How Sportsnet's stunning drone shots are bringing Dome home for Blue Jays viewers

Edmonton Journal

2 days ago

The more advanced sports productions gets, the more sports venues can be treated as giant TV studios. Think of the Olympic Games, where the 'beauty shots' as they are known in the business seem to be on an endless loop providing spectacular backdrops to the spectacle unfolding.
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No one is suggesting that the Rogers Centre is one of the seven wonders of the sporting world, but it sure looked special during the recently complete series against the Yankees.
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And the drone camera — which those in the stadium can see hovering high above home plate after nightfall – has certainly added some 'wow' shots to the handful of recent broadcasts it has been part of the Sportsnet arsenal.
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Speaking with those involved, it doesn't sound as though the drones will be an every home game toy for those that produce the broadcasts, though that could change if rave reviews continue.
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For whatever reason — and perhaps because the network is still figuring out how extensively it wants to employ the technology going forward — a request to Sportsnet for comment on the drone's use and its impact on the broadcasts was denied citing 'policy' to not allow producers to comment on production.
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That said, those on air and behind the scenes that we spoke with at the Rogers Centre this week certainly recognized the impact the drone view was bringing to the broadcast. For the broadcasters, there's an appreciation of the atmosphere in the building for a series like the recent one and the drone is helping deliver it in high definition directly to people's screens.
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For those involved on the production side, they're well aware of the power of a well-timed, unique visual to further capture what's happening with the team.
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Add in the regular camera shots, excellent audio work to capture the crowd Jays manager John Schneider is crediting as an aid to the team's success and the overall slick show produced by Doug Walton has enhanced the telling of one of the best stories in baseball this season
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With Buck Martinez's extended absence continuing, Joe Siddall will be alongside Dan Shulman for the big four-game series over the weekend in Detroit against the Tigers.
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What suddenly looms as a critical series with the AL Central leaders was always going to be on Siddall's schedule given he lives across the river in Windsor, Ont. It is expected that Caleb Joseph will get the call for the four games in three days Baltimore series that follows and leads into the MLB trade deadline.
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It's expected that Martinez, who continues to follow the action closely, will return to the booth at some point as he deals with what Sportsnet described as a 'health setback.'
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The sizzling Jays ratings were a topic of conversation around the batting cage this week, especially when compared with the powerhouse brand that are the New York Yankees.
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Specifically, folks involved with the YES Network, the long-time home of the Yankees broadcasts, were wowed by the news we reported last week that the Sportsnet recorded a season high audience of 1.2 million for the first Yankees series this month. While Sportsnet has the advantage of being a coast-to-coast entity, it isn't as if YES doesn't reach a large market. That said, on the rare occasions that the network draws 500,000 viewers, it's cause for celebration. For Sportsnet, that number would be seen as a terrible off-night for its captive Canadian audience.