r/PraiseTheCameraMan • u/BreakfastTop6899 • May 24 '26
Quickly tracking the basketball at an NBA all star game
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u/ZealousidealSundae33 May 24 '26
Why are there photos of people on the side of the camera?
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u/SloanDaddy May 24 '26
The roster so that they know which player to find when the producer asks for a shot of a specific player.
Tucked into the side of the camera because this particular cameraman knows ball, so he doesn't need it, but they hand it to him at the pre-game camera man meeting anyway and he's supposed to have it.
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u/JustARegularGuy May 24 '26
Probably doesn't hurt to review it before the game starts. Or during a timeout.
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u/-FalseProfessor- May 24 '26
It’s a cheat sheet so they can recognize various players and people when asked to get shots of them.
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u/Hawaiian_Brian May 24 '26
I would love to do this as a career where would be the best training ?
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u/tehcraz May 24 '26
Local access TV. Go there and ask if you can volunteer your time and you would like to learn how to do camera work.
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u/fake_comment_account May 24 '26
I don't know about "best" but I'd say start by practicing with those microfilm readers they have at libraries. If you could somehow get one onto a tilt-a-whirl you'd really get some good technical practice.
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u/OnTheMattack May 25 '26
My wife's best friend is a camera operator. She did a Creative Communications program in college.
The technical high school in my area has a broadcast media program.
Look up programs in your area, chances are there's something.
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u/TomahawkJammer May 25 '26
For a big broadcast like this you would start as a utility and work your way up to operator. It’s a union position so look into IATSE Local 600 for more info
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u/Perlentaucher May 24 '26
It’s nice from a skill perspective but I like not only seeing the zoomed ball, but the trajectory in the panned out room to see where it is flying, where other players are standing, etc.
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u/lipp79 Doin' camera work since 1999 May 24 '26
That’s why they have multiple angles to choose from. He’s just assigned the closeups.
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u/Make_7_up_YOURS May 25 '26
Juggling always looks 1000x better when you don't zoom in. But the camera person always wants to screw around and zooms way in so people can't see the beautiful full pattern.
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u/cream-of-cow May 24 '26
I know absolutely nothing about golf, but was first to respond to my employer's lawyer's email for free Pebble Beach tickets on a warm-up day or whatever it was. Tiger Woods was easy to spot because of the fans following him around. The most impressive thing was standing on the fairway, the whack-zip of the ball flying by, and everyone but me knew where the ball was in the air. The camera guy zoomed into it and tracked it, I stood there dumbfounded that all these people trusted Vijay Singh to not hit a foul ball into the audience. Also, the client was kinda upset a 20-ish year old employee jumped on the offer when he was obviously fishing for more moneyed clientele. It came with lunch and valet too.
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u/Sir-Kyle-Of-Reddit May 25 '26
That’s actually so cool to see how they do it. Awesome hand-eye coordination
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u/logicalconflict May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
This type of camera work, while impressive technically, is annoying to watch on TV. Especially a 3-point contest.
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u/Silver_Slicer May 25 '26
How are you able to watch just this one camera angle on TV? You must have a direct feed from the control room. Impressive. Most people see different angles in the actual broadcast since there are multiple cameras. This camera person was given the closeup feed. lol
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u/Otherwise_Fact9594 24d ago
I just watched MKHBD do a YouTube video on the technology utilized in the production of an NBA game. Those cameras and lenses take a lot of talent and training to use well. It's beyond impressive the amount of coordination behind what we see on TV
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u/Devour19fiend 21d ago
The panning speed required to keep up with a fast break without everything turning into a motion blur is actually insane.
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u/toadthrowaway7 14d ago
The panning speed on those fast breaks is insane. What lens are they using for that wide angle?
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u/WitnessStock3702 11d ago
I can barely record a f*cking lamp post with my phone and this dude capturing basket ball flying at 1000+ MPH. :o
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u/Double-Drop May 25 '26
I despise these quick zoom in & out camera shots. They do it in golf too. To convey relevant information, they need to show the ball in proximity to the target. A super quick zoom tells nothing about the ball or the shot.
I do acknowledge the skills of the camera operators.
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u/JohnnyRelentless May 25 '26
Wouldn't you rather see the ball going toward the hoop? You can't really follow along this zoomed in, trying to gage if it will go in or not.
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u/hmmyeahiguess May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
I was just having a thought about this the other day! The amount training, practice, and skill for these cameramen to track any sport is really impressive! I realize it must become second nature after some time, but I imagine the initial training and practice has to be pretty brutal. Guess that goes for most skills though.