Crankworx World Tour - BC
Location
Services
Mobile TV truck for world broadcast feed and in-venue production
Client Sector
Extreme Sports
Event Partners
10Eighty Production Technologies and BoomBox Group East
Notable
20 hours of live footage, broadcast by 47 global action sports channels, viewed by 50,000 people live and 250,000 post-event video streams
OBJECTIVE
Our client required expert technical production for a high-quality, global broadcast feed for Crankworx World Tour, an annual mountain biking competition in Whistler, B.C. Using upwards of 18 cameras, 35 crew members and central distribution via IMG in London, England, to 47 global broadcast partners, we managed the capture and distribution of five days worth of events, production of instant replays, scoring and timing data and custom graphics for all of the competitions during the festival.
CHALLENGES
- Access fibre optic systems on lengthy racecourses, a process that requires multiple days of setup work along treacherous terrain
- Produce the event broadcast during peak summer resort bookings, amid space constraints, labour force shortages and road access restrictions
- Shoot 5 different disciplines on 5 different courses over 5 consecutive 12-hour days, with equipment setup and takedown in remote outdoor locations during hot summer temperatures
- Plan logistics remotely with Montreal-based client
APPROACH
- Optimizing fibre optic cable paths and in-venue systems, and augmenting with equipment that included more than a dozen broadcast cameras, race drones, replay units, relay outputs and tens of thousands of feet of camera and fibre optic cable
- Launching planning process six months prior to the event, with one month allocated to course design and two months allocated to venue layouts, signal flow, vehicle usage, equipment rentals and allocation, and production and scaffolding infrastructure
- Sourcing upwards of 30 skilled engineers from as far away as California for technical production of the event
RESULTS
We delivered 5 days of impeccable live broadcasts, overcoming tactical challenges and technical hurdles to reach a global audience of 50,000 live viewers per show, plus an additional 250,000 streaming viewers as well as news segments and coverage on TSN, Sportsnet and ESPN. Our longstanding relationship with Crankworx Inc. and BoomBox Group resulted in a production that met the industry high-water mark for all-mountain bike festivals and events. Since the event’s inception over 15 years ago, we have never missed a broadcast or delivery goal.
