The revving engines of motorcycles and howling of bagpipes kicked off the 2024 ANAVETS Bowl provincial football championship, featuring two juggernauts of high school gridiron — the Oak Park Raiders and Louis Riel School Division's own Dakota Lancers.
The lights of Princess Auto Stadium blared down over the players and crowd, just two days before the Winnipeg Blue Bombers would play in the CFL's Western Conference Finals, which they'd win to secure their fifth consecutive Grey Cup berth.
The brisk November air was rife with the impending drama, and on the sidelines and in the press suites, behind the cameras and parabolic dish and switching station and all the other crucial broadcast equipment, the Louis Riel Arts & Technology Centre's (LRATC) Media Broadcasting students braced themselves to capture it all.
But the work behind a production like this, viewed over 6,100 times on the LRSDTV YouTube channel, the channel LRATC's Media Broadcast students run, doesn't begin at kickoff. The team of students had filed into the gladiatorial arena some nine hours prior.
Setting up
Broadcast Media instructor Ken Plaetinck patiently answered questions and demonstrated what students needed to know to operate the various stations.
Here, student Carter Hutton is practicing on the graphics machine before the games get underway. Whoever is responsible for this station (the students rotate between stations from game to game) will work the graphics between transitions, the scoreboard, and more.
Carter's favourite position is camera operating, but he's building a well-rounded understanding of the field.
"I really like having the ability to tell a story through the camera," he said. Carter wants to work in sports, and he'll get a chance in December, when he does his work placement at True North Sports Entertainment, which owns the Winnipeg Jets.
At this station the students can see all the camera angles they have at their disposal. This is crucial for both the switcher and the director, who will decide which shots are used at any time. The director will use an industry standard "two-stage call." That means the director will say something like "Ready camera two... take two," at which point the switcher will switch to the camera two shot.
Students use a 24-channel audio switcher, allowing them to quickly switch between and change the levels of game audio, commentator audio, house audio (what's playing inside the stadium), and more.
While Ken clearly demands students take pride their work, there's still plenty of joking around. Ken's passion for media broadcasting is clear and his students seem to feed off it. At each station, he's posted a picture of himself, this one with a drawn-on modification to his moustache, reminding students to do what he'd do.
"We have a lot of success stories walking out of these doors," Ken said, mentioning a former student who has worked many events, including the Grey Cup. "We get a lot of great students. We do a lot of great things."
Another thing to check off is that all camera gear is functioning and ready to go.
There are the cameras on the suites level, which give a broad view of the field.
But there are also cameras outdoors, in the stands and on the field. The Media Broadcast team heads down.
There's always lots to discuss, and post-secondary student Dylan Mayer is focused on the task.
"We're going down to camera four to give them a better battery to make sure the transmitter works nice," he said, explaining one of his pre-game tasks.
It's a long day and students also need some rest time before the action starts. Among the students the students below are Akilles Kosie-Boras (sitting and wearing a poppy) and Brogan Wawryk (standing, on the right), who would be the hosts for the 2024 ANAVATS Bowl.
"I'm really looking forward to it," Akilles said. "Looking forward to being on camera."
"Akilles is great to work with," Brogan said. "I love working with him, and we're just really hoping that we can do as good as the hosts last week." Brogan was referring to a previous broadcast the students had done. The program broadcasts on LRSDTV for multiple high school sports leagues, extending beyond the Louis Riel School Division.
Ken and his students joke around and have fun, but when the time comes, Ken's tone turns to business and so do the students.
"When the game starts, the game starts. Nobody can leave their position — got it?" Ken explained.
"We have to be professional. We have to be here on time, ready to go."
Broadcast technician Noel Smith spent many years in the industry, including working with Ken. He's relatively new to LRATC as an instructor. He said it's been amazing seeing how excited the kids get.
"This class is amazing. Ken has a way of getting them really excited and motivated to do these events. I've been surprised how jazzed up they are. They'll come in, stay late, go do extra things — because they're really cool and they make really good stuff."
Noel looked back on his experience working Jets games, Bomber games, Moose games, and for TSN, and said this is incredible experience for anyone looking to get into the industry.
"It gives them a sense of confidence that they're able to do a job to a high caliber. It gives them pride."
game time
The second of the three games is almost over and the big game is just about to get underway. The crowds have filtered into the stadium, and the clatter of noisemakers fills the air.
What happens next? Something goes wrong, of course. A camera battery dies unexpectedly in one of the handheld cameras on the sideline.
The second game ends. The Media Broadcast team is warmed up and ready to go for the championship game. Ready camera one... take one. Cue the band.
Noel helps guide handheld camera operators through the opening ceremonies.
Louis Riel School Division's own Dakota Lancers take the field.
Media Broadcasting is about capturing the full story. That means getting right into the action wherever possible. The handhelds get right into the circle of the opening coin toss.
Katie Gorrill operates the parabolic dish, which was fashioned out of a large wok. Katie followed the play, pointed the dish at the quarterback, and that's how folks at home hear, "Set one, set two! Hut, hut!"
The action is well underway on the field, but there's a flurry of activity upstairs in the suite level, too.
Back on the field, a low scoring game hits halftime.
Halftime ends and the Media Broadcast team keeps moving.
Neither the Oak Park Raiders nor the Dakota Lancers have been able to break through offensively in this championship game. The score is 5-3 with little time left. Dakota has the ball. A touchdown here would effectively end the game. Let's tune in...
With that the night was over. Congratulations to the Dakota Lancers, but also to the dedicated LRATC's Media Broadcast team, who brought the media magic to everyone at home streaming LRSDTV.
The job is done. Kick back. Have a slice, broadcast team. You deserve it.