There’s something special about capturing any piece of a live event and sharing it with the world through video. So much planning is involved, but it’s worth it to get everything just right. Whether you’re connecting with the players off the court, or tracking the action of a hard-earned match, all the moments matter. This year, without fans physically at the US Open, capturing all the moments just right mattered even more. Production teams became even more vital to expand the look into professional tennis, so those watching at home still felt a part of the event.
It’s all about a series of moments, carefully captured, coming together to reveal a complete picture for those watching at home.
So much more goes into properly capturing a tennis match for at-home viewers than you might think. It’s all about creating the right atmosphere; capturing the action. But, there are two different components to the action within tennis — what’s happening across the whole court, and what’s taking place up close.
There’s an intimacy to tennis that’s unique, and it’s important to show that by getting in up close. Not only do spectators want to see the ball as it’s bouncing off the court, but they want a close-up view of a player’s reaction to what just happened.
Tennis also has an intensity that’s best seen close up. The right view lets you see the beads of sweat on a player’s face as they get closer to that match point. You can see knuckles tightening on a racket when they’re down a set. These intimate and intense moments capture the tension, exhaustion, elation, and anger that tennis is all about. It authenticates the experience, and gives you a complete moment.
Equally important to the subtleties of tennis is the action. This is most clearly seen when looking down over the whole court. Something spectators would naturally do when sitting in the stands. Since they can’t do that this year, how each match is captured on camera creates this moment.
The bird’s eye view let’s viewers at home see the action between players as it’s happening, whether they’re hitting the ball or running after it. It’s the best way to get an overall feel for the match. You can see all the movement, and follow the game more easily, cheering on your favorites.
The great thing about tennis is it’s a game about movement. The players are running, the ball is flying through the air, and the heads of observers keep going side-to-side. It’s not always easy, though, to translate the movement of the live game onto the screen.
To create the moments of motion, requires a more cinematic approach. You almost have to be the ball and mimic its movement as you follow the players across the court. This helps put fans directly into the action as it’s happening. It enhances the moments on the court by furthering the sensation, for fans, of being there live even when that’s not possible right now.
The other huge piece to tennis, that makes it unique, is its soundtrack. The swoosh of a tennis racket through the air, the bounce of the ball, even the squeak of sneakers on a court. Every sound helps polish a moment on the tennis court. These are the noises you expect to hear, even, if you’re not sitting in the stands yourself. Watching on TV should be just as “noisy.”
Clearly sending these sounds through the TV also helps build tension for those watching at home. They enhance the visuals, and almost act as the icing on the tennis cake when watching the perfect moment in a match.
The final piece to creating real moments at this year’s US Open has nothing to do with the matches themselves. It’s just as important though. Seeing what goes on off the court rounds out a viewer’s experience. It adds dimension to the players, and allows them to connect with fans even at a distance.
Whether it’s seeing a player’s reaction as their family waves virtually from the jumbotron, to hearing fans ask their favorite tennis pro questions, there’s a lot happening at the US Open even when there’s silence on the court.
Being at the US Open this year has allowed us to help build moments. Each day as the team gathers to begin we reflect on the work we’re about to do. We realize how we’re helping all the tennis fans out there who aren’t here with us, and we want to get it right.
At Greyline Media, our job is to help make moments that enhance the viewer’s experience. No matter what we’re filming or producing, our technical expertise and artistic eye, does just that. Here’s an example of our US Open content.
To add poignant moments to your sporting event that hold both cinematic appeal and enhance coverage, contactGreyline Media today.