310MC Research & Development

At the start of term for this 3rd year of our degree, myself, Mike LaRosa and Sotirios Albanis agreed to take on the Coventry Blaze Ice Hockey TV channel. We all know that this is a big commitment and a huge project but having worked as a production team for the last year or so we feel that we have the skills, drive and determination to successfully take on this project and continue the great work that has been put in all ready and increase the ever growing following and quality of match coverage.

Here is an example of the videos the Coventry Blaze TV team were producing last season.

Saturday 17th October 2009 – The Pass Over

Coventry Blaze 5 – 4 Hull Stingrays

Tonight was our first meeting with last years Blaze TV production team. The point of this evening was to be shown exactly what we are responsible for, how to set up equipment and live stream recording, and to get to grips with filming the game. Myself and Mike met Ian Winterbottom (member of the production team) at the stadium for 5pm and we were  guided through the initial set up of equipment and wiring for the coverage of this evenings match. Included in this set up was the following;

1. Collect DVD’s, 2 camera’s and 2 microphone’s from either Mike or Diane.
2. Setup camera 1 and tripod in the stadium and ensure that it DVD’s are inserted into the DVD reorders and that camera 1 is also connected to the DVD recorders.The BNC cable is connected to the back of the television monitor so that the live stream can be fed to the television monitors in the bar.
3. Then ensure that the feed from cameras works in the bar area and set up the two microphones (one wired to the DJ booth for interview in the bar area, and one wireless for interview on the ice)
4. Set up camera 2 and tripod in the bar for the live pre-match interview connect camera 2 via BNC cable to monitors in the bar.
5. After the pre-match interview had covered we had to pack camera 2 and tripod away and take the BNC cable from the camera back into the wall to ensure that camera 1 was then feeding the live into the bar monitors.
6. Then we headed back up to the  filming point in the stadium and made sure that all the kit was functioning correctly and then we were all set to cover the Coventry Blaze vs. Hull Stingrays ice hockey match.

The general set up was quite straight forward and i feel confident that we will be able to do all the set up ourselves, next week without much supervision by the old production crew.

The match itself was a great experience and the speed of the game certainly tested your camera skills and alertness at all times. This is the first time i have attended an ice hockey match and the speed and flow of the game is breathtaking the puck is constantly exchanged between both sides and at times its was tricky to keep it in shot. There are three 20 periods in the game, for the first period myself and Mike did 10 minutes each on the camera, in the second period Ian took control and showed us some techniques and basic shots that we could try so in the third period myself and Mike put these into practice and found that keeping up to speed with the game and puck improved and by the end of the match felt confident in filming the game and we able to experiment with a number of different shots and zooms.

After the match finished we were shown how all the equipment and cables were put away and shown how to finalize the DVD’s to hand over to the club. Overall the night was a great success and i feel confident in taking on this project. The walkthrough given to us by Ian was well detailed and easy to follow which allowed myself and Mike to take on board all the information we need to successfully take over the project. Ian and the rest of the Production crew are going to be around for the next few weeks, taking a back seat role to ensure that we are completely confident and are doing everything correctly to provide ourselves, the fans and the Coventry Blaze with the best coverage possible.

Sunday 25th October 2009 – First Pay Packet

Coventry Blaze 5 – 2 Sheffield Steelers

Tonight was our first game that we have covered on our own. Ian and his team were at the match incase we encountered any problems, but we didn’t have any so we conducted the whole evening on our own with Ian overlooking to ensure everything was correct. The night was a huge success and we got our first pay packet of £30 between us. After getting to grips with the style of the camera shots and pace of the game the coverage was a lot easier to do. However this week we took two additional cameras so we were able to get a wide range of shots for better coverage of the highlights to put up on CovBlazeTV. As a team we worked well and efficiently together having a clear rotor of roles and camera positions. We managed our time well and effectively to make sure we were prepared to cover the game but also conduct the pre-match and post-match interviews in Crosby’s bar area. After we had conducted our evenings filming, we went away with our cameras and tapes to edit the nights match. We had a total of 4 hours worth of coverage from the two cameras and aimed to get the editing completed and uploaded on the YouTube site that evening. After numerous hours of editing and creating graphics, 10pm turned into 6am and the video was almost complete so we decided to get some sleep and finish the final parts of the piece later on Monday morning. By 1pm on Monday the video was uploaded on the CovBlazeTV site and was available for viewing.

Here is our first Coventry Blaze highlight video.

The piece was a long process in editing and with better preparation will not only take less time but will also be better in appearance and overall quality. Considering that this is the first of many video’s we will be producing we will learn from each one and they will gradually get better as we go along. Overall i feel the piece is good but can be improved in a number of areas which we will keep in mind for next weeks game and edit.

Sunday 1st November 2009 – Technical Hitches

Coventry Blaze 1- 2 Cardiff Devils

Tonight was a disappointing evening not only for the Blaze, but also for our coverage. Due to some technical difficulties the DVD’s for the club were not completed properly. Two out of the four DVD’s did not work properly due to and error in the processing. This was frustrating as everything else in the evening went well and we were well organized and time managed well throughout the evening which ensured that we provided all the coverage necessary without rushing and minimizing stress! Our own footage was successfully recorded which allowed us to produce a good quality video for the BlazeTV YouTube channel.

To ensue that we cut down on editing time this week, we prepared all the necessary graphics in the week before the match and this certainly helped in minimizing the post-production time for this weeks match. We have got a well planned and organized team structure which makes covering this project a lot easier and enjoyable. Sticking to our designated roles and responsibilities, whilst also providing each other with support and help where necessary, demonstrates our togetherness and illustrates how well we work together as a team.

In terms of this evenings game it was a disappointing result and performance for the Blaze. The standard of play was illustrated by the flat atmosphere in the Arena and the game was mostly dominated by the Cardiff Devils. I feel that we produced a well structured and balanced highlight video that is of good quality and is of better presentation to the video we produced last week. I am very please with our new graphics and i feel that it makes the piece look a lot more professional and is another piece to be proud of. So without further a do here is this weeks Blaze match!

Sunday 8th November 2009 – Fight Fight!!!

Coventry Blaze 5 – 2 Hull Stingrays

Tonight was our third week of filming and our first night completely on our own. Ian and the rest of the team did not come this week so it was the first week we had the chance to provide the live stream coverage on our own. The night was a great success and with the exception of one out of the four DVD’s not finalizing properly the night went without a glitch. Mike works on a Sunday so it was upto myself and Sid to do the general pre-match set up and cover the pre-match interview with coach Paul Thompson. Myself and Sid managed brilliantly setting up everything needed for the evening not only the Blaze equipment but also are own cameras for the YouTube TV channel. This illustrated our  technical ability and organization to effectively set up in the same time it takes all three of us to do it. When Mike arrived at 5:30pm we were all ready to start the evenings filming and with face off at 6pm we had just enough time to run through camera positions and logging set up. As there are only three of us each camera operator had to log their own camera, although difficult at times we accomplished this very well.

The game tonight was full of action and goals and we also witnessed our first ice hockey fight which really boosted the noise and atmosphere of the crowd, and guaranteed to enable us to achieve more viewers this week as it is a lot more exciting then last week and the performance had improved ten fold.

This week we experimented with some new graphics which took longer to prepare in the week but will provide us with a lot more stylish and eye catching edit this week which will hopefully be reflected in the viewing numbers. Overall this weeks match coverage was a huge success, and the Blaze general manager James Pease approached us at the end of tonight’s coverage and said that he has got some more video work lined up for us which he will elaborate on in more detail in a meeting with us next week.

So with out further a do here is this weeks highlight video of the Coventry Blaze vs. Hull Stingrays.

Saturday 14th November 2009 – Saturday night’s alright!

Coventry Blaze 3 – 1 Newcastle Vipers

Tonight was a second time we filmed on our own and all went extremely well. As it was a Saturday all three of us were able to be there from the start so set up of equipment and the live video stream in minimal time which left us with plenty of time to organise the pre-match interview and prepared all of our DV tapes, log sheets and setup the Coventry Blaze DVD’s. As face off approached we went to our respective first period cameras and began to capture this weeks game. The game was played at a fast pace but both teams cancelled each other out and the first period finished 0 – 0. The whole game had the feel of being a low scoring affair and the second period didn’t look to bring to much change. However about 5/6 minutes into the second period a shocking incident happened. After a standard slam between two players into the side wall, a pain of protective glass fell out of its frame and landed on a fans foot! This held up the game for a good 20 minutes while the fan was treated by the St John Ambulance and the panel put back into the frame. This break gave the Blaze a chance to regroup and after the break in play they came out all guns blaring and scored three goals in quick succession to turn the game on its head. Although the blaze conceded a goal in third period they held on to take the win and finish the game 3-1.

Tonight’s match was a great success and everything went well and to plan. All the DVD’s processed correctly and as it was a Saturday night match there was no post match interview so after we had packed away all the live streaming equipment and our own camera’s and tripod’s. After full time we had a meeting with the Blaze general manager James Pease to talk over plans for us to provide extra coverage on the Blaze, ideas such as behind the scenes videos, interviews with players and coaching staff and fan interaction. These are at the moment still a pipe dream for James but he is sending us an email with his request on and it is up to us to turn them into reality.

Here is this weeks highlight video.

Saturday 21st November 2009 – Then there were two

Coventry Blaze 6 – 3 Edinburgh Capitals

Due to prior commitments i was unable to attend tonight’s match so it was left to Sid and Mike to produce the live feed and capture the highlights for our YouTube site. Due to the fact that there was only two of them this week, it meant that for this week we had to just have the main camera for the highlights therefore sacrificing the replay camera for this week. Although i was not able to attend the filming i was able to assist with this weeks editing, and after looking at the footage Mike and Sid captured, i was very pleased with what they had produced. The last few weeks of coverage have definitely enabled us all to be competent at covering the Blaze games to a good level and as each week goes by the better we become. All the editing went well apart from the 5th Blaze goal was missing, so some technical difficulty or abnormality must have occurred during the evening… or maybe the record button was not pressed!!

Here is this weeks coverage.

In addition to this weeks coverage, the lads also filmed an exclusive interview with Blaze Head Coach Paul Thompson, this is something we have decided to cover to ensure that the service we are providing for the club and supporters is as interesting and as exclusive as possible. The interview was quickly thrown together and that is reflected in the overall quality so this is something we will look to improve over the next few weeks.

Wednesday 25th November 2009 – Its just a training exercise!

Coventry Blaze 7 – 4 GB University Team

Tonight’s game was a friendly between the Coventry Blaze and GB Universities team, as it was a friendly between the two sides the club had provided the university with 300 free tickets, which myself, Mike and Sid decided to take up as we felt it would be a nice break to actually be a spectator at the Ice Hockey instead of seeing it through the camera. However this notion was short lived because as we arrived at the Skydome we were approached by Mike Cowley who asked us if we would mind providing a live feed and DVD coverage of the game. We agreed to covered the evenings game as we just had the one camera to operate so we all designated a period for each other to record, so the two people that were not on camera were able to still spectate the evenings match whilst one of us filmed the match. This set up worked well and still made the evening very enjoyable. Tonight was a great chance for us to witness some of the up and coming talent in the game and another opportunity to continue to improve our camera skills. The evenings footage went without incident and we provided full match coverage and provided Mike and the club with 3 out 4 DVD’s as one of the DVD players did not work properly. As we did not go with the intension to film we did not capture our own footage due to no equipment, so just using the clubs camera and tripod allowed us to enjoy the evening a lot more as the stress of using our own cameras at the same time was not present. This evenings game was full of quality and action with goals galore coming from both teams. Mike and his wife Diana were pleased with what we produced and as a bonus for the evenings work we were payed a full match payment.

Order now for Christmas – Blaze TV Fly on the Wall

10/12/2009

Wondering what to get the Blaze fans in your house for Christmas? Wonder no more

Available to order from today are copies of a fantastic double DVD “Fly on the Wall” documentary, featuring full game footage from Sundays 6-4 smash against the Panthers.

Disc one feature full footage including Derek Campbells fight against the Panthers D’Amour and disc two is crammed with exclusive behind the scenes footage.

Ever wondered what Thommo says between periods? Ever thought about what really happens to get the game underway each week? This jam packed DVD fearures fan interviews and predictions, backroom interviews with players, staff and coaches, pre and post game interviews and much more!

The double disc costs just £10 and can be ordered now from The Hockey Locker or from the matchnight shop on Sunday night and will be with you just in time for Christmas. Full payment for the DVD must be paid at time order. Call 02476 223220 for more information

Big thank you to the guys at Blaze TV and Rob Coleman for all their hard work putting the DVD together.