Excellent post! In another life I'd be working in audio and/or video production, so I quite enjoyed this. It's very interesting to note how, as they said at the end, our expectations have changed...
Excellent post! In another life I'd be working in audio and/or video production, so I quite enjoyed this.
It's very interesting to note how, as they said at the end, our expectations have changed over time in terms of the sound coverage in sporting events. Though professional sports have gradually returned since the pandemic, most European soccer leagues have not allowed fans back into stadiums to view the games being played (TV contracts were a source of huge pressure to have teams return to the field in the first place, exposing the precarious finances many clubs' exist teeter on, but that's another story). Initially there were some games in England's Premier League, for example, that were broadcast with just the live audio, and you could hear the players berating their opponents on the field, coaches yelling instructions from the sideline, etc. Despite it offering a level of access that fans at home typically dream of, there were complaints that the games sounded dead without crowds. A lot of pundits were caught up in a whole debate about "what's the point of sport if there aren't fans there" (which is a bit silly in my opinion - it's not pointless, it's just different), especially in England, which has branded itself as the league with the best atmospheres. Now there's currently some sort of algorithm being used in broadcasts that simulate crowd reactions to the games in real time. I enjoyed the live feeds myself, and while I understand why they're simulating crowd noise, it feels... deceptive, maybe? Plus, all the reactions are like half a second too late to be believable. I guess it's all a bit contradictory when you consider all the live foley work that's already standard.
Oh, and that Wimbledon final did have fantastic sound work. It's amazing how memorably well they captured the atmosphere, I'm not surprised they won a BAFTA.
Excellent post! In another life I'd be working in audio and/or video production, so I quite enjoyed this.
It's very interesting to note how, as they said at the end, our expectations have changed over time in terms of the sound coverage in sporting events. Though professional sports have gradually returned since the pandemic, most European soccer leagues have not allowed fans back into stadiums to view the games being played (TV contracts were a source of huge pressure to have teams return to the field in the first place, exposing the precarious finances many clubs' exist teeter on, but that's another story). Initially there were some games in England's Premier League, for example, that were broadcast with just the live audio, and you could hear the players berating their opponents on the field, coaches yelling instructions from the sideline, etc. Despite it offering a level of access that fans at home typically dream of, there were complaints that the games sounded dead without crowds. A lot of pundits were caught up in a whole debate about "what's the point of sport if there aren't fans there" (which is a bit silly in my opinion - it's not pointless, it's just different), especially in England, which has branded itself as the league with the best atmospheres. Now there's currently some sort of algorithm being used in broadcasts that simulate crowd reactions to the games in real time. I enjoyed the live feeds myself, and while I understand why they're simulating crowd noise, it feels... deceptive, maybe? Plus, all the reactions are like half a second too late to be believable. I guess it's all a bit contradictory when you consider all the live foley work that's already standard.
Oh, and that Wimbledon final did have fantastic sound work. It's amazing how memorably well they captured the atmosphere, I'm not surprised they won a BAFTA.