Directing Figure Skating TV coverage

[YesWay]

TV Directors, for Figure Skating

I think the ISU should insist that TV directors pass a basic qualification, or at least are given a "do's and don'ts" briefing before every competition, specifically for covering figure skating.

Because... watching 4CC's coverage yesterday, I saw that it was littered with innapropriate closeups of upper body, so that footwork couldn't be seen. Not a good idea during a step sequence. Landings of jumps were also hidden from view occasionally, so I had no idea if the jump was fully rotated etc. Just had to hope for a replay afterwards.

And this is not unusual. Closeups at innappropriate moments is extremely common in figure skating coverage - the most common being the closeup just before the music starts... which would be fine if we didn't frequently miss the first few critical scene-setting seconds of a performance, because the director was too slow to switch to a wide-angle view. Is it really so difficult? At the very least, doesn't the start of the music give a clue?!

As for close-ups during a performance - no, No, NO. In my opinion, that is ALWAYS a bad idea! We need to see the whole skater, the whole time - so save the closeups for the replays.

If directors were trained/qualified/briefed specifically for figure skating coverage, then maybe we wouldn't have to endure the Innapropriate Closeups. Or indeed, other "crimes" - and here's a few I've seen very recently (ie. in 2015):

• Camera on a giant crane/boom at ice level, over the ice, during performances. Seriously, this is just All Kinds Of Wrong. I wonder what Patrick Chan would say (actually, I think I know).
• Worst possible choice of camera angle, making eg. beautiful and spectacular dance lifts... look like an ugly mess of limbs.
• Staying with a camera that's showing empty ice for several seconds, after the skater has left its field of view. Entire jumping passes have "disappeared" in this way.
• Using a camera that only shows one skater in a pairs team, for a substantial amount of time - when both could be in view by switching to another camera.

Am I being unfair? Are things are actually better than days gone by? (I note that skycams don't see much use any more - thanks, Patrick!)

 

[Interspectator]

I agree about face close ups. We get to see their face in the kiss and cry. I want to see their whole body especially their feet when they are skating.

 

[chairmanmao]

OMG! I thought it was just me. Absolutely the worst camerawork ever. I'm guessing since South Korea doesn't hold figure skating competitions often enough they don't have the same video directing quality as Japan, Russia or the US. Although I remember clearly the 4CC's in Taiwan had excellent camerawork. The worst one I saw at this competition was the beyond horrendous upper half-body shots of Farris while he was doing his step sequence.

 

[shiroKJ]

OMG! I thought it was just me. Absolutely the worst camerawork ever. I'm guessing since South Korea doesn't hold figure skating competitions often enough they don't have the same video directing quality as Japan, Russia or the US. Although I remember clearly the 4CC's in Taiwan had excellent camerawork. The worst one I saw at this competition was the beyond horrendous upper half-body shots of Farris while he was doing his step sequence.

I thought Spain had great camera work and they've never hosted a FS event before. SK should take a page from Spain's book

 

[noskates]

Totally agree with what everyone is saying. The competitions are bad enough but the 'shows' are worse. They'll pan to the person singing while a skater is doing a program and you have no idea what the skater is doing. I can HEAR the singer. I want to 'SEE the skater.

I also don't like those stupid camera shots from above. You can see the person spinning but have no idea what kind of a position they're in. Anyone with the slightest notion of figure skating could do a better job. It isn't the cameraman, either. It's the director in the booth!!!

 

[Violet Bliss]

This 4CC camera work ranks right up there with the worst coverages. It seems often the director knows nothing about figure skating but shows whatever they think is attractive about figure skating. Besides all the inappropriate close-ups, I really dislike overhead view of spins which thankfully is not a favorite here.

I remember another coverage in the U.S. where the entire Patrick Chan's one foot sequence was shot without showing his skates.

 

[mysticice]

I totally agree that camerawork should get better!

It's really annoying when you know from a starting pose that a camera is too close to a skater's face and a skater is going to disappear from a screen as soon as music starts. And don't even get me started on close-ups during a performance.

Also, I really hate it when they film from a distance so that you can barely see their skating. They do this especially in SD. I guess they are trying to show the pattern but it never works.

There has always been bad camerawork. I think the worst cameramen are in Europe (the Olympic Games excluded). I remember thinking that EC in Sheffield and WC in Turin were the worst. Two weeks ago, EC in Stockholm had some crappy camerawork too. I agree that GPF in Spain was surprisingly good! I'm European so I don't have a view about 4CC over a long period.

At least the judges have their own cameraman who consentrates on skating.

 

[rvi5]

The issue is, many TV broadcasters are catering to the majority of the general public. They are composing their camera angles for what they think is interesting artistic imagery. The common casual viewer is not an avid figure skating fan, and has little interest in watching feet. Constant whole body shots can become monotonous to them, if not mixed with various closeups and long range shots for variety. Shows are the same. As avid figure skating fans, we want to see the skaters. However, fans of the singers/gymnasts are probably complaining for less figure skating shots. Until we can convince the TV broadcasters to cater mostly to avid figure skating fans instead, "it is what it is" whether we like it or not.

 

[lefeury]

I also thought the camera work was the worst I had seen in a while at 4CC, I kept banging my head on the back of my chair trying to back up and see!!

 

[ice coverage]

The issue is, many TV broadcasters are catering to the majority of the general public. They are composing their camera angles for what they think is interesting artistic imagery. The common casual viewer is not an avid figure skating fan, and has little interest in watching feet. Constant whole body shots can become monotonous to them, if not mixed with various closeups and long range shots for variety. Shows are the same. As avid figure skating fans, we want to see the skaters. However, fans of the singers/gymnasts are probably complaining for less figure skating shots. Until we can convince the TV broadcasters to cater mostly to avid figure skating fans instead, "it is what it is" whether we like it or not.

:agree: Thx for being the voice of reason, rvi5 . You hit the nail on the head.

Although many GS threads lament that the sport has too few fans, any attempt to catch the interest of new fans is greeted with gnashing of the teeth .

And in the case of the Disson shows, the musical act(s) generally are more widely known to the majority of the general public than the skating performers are. Many of the Disson musical performers are popular on social media, and post a lot of promotional msgs leading up to the shows. They prob. are responsible are for drawing a number of additional viewers -- who just might get turned onto skating.
The gymnasts have their own followings and bring additional attention to skating as well. Last month, John Orozco wrote a very nice piece for the USOC website about performing in the skating/gymnastics show .

 

[rvi5]

"...After goofing around on the ice for a bit I sort of, kind of, not really, but slightly was able to do half of an axel jump."

In other words, a Waltz jump?

 

[gkelly]

Or maybe a "half axel" (aka "bell jump"), forward outside takeoff, one revolution, land facing forward on the toe pick of the takeoff foot and forward inside of the other foot.

 

[karne]

I'm hard at his description.

This is the sort of thing I wish would get out there more often. How can anyone claim our sport isn't tough or difficult?


EDIT: On the subject, if it makes anyone feel any better, Formula 1 has some truly god-awful direction too.

 

[GF2445]

Im not complaining. At least we can find skating coverage.
Does anyone remember the camera work during the compulsory dance at 2010 worlds? Half the time they just showed a closeup shot of the couples feet moving on the ice.

 

[YesWay]

The issue is, many TV broadcasters are catering to the majority of the general public. They are composing their camera angles for what they think is interesting artistic imagery. The common casual viewer is not an avid figure skating fan, and has little interest in watching feet. Constant whole body shots can become monotonous to them, if not mixed with various closeups and long range shots for variety. Shows are the same. As avid figure skating fans, we want to see the skaters. However, fans of the singers/gymnasts are probably complaining for less figure skating shots. Until we can convince the TV broadcasters to cater mostly to avid figure skating fans instead, "it is what it is" whether we like it or not.

You have a point, but I contend that they do a poor job of catering to the general public too.

eg. I just watched Chock & Bates at 4CC, and they did a closeup during a lift, that showed only Chock sailing past the audience. Does that lift not look 10x more spectacular when you can see that she is not actually skating alone on the ice... she is being held aloft by Bates.

There were other performances where you couldn't see that the man was on one foot during a lift.
Again, wouldn't that look more impressive to Joe Public? Even if the commentators have to point it out to them.

Same with the badly chosen angles for lifts I mentioned in a bullet point above - which don't make things look more attractive to the general public - quite the opposite.

And who does shots of empty ice appeal to?!

Im not complaining. At least we can find skating coverage.
Does anyone remember the camera work during the compulsory dance at 2010 worlds? Half the time they just showed a closeup shot of the couples feet moving on the ice.

Yeah... we are spoilt these days. Skating actually broadcast, streamed, posted on youtube etc.
But that doesn't mean things can't be improved...

 

[Violet Bliss]

I contend most directors are simply clueless, not trying to appeal to any particular audience. Generally, Canadian crew seems quite knowledgeable and the shows are well presented. Often they show replays of exactly what the commentators wish to see to explain.

 

[Botan]

Cup of Russia gets a lifetime achievment award for terrible camera work. Every single year they manage it to ruin entire performances, especially in ice dance. Their preferred angles are face close ups during choreographic moments and the extreme wide shot from above that reduces the skaters to little spots on the ice. You only get bits and pieces of the actual performance.

 

[cl2]

You have a point, but I contend that they do a poor job of catering to the general public too.

eg. I just watched Chock & Bates at 4CC, and they did a closeup during a lift, that showed only Chock sailing past the audience. Does that lift not look 10x more spectacular when you can see that she is not actually skating alone on the ice... she is being held aloft by Bates.

There were other performances where you couldn't see that the man was on one foot during a lift.
Again, wouldn't that look more impressive to Joe Public? Even if the commentators have to point it out to them.

Same with the badly chosen angles for lifts I mentioned in a bullet point above - which don't make things look more attractive to the general public - quite the opposite.

And who does shots of empty ice appeal to?!


Yeah... we are spoilt these days. Skating actually broadcast, streamed, posted on youtube etc.
But that doesn't mean things can't be improved...

Agreed that these half-baked camera cuts are neither serving skating fans nor catering to the public. So often it's either super close-ups, feetless jumps/step sequences, or skater's butts. While shows are a different story, for competitions I don't agree that the standards should be tweeked to the layperson's lack of skating knowledge. Instead, it's to the advantage of the sport to show exemplary footage to the public, coupled with the commentators' job to educate the audience.

Even if you consider having skating broadcast is being spoilt, broadcast opportunities are precious and should be seized and made more effective.