Our evergrowing omnipresent technology has changed everything in cricket broadcasting over the few years. Now, due to the advancement of technology, we can have a better experience of watching a cricket match in our homes than watching it from the crowd. On television, we can enjoy ultra slow-motion footage, highly in-depth and advanced graphics, and replays along with commentary.
You might have noticed that old cricket videos do not have better video and audio quality, because at that time basic graphics were being used during the live telecast by the broadcasters. Have you ever wondered what goes behind the scenes of a live cricket broadcast?
Do not worry, in this blog, we will uncover the process of PCR also known as the production control room. So, a cricket broadcast seems quite smooth and simple to us however a team full of dedicated engineers, graphics designers, commentators, audio department, camera crew, directors, etc works behind the camera to make it possible for you to enjoy the match while sitting on the sofa.
There are about 100 production staff members who put their heart and soul to capture every tiny detail on the ground so that you do not miss any moment while watching it on TV.
The commentator Team: – Commentary is what makes cricket telecasts more interesting. Former cricketers and cricket experts provide all the information related to the match on the live feed which makes a better viewing experience for the TV audience. Every channel has a different team of commentators however for ICC events such as Cricket World Cup or Champions Trophy, ICC always announces its commentary team. There are a few names that you will always notice on their list such as Harsha Bhogle, Ian Bishop, Nasser Hussain, Ian Smith, etc.
These commentators provide their commentary for the global English feed of the live telecast which can be watched on Star Sports 1 in India, Sky Sports in the UK, Channel 9, or Fox Sports in Australia.
A team of producers and directors guides all the commentators about the situation and gives them instructions on what topic needs to be discussed during the live feed. They also have the access to a display also called the fruit machine in which commentators can track all the records of the players who are at the crease that’s why we often see cricket commentators talking about the cricketing records of players who are displayed on the screen. It all requires a director who makes sure everything goes right.
Camera Crew: – There are over 30 cameras used in a live cricket broadcast and to operate and maintain these cameras requires a lot of cameramen and other technicians who record every moment of the game from different angles. Nowadays we see drones and spider cams being used during matches. To operate/control drones and spider cams requires experts who capture beautiful cinematics of the ground without any trouble. To deal with all the camera-related issues a team of technicians or camera experts checks everything meticulously to ensure that everything goes according to plan.
Graphics Designers: – A team of graphic designers makes changes to the scorecard after every single delivery. They create a graphical representation of the match summary and scorecard which we often see in the middle of the match. You might have noticed that whenever a new batsman comes to the crease, his batting stats appear on the TV screen that’s what graphic designers create. Now you have understood the secret behind random graphical representation during a live cricket telecast.
Audio Department: – This is the department that makes changes in the audio frequency of different audio sources such as commentary, crowd, stump mike, etc. Thousands of people come to watch the cricket match. Have you guys noticed that due to Covid-19 no one was allowed on the cricket field during the VIVO IPL 2020 however we still heard the sound of the crowd on our Televisions. It happened just because of the sound engineers who are responsible for all the audio-related operations in a cricket broadcast.
Director or Producer: – This is a highly responsible job in which the footage coming from all cameras is displayed on a wall. The director chooses the best camera moment and camera angle among all the cameras. Once the footage is chosen a technician presses a button. After pressing the button the chosen footage will become live for broadcast and will be processed. You have noticed that the camera angle gets changes every few seconds so that we do not miss any moment. To make all of this possible the director gives instructions to the technician every time he notified footage of something to be telecasted live. The director carefully watches all the feed coming from all the 30+ cameras and selected the best footage.
In case of any issue related to our content please feel free to contact us at @bizarreencounters45@gmail.com
