C-USA Clipboard

Welcome to the C-USA Clipboard, the official web log of Conference USA. We plan to bring you blogs from C-USA staff, and occasionally guests, to provide a look behind-the-scenes of a conference office and the people that are part of Team C-USA.

August 16, 2006

Erika Amstadt Hirschfield, Creative Services Consultant

You can really feel it in the air. The summer season is winding down and while it's still pretty hot in most parts of the country, there is that slight breeze coming round every so often that carries with it the buzz of another college sports season about to begin. This time of year there is usually a lot of preparation going on for the upcoming season.

In a conference office, it's no different. A lot of the planning that has taken place over the spring and summer months is now being put into effect. Media guides are printing or in production, press releases are being reformatted, sport previews are being written and posted on conferenceusa.com, the new marketing campaign is taking shape and the anticipation of starting another season is high.

Each season, the conference also produces video spots that air during C-USA games on television. One of the current projects is a spot for Conference USA and NCAA Football that promotes good sportsmanship at sporting events. C-USA worked with Teamworks Media to come up with an original concept to promote sportsmanship and NCAA Football. The concept involved children representing the 12 conference teams in football jerseys in various shots within an athletic and campus setting. The final spot will air during C-USA ESPN and CSTV telecasts this fall.

Taking an idea for a 30-second spot from development to airing on television is a very interesting process. All the time that goes into creating something that runs for 30 seconds is amazing. And while 30 seconds may not seem like a lot of time, it is the length of a standard TV commercial, so I think we can safely say that a lot can be said in 30 seconds!

The one-day shoot for the C-USA NCAA Football spot took place yesterday in suburban Chicago with 18 children from ages 3-12 participating in three locations on a college campus. It was perfect weather - clear, sunny and 84 degrees. Crew call was promptly at 7:00 a.m. with a coffee order shortly to follow. This particular shoot involved Mike Sear, executive producer; Chris Jones, producer; a camera operator, a stylist and five crew members to help set up and transport equipment, set lighting, track time code and assist with the talent - the kids.

I arrived shortly after that with two of the talent in tow. The first location was a football field and initial set up of the cameras and equipment took about an hour. The jerseys used for this shoot were actual team jerseys sent from all 12 C-USA schools and featuring the C-USA NCAA Football patches. Working with kids is always entertaining, but with the TV cameras can present a few challenges. After fitting the jerseys on the kids, a quick visit to smooth hair and powder the nose, it was show time. You have to remember that the entire picture of the shoot is different from the actual image you see on the preview monitor. The camera makes magic and a lot of magic was created on this set. The kids were cooperative and each one had his or her own personality come through many takes. With two more locations - the steps of a campus building and another collegiate scene - the cameras continued to work their magic and by the end of the day, the producers were anxious to get into the editing room to put it all together.

So now we await the preview version, which will be probably undergo a few edits before being sent out to air on live TV and stadium jumbotrons. I may even try to get a copy of the "outtakes."

Be sure to visit the Multimedia tab on the front page of conferenceusa.com to see the final C-USA NCAA Football spot!