My first true experience working as a PTZ Camera Operator during one of the biggest event weeks of the year - Super Bowl LIX

PTZ Camera Operator - Super Bowl Week by Savanna Jones

My first true experience working as a PTZ Camera Operator during one of the biggest event weeks of the year - Super Bowl LIX

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“So you have experience working PTZ Cameras? That’s great. So far, we haven’t had much luck finding someone in your area…”

Well, I’ve seen it done before working on Kitchen Nightmares, I know how to use Youtube to watch videos on how to use the PTZ system, so why not?

What is a PTZ Camera?

A PTZ camera is basically a mountable 360 camera - these can be used for anything including podcasts, church livestreams, tv shows, and anything else that requires quick movements. PTZ stands for “pan, tilt and zoom”, which are the directions that the camera can be manipulated in. Pan meaning left to right, Tilt meaning up and down, and of course, Zoom for zooming in and out.

These can all be done smoothly with a controller set up that requires you to move the joystick and press buttons at the same time while also paying attention to what each camera is looking at and what camera is “live” during the show. Most of the time for bigger shows, the camera team will all have on headsets and hear what camera needs to be capturing what by listening to the Show runner call out the camera positions and numbers. It can be really stressful during a show since everything is moving very quickly and any mistake can ruin the shot completely.

Battle of the Paddles

Super Bowl Week is one of the busiest film weeks of the year - with so many side-shows to ramp up to the big game, I knew I could find a freelance job for some extra work. I started looking for some jobs on Facebook film groups, StaffMeUp, etc. and found one for PTZ Operator for a live sports event - Battle of the Paddles, an annual table tennis livestream with Youtubers, sports influencers and even a few football players versus one another. Without thinking much about it, I applied, knowing full well that I had operated cameras for events and live sports, including MMA, Motor-cross, etc.

A few days later, I got an email to set up a zoom meeting with the DP and Producer for the live event. I attended and got all the details about the PTZ system they would provide as well as knowing that I would be expected to move, set up and operate up to three cameras during the live show. A little nerve-wracking and stressed, I put on a confident face during the meeting and ensured the crew that I was more than capable of doing the job. (I wouldn’t recommend the ‘fake it til you make it’ ideal to everyone)

We worked out a solid day rate for the two-day shoot (day one was prep, day two the live show) and I started researching everything I could about how to use these cameras, how to set up the exposure, focus, color temp and how to use the operating board. The setup of the board is very similar to running a livestream style podcast, with a board switcher for each camera and a controller for moving the cameras around the room.

To make sure I wasn’t making a big mistake taking this job, I even consulted a few friends on the difficulty of the show. I was reassured, though I know that for most shows, you should be mentored on something at least a few times before jumping into it full force. So many thoughts were running through my head, “how fast will I have to pan the cameras, what if I have to set up a ton of presets for each segment, will I be able to pull focus fast enough?” I obviously didn’t want to embarrass myself during a livestream…

I did what I could to prepare, made the drive to New Orleans to stay with family, then waited to see my call time the night before. One of the most stressful things about running through the call sheet is seeing if you know anyone working with you. Most of the time, this can be a relief since I may know and work well with the other people that will be in my department for the show. In this case, I didn’t want to know anyone in case I was to embarrass myself - but sure enough, I knew the Assistant Camera on the camera department side and had just worked with them on another show the year before.

Day One - Set up Day

8am sharp, I arrived on site to prepare for the shoot. Hardly any one else was there and the warehouse that was to be the stage was completely empty. Little did our team realize that the stage crew wasn’t to be on set until 11am, so we had some time to kill. I instantly felt relieved, knowing that I would have some time to familiarize myself with the equipment while we set up and waiting for the other team to build the set.

We started to unload the equipment from our truck and since I wouldn’t be able to set up my cameras and controller until the video village was completed, I was to help out the camera team that would be walking around getting shots during the show. I went and introduced myself and also caught up with the Assistant Camera I knew previously. One of the guys also mentioned that if I needed any help with the PTZ system, he could answer questions as he was familiar with the setup. I told him that I may hit him up later, and felt a little bit better about the job.

The rest of the day consisted of setting up what we could and waiting to get cameras in place after the stage and ping pong table was set up. There was a point where I and the DP had to get on a scissor lift to mount up one of my cameras. At first, we didn’t have the right grip equipment to mount it properly and had to rely on the safety chain on the camera to make sure it didn’t fall down off the mount.

We also had a super quick run through with all of the cameras at the end of the day before leaving. I didn’t have to move my cameras at all during this, but I felt that if my cameras were to stay in the same positions they were in, that I could do the job well. I grabbed a snack from set for dinner and headed home for the day, anxiously waiting the show day.

Day Two - The Stress of a Livestream

This was it - the big day was here. I set up several alarms on my phone to give myself plenty of time to wake up and destress. My call time to arrive wasn’t until 11am, so I had some time to grab a bite to eat and watch a few more Youtube videos on the software and equipment.

The place I was staying wasn’t too far from the Ruby Slipper cafe, so I had a great breakfast to start the day, then took a client phone call about an upcoming shoot. I then headed to the other side of town for the show. I walked in with confidence and greeting the rest of the crew “good morning”. I remember turning on the PTZ program and noticing that only one of my cameras was in the same position as the day before, meaning that we would be moving the positions of my cameras and I would have to learn the new positions before the show.

A majority of my day for the show was helping the camera department setup their cameras and practicing panning and zooming movements on my controller. The rest was waiting for everyone else to finish setting up their computers and the set decorators to finish building the final backdrop with fake football lockers and a sponsorship table for Tide and Swiffer.

At our halfway point through the day, we had Chick-fil-a for lunch, then shortly after began to finalize camera placements. We finally moved one of my cameras to show the co-host and the sponsorship table, and I found that this camera would only be used for zooming in to the interviewees faces when they sat in front of the sponsor table.

A second camera was placed at an entryway, where the players would walk through during their introductions. It was then my job to track them with the camera when their name was called. I was getting a little nervous about this one since everyone walks at a different pace, so I began practicing panning back and forth about 100 times.

And lastly, my third camera was to remain in its spot from yesterday, which was an overhead shot of the game looking down at the ping pong table. This one would remain stationary for the entire livestream. At last, the positions were set and we were to have a full show run-through an hour before going live on Youtube.

The director of photography (DP) was to call which camera would be live at the time and which camera would be up next, while the Technical Director (TD) would cue up each camera and the producer would take care of ad breaks, scoreboard, names and any other graphics - this was a very fast paced show and we needed to be ready at all times. The format for this would be:

“Ready Camera 2”

“Go 2”

“Ready 4, Go 4”

“Quick - go to cam 7, cue the ad graphic”

“Back to 2", go 2”

“Change scorecard”

All within about 30 seconds. If anything was off, it would mess up the entire flow of the livestream.

We started our practice and not being familiar with the set up before, our TD was having some trouble getting the flow. We had a few setbacks and the environment got a little tense as the DP had to emphasize how important it was to get everything perfect. This altercation gave me shivers as I thought about what could go wrong if I didn’t have my cameras moving in the right spots, but nevertheless our show was to start in less than 15 minutes.

The Final Countdown

We had one final pep talk before the live show, made a few adjustments which had us starting about 10 minutes behind and then we were off. It’s sad to say, but within the first two minutes of the livestream, one host went off script and we didn’t have the right camera prepared. There was also a point where one host was trying to ask a player a question, however no player had a mic.

It’s always important to keep on your toes for these things as you may have to shift course very quickly. We had to change pace, give a few notes to the hosts for the rest of the show and just keep moving. About 20 minutes in, our TD had to take full control over the show as the DP was needed to help with the rest of the host’s movements for the show. At this point, we did move a little smoother, the players walked at a solid pace, and I was able to track them well enough and the show was flowing. Of course, there were hiccups here and there, but overall this experience was something I won’t ever forget. At one point, I even started to get excited that some of my shots were on screen and I began moving my cameras around to shots that I thought would be interesting and usable, and a few were put on screen!

We came to the end of the show a little earlier than expected, not all people are pro-ping pong players, so once the matches ended, our show was over. One of the coolest parts was taking a break before packing up - I got to take photos of some of the players, take a photo with some of the crew and grab a few snacks. After a little time to celebrate the show, we took about three hours to pack up everything, cables, computers, cameras, etc. and say our goodbyes. I definitely wouldn’t recommend to everyone to jump on a show without knowing a majority of the equipment you’ll be working with, but also don’t be afraid to take chances and put yourself in positions where you’ll grow. Be brave, and always be ready for new opportunities.