Lights, Camera, Live Action: New Sports Production Class Brings Industry Realism to Dean College
Franklin, MA- Dean College has expanded its communications curriculum this semester with the launch of a new hands-on sports production class designed to give aspiring broadcasters and producers a real world look into the control room console.
If you are interested in taking this course, it is offered once every semester, with the three-credit course bridging the gap between the classroom theory and live network broadcast, and it offers students direct insight into technical and creative demands of live sports television.
Led by industry professional Casey Carter, the course offers students direct insight into the technical and creative demands of live sports television. Students in the class get a first-hand look at the moving parts that bring game day action to screen, ranging from the camera placement and replay breakdown to guest lectures from top industry experts.
Junior Sports broadcasting major Richard Thorne highlighted the technical skills the class is already instilling early in the semester. “I really like the class,” Thorne stated. “We've learned about replay systems and how they get spun onto reels to get playback later when explaining bigger events that happen in the game.”
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Beyond playback technology, the course dives into spatial awareness and visual strategy required during live play by play coverage. They discuss the understanding of how camera operators track movement across the field and how it's essential for anyone looking to enter the sports broadcasting pipeline. “We have gone over the different cameras and football production with three-game cameras depending on where the ball is spotted,” Thorne explained.
What sets the class apart, however, is Professor Carter's active career in professional broadcasting. When live production assignments take Professor Carter on the road, the learning doesn't stop. It turns into an interactive case study for the class.
“Casey brings additional insight when he can't be in person, we do an online class to see what exactly he will be working with for his productions," Thorne shared. “For example, when he was doing field hockey for Michigan State versus Michigan a few weeks ago, He explained the multi-camera setup to get all the different angles of the entire game. And then today in class, we talked with Ryan Schmidt, a freelance Live Production Director, TD & Tech Manager about the importance of the different camera angles and everything that goes into setting up the shots we see on our televisions when watching said games."
By combining live production experience with industry networking, the new course provides Dean students with practical skills and connections that extend far beyond the campus and are not only entitled to sports, but rather any television production.
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