The State of TV Coverage Camerawork

[Alesana]

I put this needless excess of close-ups and quick cuts down to broadcasters wanting to "tell a story". It happens in other sports too to a degree, they think you'll get bored if you just sit there and watch the game as if you were at the ground.

With the increased microphones, commentators, and cameras you now have the broadcasters thinking "there's the debutante's family reacting to his first goal, the coach showing some animation after a turnover, a couple of players shoving each other behind the play, the cheer squad waving their flags jubilantly - we have a story to tell here!".

Just using a few cameras with minimal cuts so you can just watch the game unfold is not an option anymore. Unfortunately, with all that is available in 2024, they would be seen as not doing their job if they weren't trying to be innovative with all this crap to "tell a story". Sometimes less is more.

 

[Cleavy]

I’ve noticed they have fixed the main camera position at the scg, more centeral now compared to previous years

so no more dramas of someone's big head blocking a crucial 1000th goal...

 

[1989]

I put this needless excess of close-ups and quick cuts down to broadcasters wanting to "tell a story". It happens in other sports too to a degree, they think you'll get bored if you just sit there and watch the game as if you were at the ground.

With the increased microphones, commentators, and cameras you now have the broadcasters thinking "there's the debutante's family reacting to his first goal, the coach showing some animation after a turnover, a couple of players shoving each other behind the play, the cheer squad waving their flags jubilantly - we have a story to tell here!".

Just using a few cameras with minimal cuts so you can just watch the game unfold is not an option anymore. Unfortunately, with all that is available in 2024, they would be seen as not doing their job if they weren't trying to be innovative with all this crap to "tell a story". Sometimes less is more.

Spot on. One of my pet hates is when at the end of an exciting match they zoom in on a player because it’s their 200th game or some crap, rather than taking a wider shot that shows the eruption of a larger group of players with the crowd in the background. Instead, the close up shot follows some bozo around for ten seconds before cutting to a couple of other close ups and then shoving a microphone in ‘the story’s’ face to fire off several lame ‘questions’.

Watching on TV will never be as good as actually being there, but it could be much better.

 

[Pusswah]

And just quietly, do we really still have to put up with a camera sitting there shaking like someone's doing the press conference on a ****ing iphone?

The AFL is such an amateur organisation.
We put up with clowns and shitful coverage.
It's just ****ed.

 

[Crystal 64]

I can't be the only one to be disappointed with the current state of TV coverage of the game. Whatever you might think of the commentators, the camera work is frequently terrible. The camera is frequently zoomed in so far you can only see the ball carrier with no clue as to where his opponents are, where his team mates are, or sometimes even what direction the goals or boundary line are. Is he under pressure? Is he about to be tackled? Does he have support? What are his options? I have no idea. He lays of a handball, or a kick. To whom? Who knows? The ball shoots out of screen and it takes a moment for the camera to adjust.

This happens so often I can only assume it's a deliberate choice of the directors to "get close to the action" or something, but it completely ruins the watching of the game because you simply can not tell what's going on.

Agreed, for some reason, they seem to either have moved to having two levels of zoom. One is so far away from the action as you say (probably covering 50-60 metres of the field) and the other shot is so close (5 to 8m span) its hard to see what is surrounding the player with the ball, who will they handball to, what sort of pressure they are under,\. It is really offputting.

 

[Clark G]

Tonight’s game was full of close ups. Do they ramp it up for finals?

 

[Cleavy]

Tonight’s game was full of close ups. Do they ramp it up for finals?

gotta capture that finals atmosphere

 

[kickazz]

Jut watched the 1984 GF mini on Foxtel.

Camera frequently cuts away from the play to zoom in on an umpire doing a signal.
Cuts away from the play to show a fight for a good 10 seconds.

It used to be awful, though to be fair resolution was different and you could always assume what was ahead of the play because players played in position more.


So it is much better today - but the close ups are creeping back in. But its the cuts to coach reactions that can be overdone.