NASHVILLE, TENN.—The Tennessee Titans revamped their look on and off the field last season, unveiling new uniforms on the field and debuting two new studios at the Saint Thomas Sports Park training facility. Our new facility features a 900-square-foot video studio accented with two modern geometric backdrops and a 110-inch video wall. A second studio dedicated to radio and podcast programming was also part of the facility upgrade.
The Titans have one of the most loyal and dedicated fan bases in the NFL. With that comes a responsibility to our fans, new and old, to provide engaging and exclusive content that gains them access into our locker room and facilities that only our players have. Having a production facility on-site where players and coaches train and practice enables us to produce a ton of content without interrupting their schedules. It’s been a real game changer.
MORE THAN JUST FOUR WALLS
Our studio came to fruition from the efforts of several key staff members, including Executive Producer David Schindler, Mike Keith, the voice of the Titans, and Amy Strunk, controlling owner and co-chairman of the Titans’ Board of Directors, who shared our vision and invested in a state-of-the-art control room, radio studio and broadcast studio to launch our new initiatives and creativity.
The studio features a two-piece custom desk along with four different set deployments and a 7-foot jib with DJI Ronin 2 Controls. The control room has six edit bays with live playback capability as well as operator stations for monitoring and mixing of both studios in the event of a simultaneous show. Each studio features two PTZ cameras, a full complement of tie lines, including SMPTE fiber and custom studio lighting.
We looked at studios at other sports venues, as well as broadcast studios such as ESPN, TNT, FOX, etc., for inspiration. With limited space for our facility, flexibility was the number one priority. We wanted something with an eye toward the future, but still comfortable and familiar for our players and fans. It was important to be versatile enough to produce all different types of content. We utilize the studios to produce two weekly TV shows, daily digital updates, game day elements, PSAs, podcasts, radio shows, etc.
FINDING THE RIGHT TOOLS
To execute our shows successfully, we needed our cameras on a lightweight, robust and reliable tripod. Cartoni’s Focus 22 hit those marks, especially within the multiple configurations of our studio. With daily live broadcasts we needed to have a rugged head that could be easily deployed and modified for our sets. When changing on the fly in a break we must be quick and accurate, the Cartoni Focus 22 provides just that.
Despite its compact size, the Focus 22 provides what you expect from the larger payload models from Cartoni—gentle and smooth, yet quick and reactive. It was a no-brainer to incorporate the Cartoni dollies with our tripods. Pedestals weren’t ideal as we chose to go PTZ for our cameras. The dollies make transitions quick and painless.
Other gear we have in our studio includes: Ross Ultrix, Ross Graphite with Carbonite panel, Sony BRCH800s & FS7s featuring Fujinon lenses and a Red Raven featuring Canon Lenses, EZ FX Jib with DJI Ronin 2, Yamaha TF1, Shure Microphones, ETC Element 2 with ETC and Chauvet lighting fixtures.
Brian Myers is the broadcast technology and production manager for the Tennessee Titans. He can be reached at 615-565-4126. For more information about Cartoni, please visitcartoni.com.
