Tapani Parm YLE (© IAAF)
Covering Field Events
The format of field events makes their duration too long for television, with finals lasting an average of 100 minutes. The number of finalists and the number of attempts should both be reconsidered. Regardless of the competition format, however, the main points of proper storytelling of field events remain valid.
Again, the producer/director’s duty is to do thorough homework. One must know the sport and the top competitors. Knowing the top athletes means not only being able to identify their faces, but also their potential to score. This information is then shared with the technical team. As described earlier, it also requires adjusting the machinery to face the reality of the forthcoming event.
All field events (with the exception of vertical jumps) should be treated in the coverage as a single competition, starting with the qualification and ending with the last attempts of the final. According to the journalistic approach, the story contains three key turning points: the (first and) third round of the qualification sessions, and the third and sixth rounds of the final.
Coverage of the qualifying rounds for throwing events and horizontal jumps should start with plenty of images of the favourites. The journalistic approach obliges this as part of storytelling. Emphasising the top athletes takes place, to some degree, at the expense of other qualifiers. This is motivated by the viewer’s need to identify the most important faces and by the fact that often these athletes leave the venue quickly, because usually they meet the qualification standard on their first attempt.
The next point of importance is the third and last round of the qualification event. Some of the key athletes may fail to score a result. After two red flags, major drama is attached to an athlete’s situation. A medal favourite may be excluded from the final. A good director acts accordingly, refraining from needless replays and frequently filming the athlete who is under pressure.
The situation repeats itself during the third round of the final. A potential medallist who had trouble qualifying among the eight best becomes a source of journalistic interest. Exploiting the suspense related to confusion around a favourite can be entertaining. The reactions of other top athletes to this situation are also storytelling material. The basic rule is: the culmination of the finals in field events should always be seen and covered as a duel between two athletes. Let us proceed event by event.
Shot Put
Shot Put is a “white or red flag” event. The validity of every trial is indicated by a judge, who raises a white or red flag after every attempt. Because the flag decides the filming sequence, it should be part of camera cutting and a repeated target after every trial.
The shot putters’ reaction should promptly follow the filming of the flag. If the flag is white, then after the athlete’s immediate reaction, the coverage should return to the measurement of the result, followed by the competitor’s reaction to the score. If the flag is red, capturing the shot putter’s facial expression is part of the story.
The viewer wants to evaluate the feelings of athletes during the crucial last attempts of the final. The reversed order after three rounds gives the leader the upper hand by granting him the last performance. His score is the result to beat. During the last round his rivals try to beat the leading score. Now the “duel principle” should be applied.
When the real favourites, say, the four last competitors, step into the circle, the face of the leader is an essential part of the story. The “duel principle” demands that his or her image be included during the rivals’ preparation sequence. If the rival does not improve his or her standing, then an instant shot of the leader is required. This shot is then followed by the rival’s reaction and perhaps a motivated replay.
The culminating moment of the competition comes when there are two athletes left. Let us assume that the athlete with the last attempt is still the leader. As we have noted, the leader must be cut into the story as the last rival prepares. After the second-to-last athlete’s attempt, there are three alternatives.
One: the standings remain unchanged. At this moment our leader is the winner of the competition, thus the director must cut to his or her face the moment the shot hits the field. Only then should the coverage return to the rival. It should also be stressed that the competition is over and hence there is no reason to rush to the replays.
Two: the result of the last attempt of the rival seems to be extremely close to the leading score and the white flag indicates it must be measured. At this moment, the director must absolutely refrain from running any replays before the result unfolds. Instead, the faces of the two uncertain athletes are the highlight material of this sequence. The replays should only be injected after showing the reactions of these two rivals, the delight of victory and the disappointment of defeat.
Three: the rival takes the lead. At this moment the director should cover the instant joy of the new leader, followed by the reaction of the former leader. Now the situation is reversed. But the competition is not yet over: the former leader has still one attempt. Now the challenger, the new leader, is worried. Again, the same three alternatives remain, in which the “duel principle” should be practised.
Shot Put is a spectacular sport. These roaring giants, male and female, are excellent material for television. In addition to filming the athletes’ faces, preparations and reactions, covering the attempt properly is important. A total shot is required to show the shot putter from toes to fingers launching the shot. The cut to the flying apparatus must slightly be delayed, in order to give the viewer an impression of the athlete’s balance after the throw.
In all throwing events, the landing area of the flying apparatus must be marked with clear lines (coloured sectors?) and distance markers, so that the viewer can immediately estimate the length of the throw.
Discus and Hammer
The “duel principle” of filming is also valid in the discus and hammer throw events. To tell the story, the director must know the athletes and their potential. This allows quick judgement of whether the result may be good enough for a medal, thus triggering the duel treatment.
To start the treatment, the director and camera crew must know the whereabouts of the key athletes all the time. This is achieved with the help of spotters, who work close to the officials on the field of play. The spotter is a director’s assistant and a specialist in athletics. Spotters are familiar with the needs of storytelling and they guide the director in trying to locate key athletes. We will later return to the spotter issue.
There are 60 attempts in a final. In the process of repeating the basic cutting pattern of the attempts, the director, feeling the pressures of his artistic ambition, must resist the temptation to vary the cutting pattern. This is to grant the viewer trouble-free circumstances to assess the score.
Nowadays host broadcasters can place cameras inside the cage. Modern coverage requires intimacy, which is free of the obtrusive effects of cage netting. The storyboard must include an isolated camera to film the flag and a camera for foot faults, showing the athlete stepping out of the circle.
Obviously the landing area of discus and hammer throws must be clearly marked and the flying apparatus should be filmed from a sufficiently wide side angle. The shot of the flying discus or hammer must be zoomed out well ahead of landing, so as to include the distance lines and signs in the shot.
Javelin Throw
The demand of storytelling in the javelin throw is as essential as in other throwing events. There are athletes who often make their best score in a certain round. Many gold medals have been won with a first-round throw. The producer/director’s research should cast light on this kind of probability. Thus the application of the “duel principle” may commence with the first round.
When applying the “duel principle”, a couple of additional matters should be taken into consideration.
When launched, the javelin flies for a longer time than other throwing apparatuses. Therefore the director has plenty of time to stay with the athlete and check the validity of the throw before cutting to the flying javelin.
Technically, the javelin throw is a delicate sport. Justified replays, which help to analyse the technical aspects, are welcome. A vibrating javelin never flies far. A super slow-motion replay, filmed from behind the throw, illustrates the behaviour of the javelin. If the thrower looks at the flying javelin and seeing it vibrating or swinging, he or she often steps over the throwing line voluntarily, deciding to earn a red flag even before the javelin hits the grass.
The director should also know the importance of technical matters of the throw, such as the athlete’s proper approach to the throwing position and the necessity of hitting the supporting foot correctly against the runway. The camera layout should cover these details, which affect the length of the throw.
Horizontal jumps: Long Jump and Triple Jump
The events of the horizontal jumps are red flag events, with athletes of explosive take-off power. The runway is often narrow, which calls for special precision with regards to positioning the measuring devices, officials and scoreboards. The placement of the scoreboards must not interfere with filming. A compromise is required, because these devices often obstruct the filming, of not only of the horizontal jumps, but the track events as well.
Because the take-off in the long jump and triple jump is so swift, the decision of the flag-holding judge must be included in the cutting pattern. A white flag after the jump triggers a wait for the result. Once again, if the score affects the medal standings, the director should avoid running replays, in order not to miss the key players’ reactions. If the flag is red, then the director has been given precious extra time to tell the story.
The main camera should be mounted as low as possible. This low angle makes the height of the jump more spectacular. The relation between the landing marks and the reference board of the distance also become clearer.
The platform or footprint supporting the main camera must be broad enough to allow exact placement of the camera. Depending on the distance of the take-off boards from the landing area, the required width of the platform is about four meters. This is sufficient to cover all of the men’s and women’s events.
During the qualifiers, the main camera must stay exactly at the distance of the qualification standard. During the finals, an appropriate position is chosen. Generally the position depends on the athletes’ potentials. If, for instance, the medallists in the men’s long jump are expected to jump 8.50-8.30 meters, the main camera should probably be 8.40 from the take-off board.
There are many ways to find the correct camera position, but one workable means is to mark the distances on the railing of the platform. Then slight reposition can be made during the competition, should the director so wish. The correct camera position is vital for the viewer, who wants to instantly assess the distance of the jump.
As it happens, the jumper sometimes interrupts the run-up and returns to the end of the runway to repeat the effort. Now a new interesting element becomes part of the story: the clock. Another target of filming is the windsock. The athlete often looks at the air sock, trying to find a calm moment within the time allocated for the jump. This should be included in the camera coverage.
Vertical jumps: High Jump and Pole Vault
The competition format of the vertical jump offers the director a wide range of situations. There are clear rules on how a tie is resolved, with the win awarded to the athlete with the lowest number of jumps at the height where the tie occurs. If there is still a tie, the victory goes to the competitor with the lowest total of failures throughout the competition up to and including the last cleared height. Often, after failing the first or second attempt, the athlete may forego the next trial(s) and still jump at a subsequent height.
Generally the athletes play tough games in the final stages of the competition. They skip heights or, as we said, forgo their next attempt in order to put pressure on their opponents. Therefore the producer/director and the spotters must be well acquainted with the competition rules of vertical jumps. The clearance of a gold medal height often occurs well before the end of the competition.
Hence, the director should meticulously observe the build-up of the battle between the potential medallists. And realizing this, one must cover the tension and execute “duel game” cutting between the athletes still remaining in the contest.
The viewer enjoys watching the key athletes being frustrated by clearances of their opponents. The moment the bar drops for the last time, the viewer hates to miss the reaction of the gold medal winner. Of all field events, the events of vertical jumps offer the director the widest chances to capture the fine drama of athletics.
The athletes’ rituals during preparations for the jump can provide wonderful filming material.
Normally the athlete’s movements signal that the run-off is about to begin. A director who is familiar with their body language will be able to catch this.
Other elements of the cutting pattern are the stare of the jumper, the crossbar, the windsock (especially in the pole vault), the clock, the trainer in the stands and, as mentioned, the rival or rivals. By clever cutting, suspension is built into the sequence: the bar either stays on the pegs or it drops.
Finally, athletes execute their take-off with either the right or left foot. Filming of the attempts of high jump should, however, only take place from one side of runway. Two head-on positions of the reaction cameras are needed to capture the reaction of the jumper after the attempt.
