NFL Films / Spooky Head Thing - DPChallenge Forums

Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital

01/12/2009 10:22:05 AM · #1

I was shooting yesterday's Steelers/Chargers game, and I was noticing this weird thing that NFL Films was using. It's like an impaled head on a stick that was following the camera guy around. Someone said it had something to do with recording stereo sounds, or some such thing. I'd be curious to know if anyone can show me an example of what this thing was recording. In one sense, it's kind of cool... in another sense, it was like some sort of voodoo ritual or something :)

Bugzeye

01/12/2009 10:27:30 AM · #2

I seen something about these things on TV. If I remember it has something to do with simulation of the human ear so the viewers at home listening to the broadcast in surround sound hear the audio as if they were standing on the sidelines. not sure about any of the tech specs but I do know that is a pretty expensive voodoo doll. lol I was watching for you yesterday during the game. seen one photog get knocked over by a player but he had a canon.

Kelli

Canon EOS-D60

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

01/12/2009 10:36:28 AM · #3

ROFL! I bet the guy who carries it is called "the head guy"!

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

01/12/2009 10:38:13 AM · #4

Originally posted by Bugzeye:

I was watching for you yesterday during the game. seen one photog get knocked over by a player but he had a canon.

I was directly on the other side of the end zone when that happened. Plus, I was pretty much unrecognizable with as many layers of clothes I had on! I had my "TV time" during the Steelers/Browns game on December 28... I was almost plowed over by Byron Leftwich when he ran in for a TD.

Five_Seat

Canon EOS-6D

01/12/2009 10:46:33 AM · #5

Originally posted by Bugzeye:

Yeah I saw that too. I think it was the steelers game. The photogapher got destroyed. Let's hope his telephoto lives up to its reputation for build quality.

vxpra

Pentax K100D

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

01/12/2009 01:54:44 PM · #6

Just think of the pick up lines this guy could use.

LVicari

Canon EOS-50D

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

01/12/2009 02:00:15 PM · #7

Originally posted by alanfreed:

AHHH man! How cool is that! I am a big time Steelers fan since '78. I would love to be a part of what you were doing on that field. Are you an official photog for the press or something? How did you score that gig?

Jealous.

ETA

Just noticed in your Bio about the local paper.

Are you going next week to the AFC Championship?

Message edited by author 2009-01-12 14:02:46.

soup

Canon EOS-30D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

01/12/2009 02:04:34 PM · #8

i wondered if it was you that took that hit too... ( steelers game - end zone side lines )...

felt more sorry for the lens than the photog though ;)

it also appeared the player tried hard to alleviate the blow - though to no avail...

Message edited by author 2009-01-12 14:05:02.

Strikeslip

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

01/12/2009 02:29:40 PM · #9

01/12/2009 02:43:13 PM · #10

Originally posted by LVicari:

Are you an official photog for the press or something? How did you score that gig?

Are you going next week to the AFC Championship?

I've been shooting the Steelers games for my old hometown's newspaper since 2002. I used to post a bunch of shots from the games on DPC each week until I got in trouble with the NFL :(

I already have my AFC Championship Game credential in hand -- that'll be a blast! This will be my third AFC Championship Game that I've been on the field for (second time to shoot it... I was a runner for Sporting News magazine once). There's a huge difference between the championship games and the regular games -- the media presence is just insane!

I applied for Super Bowl credentials this morning, although I don't know what my chances might be, since it's a small newspaper. The harder part was probably getting permission from my wife to make another trip to Florida since we just drove there for a cruise over Christmas :)

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

01/12/2009 02:45:51 PM · #11

Originally posted by soup:

i wondered if it was you that took that hit too...

I was on the opposite side of the end zone when that happened. I was looking at my shots of Santonio Holmes plowing through that guy, and I thought it was interesting to see that even as the photographer was at the end of being knocked over, he was already still taking shots of the TD celebration! I guess that's the mark of a true professional. I don't think his equipment was hurt in all of that.

I have another friend who was clobbered by Willie Parker during a run several weeks ago, and it REALLY messed up his lens. It was one of those gigantic 400mm 2.8-types of lenses, and it got ripped right off the body. Nikon was able to fix it, though.

dassilem

Nikon D90

01/12/2009 03:15:42 PM · #12

Originally posted by alanfreed:

I have another friend who was clobbered by Willie Parker during a run several weeks ago, and it REALLY messed up his lens. It was one of those gigantic 400mm 2.8-types of lenses, and it got ripped right off the body. Nikon was able to fix it, though.

Was it one of these guys??

That game had to be wild yesterday!!!

Message edited by author 2009-01-12 15:16:18.

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

01/12/2009 03:27:28 PM · #13

Originally posted by dassilem:

Was it one of these guys??

Ha... no, it wasn't. The guy that Willie Parker hit is about 6' 4", and built like a tank. Willie probably had it worse than the camera.

Stiger

Canon EOS-60D

01/12/2009 03:51:28 PM · #14

Originally posted by alanfreed:

I already have my AFC Championship Game credential in hand

Need any help for that game? I could be your caddy. Surely all that gear gets heavy and you could use a hand toting it around. Or I could be your lookout and warn you if somebody's gonna run into you. Or you could pretend to be a blind photographer and I could be your seeing-eye-...um...servant. Get a rope, tie us together and we could be Siamese twins, surely they couldn't deny me entrance in that case. Think of the lawsuit they'd have to deal with.

I'll be over there Sunday, we'll figure something out. :)