “ElViS Operator” for more shows. This is a hard business to get into. I got into this work in the 1990s, and now that my foot is in the door I’m going to wiggle it around a little. It’s the best kind of work on the planet!