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Wireless systems in capturing the sonic
fury of pro football
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To capture more realistic game-action sounds for a team video,
the A/V production crew of the Arizona Cardinals NFL (National
Football League) franchise has devised a successful way to
place wireless microphone systems on the players.
The solution proved highly successful despite the fact that
the players are subject to some of the most violent collisions
this side of head-on car accidents. And, as expected, the
wireless systems were able to more accurately capture the
unique and often frightening sonic energy generated by this
intense impact, in contrast to the standard parabolic and
shotgun mics that were the previous standard for this application.
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Further, it allows clean capture of dialog between players, coaches
and game officials, helping to bring fans a more realistic view
of what’s really happening on the field.
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The approach proved so successful that the team video, titled
“Maximum Cardinals by Alltel,” was nominated for
five regional Emmy Awards. Cardinals Director of Broadcast
Craig Amazeen, producer of the video, notes that four of the
five nominations were directly linked to the new audio approach,
and the crew has continued to implement the approach as the
2002 season nears kickoff.
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Specifically, prior to a game, the crew secures Sennheiser
Evolution EW 500 wireless system bodypack transmitters players
shoulder pads, linked by a cable taped under the pads to MKE
2 lavalier microphones also taped to the front/center of the
pads. The systems are supplied to a select players each game
- not all players are outfitted with systems.
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"On a Friday prior to a game, Kevin Jacobsen, our broadcast
coordinator and show producer, secures the transmitters on
the back of the shoulder pads," Amazeen explains. "Then
he runs the mic under the plastic front shell of the shoulder
pads to the center front 'tie-zone.
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'The pads with the transmitter and mic are then thrown into the
players' equipment bag and later loaded on the truck with other
gear piled on top of it.
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On Sunday morning, the crew unloads the gear into the locker
room. About two hours prior to game time, the broadcast crew
goes in, finishes securing the mic to the shoulder pads, and
turns the unit on. The designated player puts on the gear
and hits the field. It's amazing! We cover the entire game
without having a signal interrupted or changing batteries.
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"The MKE 2s omni-directional pickup pattern delivers some
truly great audio we couldn't have provided any other way,"
he adds. The companion EW 500 wireless receivers are strapped onto
Canon XL-1 Main ISO cameras on the sidelines, which capture the
images to go with the dramatic sounds.
“The EW 500 Series wireless mic system is incredibly small
yet rugged, which makes a huge difference in the type of programming
we're going after," Amazeen says. "We don't have the option
of changing the transmitter's battery during the game, and we can't
even think of distracting from the player's performance with a bulky
or heavy transmission device. With the EW 500 in virtually every
play of the game, our broadcast is a 'more real than real' hyper-sensory
experience. I don't think the most expensive wireless units out
there could deliver the action like the EW 500.”
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