DISPENCE

The Vuvuzela – Sounds of Mandela Square

I might go deaf. I really might. That’s if I don’t go crazy first. These vuvuzela things are going to be interesting to put up with for the next month. The horn things are so loud – louder than an air horn!

But really they’re not that bad, except for the fact that the vuvuzelas are constantly being blown by genuinely enthusiastic South African fans. It has come to symbolize support for South African football (soccer) and the opening game tomorrow against Mexico promises to be deafening. Apparently, vuvuzelas are so loud players can’t hear each other on the pitch.  So I guess it’s a good thing that South African players don’t communicate much while playing. Home field advantage might really mean something here.

I was inspired by Tom Guilmette’s behind the scenes look at an ESPN regional college basketball broadcast, so here’s my version for the Mandela Square set in Johannesburg.

Pardon the shaky video. I’m trying out a little flip cam and it is so light!

See that box on the right at the top of the stairs? That’s ESPN’s set in Mandela Square. On the left is Sony’s huge dome where the latest in 3D technology is on display.

Mandela Square is at the center of a busy shopping district. Celebrities and mobs of fans pass through on a regular basis. Restaurants line the plaza.  High-end stores and hotels fill the surrounding buildings.

The ESPN operation is busiest in the evening and overnight past 2am. This is to accommodate time zones in North America. The night begins at 5pm local time with a live edition of SportCenter Latin South. Then a few shows and segments are taped for Latin North and ESPN Deportes. At 9pm Los Capitanes is live followed by SportsCenter Mexico and Jorge Ramos y Su Banda live. Then comes shows in English. Sports Center Pacific Rim tapes some segments along with Press Pass, a soccer show for the UK, South Africa and Australia ESPN networks. Last, at 1pm, Cronometro is broadcast live. That’s the Spanish version of popular PTI on ESPN domestic. Not a bad day (night) of television if you ask me.

The control room during ESPN Deportes’ live broadcast of the radio show Jorge Ramos y Su Banda

The production office is full of producers, talent and operations personnel.  There is someone in charge of all the logistics, making sure everyone gets a ride home at the end of the day for example. Next door is a tiny ESPN Deportes Radio studio. Outside the office is the TV truck where all the shows are mixed. It’s in a large van and pretty tight but gets the job done. It’s in standard definition to accommodate the receiving networks.  Everything is sent by fiber (there’s a satellite backup) to the IBC across town. From there the video is sent through fiber again all the way to the United States.

After 10 hours on one plane, and 11 on a second, I finally made it to South Africa. Is it weird I think the air smells just like China’s? The water too? Maybe it’s the rest of the world smells the same and America is the place different. More on that later maybe.

I’m staying at a Guest House in the Sandton area of Joburg. It’s pretty nice. Every property is walled topped with barbed wire and electric fence.

Looking out over backyard garden off the balcony outside my room. This is looking north, but straight into the sun!

Front of Umfula Guest House. Check out that sick Land Rover!

Another guest house up the street. The same guy runs both places.

First day at work meant a full Fax of everything. Fax means a facilities test. Everyone gets in their places and everything is tested to make sure there will be no hiccups once we go live on the air. All the talent sat down at the set and each producer ran through the look of their show with the technical crew inside the truck. I’ll have much more on the production operation here in another post.

Even though it’s winter here, daytime temperatures are pushing 70. It gets pretty cold at night though.

As you might expect, World Cup logos are all over the place. On the ride into work this morning there was even a quick Afrikaans language lesson on the radio.

Friday I hop a plane (well two) to Johannesburg, South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. I’m working for ESPN International at their outdoor set in Mandela Square, not unlike NBC’s Today Show outdoor set at the Olympics. I’m a Production Assistant and my responsibilities will be similar to what I did with ESPN in Beijing at the 2008 Olympics, as I’ll be working with the same group.

I’ve been on long plane rides before. The longest being 12.5 hours Beijing to Washington, DC. But Friday I’m really in for it. I’ll go Portland to Amsterdam in 10 hours, sit around that airport for two, then board another plane bound for Johannesburg… for 11 hours. So I guess I better bring some good books. Or sleeping pills.

I’ll be sure to be on the look out for prawns. But I think they should be moved out of the city by now, right?