CHENNAI: The world’s oldest surviving photograph, titled View from the Window at Le Gras, was taken by French scientist Joseph Nicephore Niepce in 1826. He produced the photo ‘by exposing a bitumen-coated plate in a camera obscura for several hours on his windowsill,’ according to National Geographic.
Since then, this particular field has seen immense development. Calotypes, dryplates, photographic film, video, camcorder, digital cameras et. al have all flooded the market. One of the latest innovations in this particular field is the use of spidercam — a trademark name. It is a technology which enables film and TV cameras to cover events while moving both vertically and horizontally over a set area.
After its first run of commercial success in 2005, the innovation has been involved in the biggest of sporting contests over the last decade. And Georg Peters, a project manager with spidercam GmbH - Austria (Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung (German for a ‘company with limited liability’), has seen it all with respect to the implementation of the system in many events. And in an interview with Express he speaks about the technology, what goes into setting it up, and whether the ‘crew’ feel like gods because of their unique position high above the stadium.
On what goes into operating the machine
We have a crew of three at every event: The pilot, who controls the dolly (camera transport platform) movements, the camera operator, who is in charge of pointing the camera and works zoom and focus, and a technician, who takes care of technical issues. For events that can go longer than expected, we have a “backup crew” on standby, which will take over to prevent exhaustion. The spidercam crew and control station is not in the control room or OB-Van, but usually located on the pitch, in press boxes or any location that offers an unimpaired view of the dolly flying area. Like other camera positions, the spidercam crew is in constant contact with the OB-Van and the director via intercom.
On how the equipment is set up
The operating crew is also tasked with setting the equipment. They move the winches in position, attach the pulleys to the roof, light posts or catwalks, and setup the control station. Fiber cables are used to connect all components. Once everything is where it is supposed to be, the crew will move the catenary cables from each winch through the respective pulley and attach it to the dolly. Finally the crew will measure the flying area, and input the values into the control station – the system is ready to fly.
On the day of the broadcast
In the morning the crew will check the system and make sure everything is in working condition. Before the match the director briefs all camera operators. He will outline what to expect, discuss shots and point out on which players to focus. Spidercam crews ready the system and are usually involved in the pre-match broadcast. During any broadcast the director constantly announces which camera he wants to cut to, and what he wants the specific camera operator to do – the same applies to spidercam, although the pilot has the final say on whether he will do a move or if it’s too risky.
On how the set-up varies between events
Some sports use larger venues than others and we may need additional crew – on rare occasions up to 6 workers. The system setup itself remains similar, but the shots during broadcast vary greatly. The crew has to prepare for different challenges and offer different moves across different sporting events. What looks great in cricket might not work for a swimming competition.
On its growth after being used primarily for concerts
It was developed to service the entire broadcast market, and we did not limit it to certain events. However, most of our jobs were and still are sports and sports related.
On preventing incidents like the one that happened in the recent ODI series between India and Australia
Yes, depending on the sport we keep to certain heights, stand still not to distract athletes in critical moments or keep a safe distance from the play. The directors would prefer us to be as close to the action as possible to get the most spectacular shots, while we favour some distance to minimize risks — a challenging duality. The pilots do everything they can to ensure they don’t interfere with the game.
On whether being perched so high up a stadium give them a feeling of omniscience
If looking down on people could convey a feeling of divinity, we would be swarmed with megalomaniac birds. On second thought they do poop on our heads without hesitation or remorse. Humour aside, we are just one camera in a production of many.
Technology is Name of the Game
Goal-line Technology
GoalControl, a German company, developed goal-line technology for football, and were given the license by football’s world body (FIFA) at the 2014 World Cup. The system features 14 high speed cameras mounted around the stadium, with 7 each pointed towards one goal each. These cameras are used to detect if the ball has crossed the goal line or not
Hawk-Eye
A complex computer system used in a variety of sports, Hawk-Eye visually tracks the trajectory of a ball and gives a moving image of its most likely path. The system works through six (sometimes seven) high-performance cameras, mostly placed on the underside of stadium roofs and these cameras track the ball from different angles. The resultant video from these cameras create a three-dimensional representation of the trajectory of the ball, thus helping in deciding close calls
HotSpot
An infra-red imaging system used in cricket, HotSpot helps to detect whether the ball has struck the batsman, bat or pad. It requires two infra-red cameras on opposite sides of the ground, above the field of play, which continuously record an image. Suspected snicks or bat/pad events are normally verified by examining the infrared image, which usually shows a bright spot
Snickometer
Microphones near the stumps are connected to an oscilloscope that measures sound waves. When the ball nicks the bat, this oscilloscope traces sounds, while at the same time, a high speed camera records the ball passing the bat. This trace is shown alongside replays of the ball passing bat/pad, and helps in deciding whether the nick was off the bat or not