HBS Teams Up With SCC Events To Broadcast The BMW Berlin Marathon
For the fourth year in a row, HBS has been tasked by its partner and event organiser SCC Events with the Host Broadcasting of the BMW Berlin Marathon, held on 25 September.
The BMW Berlin Marathon, held since 1974, is a global sporting event that each year attracts more than 40,000 participants. The race passes through many of Berlin’s landmarks, such as the Reichstag and the touristic Kufürstendamm before finishing at the Brandenburg gate. A total of 24 HBS cameras were present to cover the event this weekend, while professional and amateur racers tried to reach a record-breaking finish time.
Now in the fourth year of partnership, HBS works on behalf of SCC Events at the race. It is a demanding workload for the staff and the production of the World Feed only represents the end result of HBS’ tireless work on the marathon. In the lead-up to the event, news content is produced for national and international broadcasters and additional content is also created for sponsorship partners of the BMW Berlin Marathon. After the race day, a promotional film is produced by HBS to be the flagship of the 2017 BMW Berlin Marathon’s registration campaign.
In an effort to provide an insider’s point of view during the coverage, HBS supports the main national broadcaster, ARD, with their unilateral coverage of the race. For the multilateral coverage, HBS works closely with multiple providers including best boys tv factory GmbH, Eurolinx as the RF technology partner and NEP as an OB provider.
The coverage of the event this year was directed by Marcus Olschewski, under the supervision of HBS executive producer Julien Bertin, with Tim Hutchings and Stuart Storey adding English commentary.
“After providing the host broadcast for three editions we have a good understanding of the requirements of the event and we adjust our set-up accordingly”, explained Project Director Stefan Wistuba. “We still plan for the event meticulously, and being familiar with the race allows us to look for innovative ways we can improve the viewing experience.”
The range of cameras used to cover the event makes certain the story of the race is told comprehensively from start to finish, with some innovative methods used to keep camera operators (and audiences) in the heart of the action – including motorcycles carrying camera operators and a Steadicam operator using a Segway during the closing stage of the run.
Meanwhile, aerial footage captured by a helicopter with mounted cineflex allows the tense drama to be seen with a bird’s eye view, offering Berlin’s iconic cityscape to audiences.
For the 2016 marathon, HBS has innovated again by introducing a two point cable camera system, “Rocketcam”, covering the last 200 metres, bringing a new dynamic and versatile angle to the stunning backdrop of the Brandenburg gate.
On top of the World Feed production, HBS also produced an additional “Atmosphere Feed” focusing on the amateur runners and the carnival mood around the race, showing the thousands of people cheering, clapping and dancing along the 42,195 km course.
This feed of the race has been streamed by ARD and has been made available on the YouTube channel of the race organiser as a live and on-demand feed.
