If you are a subscriber to NHL Center Ice and have watched telecasts from all the different broadcasters, you’ve probably noticed that some are better than others. Not surprising, you’ve probably found that CBC, TSN, and Rogers SportsNet are among the best. While going through some hockey blogs, James Mirtle directed me to something wonderful.
The NHL has gathered over 20 regional broadcasters in an effort to standardize the operation of the game camera, which provides the master shot of the broadcast. Among the NHL’s instructional team is Al Mountford who shot the “Miracle on ice” at Lake Placid in 1980 and has operated the game camera for the Stanley Cup finals on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada.
“The trick is to select the right position on the lens so the viewer gets optimum pleasure out of watching the game,” Mountford said. “If you can watch the game and not notice the camera moving very much it’s usually a combination of the fellow doing a good job and the game being exciting. It’s got to look right. One of the problems is, it’s not always the same crew doing the game or the same guy doing the game camera.”
Unlike their desire to “fix what ain’t broke“, the NHL’s latest endeavour can only have positive results.
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I know that, on a night where all the games on center ice are about of equal interest, I will always watch the one broadcast by a Canadian channel or from one of the bigger hockey markets (Boston, Detroit, Minnesota). The games are just shot better, since they are done by people that know hockey and likely aren’t guys shooting hockey during the baseball off-season.
Some of them are always terrible. I hate watching Rangers home games, aside from the obvious reasons, because I feel like I’m 20 miles away and it’s always so dark! Dallas is WAY too close and too low (and people are always blocking the view). And although I don’t see it too much (because I’m usually at the games), the main camera for the Caps isn’t too bad, but sometimes the director switches angles too much for me to easily follow the action.
Yeah the rangers home games are pretty terrible in standard TV rez.
CSN for the caps IMO I would consider slightly below average for general play. They are starting to get better on different angles with replays however.
“There’s been some resistance,” Mountford said. “But we’re pretty non-invasive… I don’t want to get involved in hurting anybody’s feelings. I’d rather do it in a more obtuse manner by providing just the overview.”
From Merriam-Webster:
OBTUSE: lacking sharpness or quickness of sensibility or intellect : INSENSITIVE, STUPID b : difficult to comprehend : not clear or precise in thought or expression
Thankfully Mountford is a good video director / cameraman, because his English sucks. I’m hoping he meant to say “unobtrusive” rather than “obtuse” but ya never know…
This is great news. Now if we can just get them to replace those standard def cameras with HD…
Definitely they should be obsequious in response to Mountford’s suggestions, and and not obscurants.
Of course I first learned the word “unobtrusive” from Rush’s “The Spirit of Radio.”
BTW, Mountford was on the Fan590’s Prime Time Sports from the January 10 episode - on the podcast of the show, starting at about the 30th minute.
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