A game of points and inches
In football, like in real life, you should treat your guests nicely. Simple things; no second rate hotel rooms. No second rate locker rooms. Above all, no celebrating the win before the win.
The Grey Cup game for 2010 has just finished, and the Alouettes have bested the Rough Riders. Not by much, when the score reads 21-18, but games are won by points and inches. Today, the mistakes were minimized, and the game ended as I wanted. My favourite play of the afternoon came with a faked punt on a third down situation; even with a full court inquisition to make sure that the numbers matched the slots (for eligible players), the inches were there.
One big difference, (for me, at home, watching TV) is that the camera coverage is so much better in the professional world. I have read a little about the technical side of the show, and I wish I had the knowledge to duplicate it at home. A special nod to that camera on the wires, which gives a bird’s eye view of the proceedings. The SkyCam…
Here’s an excerpt from a forum that explains the physics:
There is a gyro stabilized housing that holds a camera. The camera is suspended by four cables that run over the four corners of the field. The cables are Kevlar coated fiber optic and copper cables that carry the video signal and power to the camera and stabilization system.
At the end of the four cables, there are motorized reels that spool in and pay out wire as needed to “fly” the camera around the field. There is also another overhead transverse cable that helps regulate the height of the camera, above the field. These reels are computer controlled constantly plotting “X”, “Y” and “Z” axis of the camera’s position and adjusting the reels as needed.
There are two operators that “fly” SkyCam…. One is responsible for the actual movement or flight of the camera housing, while the other is responsible for the zoom, focus and movement of the camera, inside the housing, to follow the action on the field. “Flying” SkyCam is very similar to flying a helicopter, as there is a joystick and pedals to control direction, elevation and pitch.
The camera is not always behind the punter. Sometimes depending on the shot desired, the camera is either to the sideline or very low (about 20 feet) above the field and behind the defenders. SkyCam moves very quickly. It can move at speeds up to 50 MPH.
There you go; succinct and without the benefit of a diagram.
