The "guys in the truck" let us down each and every night

[bigbadstevenson]

There have been many, many games over the last couple of years during which the highly revered "guys in the truck" imposed a cruel ultimatum on me and anybody else interested in the game itself: turn off the TV now, or suffer the consequences of a major psychotic break. The problems with that broadcast team have become so abundant and glaring that I now expect to be annoyed on each and every possession.

When considering all of their problems, what comes to mind first is the multiplicity of inane camera angles they seem to be obligated to work into each and every broadcast. First, there's the low baseline angle that they routinely switch to on all breakaways, often at the worst possible time. Second, there's the recent tendency (yes, they're getting worse) of showing the half-court floor-level sideline angle that they go to for about a second and a half every time a player pushes the ball up the near sideline. Sometimes this results in us seeing the entire possesion from this vantage point. Third, there's the above-the-basket angle that affords the viewer no valuable scope of the play whatsoever. Why not have an upside-down camera angle, too? Fourth, there's the angle from the corner at floor-level. This prohibits any unobstructed view of the entire weak side of the court. Fifth, there's the behind-the-basket remote controlled camera that there's just no reason or use for. My theory is that they are obligated to use all the camera angles they have in order to justify employing all of these camera operators.

That just about covers all the camera angles that serve no constructive purpose. But the problems pervade to a far deeper extent than just the placement of cameras. What they do with them is just as disturbing. I can't remember the last time I saw back-court pressure during a televised game. That's because the idiots in the truck want to show us a close up of the guy who just scored, the player who passed him the ball, a coach on the sideline, somebody in the crowd, or whoever the commentators are talking about at that point during the game. Often, these close-ups last beyond half-court and make us miss the first pass or two of a possession, and sometimes the entire possession. Last week there was a sequence in which a Raptor scored a basket, so they showed a close-up of him running back while Jose Calderon was stealing the inbound pass and making a layup. Of course, we couldn't see any of this. Then, they show a close-up of Jose sprinting back down the court because, guess what, the other team was on a fast break. We didn't see that play either.

There are so many other things they do wrong that it just boggles the brain. On a baseline inbounds play, they keep the camera tight on the passer so you can't see anybody else. They show extended shots of the commentators DURING THE PLAY sometimes. They show a shot of anybody in the building whose name is mentioned by a commentator (also during the play). They switch to a baseline angle whenever they identify a post-up, often resulting in the whole play being shown from this awful angle. They zoom in on the ball when it's in the air on certain camera angles, as if we can't tell if it goes in. They frequently zoom in on a player who just blocked a shot or dove for a loose ball instead of showing the resultant fast-break. I'm positive that I'm missing a lot of important stuff, but I can't sit here all night.

Unforunately, many of these problems are ubiquitous in the NBA, the policies of zooming in for several seconds on a player who just scored and switching to the baseline camera angle on each and every fast break being two examples. There is certainly a contagious effect throughout the league, and it generaly starts with ABC and ESPN. I hope nobody thinks they do a good job, because they commit many of the same mistakes that the Raptors' crew does. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who remembers Demar DeRozan getting screwed out of a dunk contest title because the morons in the truck over at ESPN or wherever decided to show a shot of Gerald Wallace while Demar was approaching the hoop for his final dunk. This camera work is just too outstandingly terrible to be the result of misplaced enthusiasm. The only theory that I can come up with is that these are the machinations of a league desparate to boost ticket demand by ruining televised games. I wish I had another one, but these guys put too much effort into ruining the game to ascribe it to laziness or apathy.

[5DOM]

https://www.mlsemarketing.com/Speak.jsp?cid=154&scid=18

Try this too

[RedX]

My only problem is when they show a replay while the raps are on a fast break and u hear the crowd go wild as we never get to see the dunk that just happened. I really f'n hate when they do that. Everything else I don't feel as a major problem.

[ghuytro]

Agreed - it's been horrid all year.

I've noticed they've changed up the end graphic on replays so they're coming out of them faster, but they still show them at the most inopportune times and they usually show way too much of the play.

[AB_21]

There have been many, many games over the last couple of years during which the highly revered "guys in the truck" imposed a cruel ultimatum on me and anybody else interested in the game itself: turn off the TV now, or suffer the consequences of a major psychotic break. The problems with that broadcast team have become so abundant and glaring that I now expect to be annoyed on each and every possession.

When considering all of their problems, what comes to mind first is the multiplicity of inane camera angles they seem to be obligated to work into each and every broadcast. First, there's the low baseline angle that they routinely switch to on all breakaways, often at the worst possible time. Second, there's the recent tendency (yes, they're getting worse) of showing the floor-level sideline angle that they go to for about a second and a half every time a player pushes the ball up the near sideline. Sometimes this results in us seeing the entire possesion from this vantage point. Third, there's the above-the-basket angle that affords the viewer no valuable scope of the play whatsoever. Why not have an upside-down camera angle, too? Fourth, there's the angle from the corner at floor-level. This prohibits any unobstructed view of the entire weak side of the court. Fifth, there's the behind-the-basket remote controlled camera that there's just no reason or use for. My theory is that they are obligated to use all the camera angles they have in order to justify employing all of these camera operators.

That just about covers all the camera angles that serve no constructive purpose. But the problems pervade to a far deeper extent than just the placement of cameras. What they do with them is just as disturbing. I can't remember the last time I saw back-court pressure during a televised game. That's because the idiots in the truck want to show us a close up of the guy who just scored, the player who passed him the ball, a coach on the sideline, somebody in the crowd, or whoever the commentators are talking about at that point during the game. Often, these close-ups last beyond half-court and make us miss the first pass or two of a possession, and sometimes the entire possession. Last week there was a sequence in which a Raptor scored a basket, so they showed a close-up of him running back while Jose Calderon was stealing the inbound pass and making a layup. Of course, we couldn't see any of this. Then, they show a close-up of Jose sprinting back down the court because, guess what, the other team was on a fast break. We didn't see that play either.

There are so many other things they do wrong that it just boggles the brain. On a baseline inbounds play, they keep the camera tight on the passer so you can't see anybody else. They show extended shots of the commentators DURING THE PLAY sometimes. They show a shot of anybody in the building whose name is mentioned by a commentator (also during the play). They switch to a baseline angle whenever they identify a post-up, often resulting in the whole play being shown from this awful angle. They zoom in on the ball when it's in the air on certain camera angles, as if we can't tell if it goes in. They frequently zoom in on a player who just blocked a shot or dove for a loose ball instead of showing the resultant fast-break. I'm positive that I'm missing a lot of important stuff, but I can't sit here all night.

Unforunately, many of these problems are ubiquitous in the NBA, the policies of zooming in for several seconds on a player who just scored and switching to the baseline camera angle on each and every fast break being two examples. There is certainly a contagious effect throughout the league, and it generaly starts with ABC and ESPN. I hope nobody thinks they do a good job, because they commit many of the same mistakes that the Raptors' crew does. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who remembers Demar DeRozan getting screwed out of a dunk contest title because the morons in the truck over at ESPN or wherever decided to show a shot of Gerald Wallace while Demar was approaching the hoop for his final dunk. This camera work is just too outstandingly terrible to be the result of misplaced enthusiasm. The only theory that I can come up with is that these are the machinations of a league desparate to boost ticket demand by ruining televised games. I wish I had another one, but these guys put too much effort into ruining the game to ascribe it to laziness or apathy.

/win.

[darth_federer]

First of all this is very well thought. You should write an email to MLSE and let them know about this.

Secondly basketball isnt a priority in this country. All producers aspire to become hockey guys. Its where the big money is. Paul Graham used to run Raptors broadcasts for years and now hes in hockey. So we re getting guys who havent been good enough for hockey yet.

The guys in the truck are really bad no doubt

[EdMar_Davis]

Couldn't have said it better myself, luckily I canceled my Cable service and hopefully get the American from streams from now on. "the guys in the truck" are possibly the worst camera crew ever and need to get fired or told to stop **** around with the camera angles. I don't want to see the game from superfans angle, show it like every other normal crew does.

[Mad Prophet]

The production has been terrible for many years. Notice near the end of games the coverage improves and no baskets are missed, because a typical puckhead says only the last few minutes of a basketball game are worth watching. The producers were probably watching the Habs game tonight.

[StopitLeo]

All the games are produced by RaptorsTV.

The horrible product we see is the fault of one man: Troy Clara. He's the director so he decides which shots to cut to and when, which packages to show and when, etc...

[jrsmith]

Great post and I agree with everything you said. Personally my biggest pet peeve is point number 1. I havent seen any other broadcast network do this except the raptors. That low baseline shot on every single single man fast break is absolutely horrid and it will make even a great dunk look dull. Its incredibly annoying.

Also random extended shots of commentators, people in the crowd, players, coaches (george karl tonight o m g) while the game is being played its absolutely pathetic.

[C_Money]

What I can't stand is when were on a fastbreak and they'll have the camera on a guy sitting on the bench. Or they'll be showing a replay while the game is on. I can't stand that.

[raps_allday]

Im in broadcasting and my professor at Humber directs pre-half and post and iv been in the in-house control room during the program so i wouldn't know much about george rusik and troy clara in the truck.

What i DO know is at the beginning of every season there are a brand new set of workers for the production and sometimes becuase television and crews are under contract just like the NBA. After every season there are openings to every position in the truck.

I am going crazy with the insane camera angles though during live action. i think its NUTS.

[plainballing]

Whatever, but a BB thread...

[alivinglegend]

I agree entirely, broadcasts of other team's games have much higher production values.

[JN]

That is a Grade A rant.

[raps_allday]

I agree entirely, broadcasts of other team's games have much higher production values.

American Broadcast have an EXTREMELY higher budget...The American feed comes from the the home truck as-well. It goes threw an aux router and they just cut it differently and use their graphics.

[C_Money]

What I can't stand is when were on a fastbreak and they'll have the camera on a guy sitting on the bench. Or they'll be showing a replay while the game is on. I can't stand that.

[Monty2]

Great first post. I've been wanting to start a post like this but you said it perfectly. This is the worst production of any sporting event I've seen in my life.

[JDSS]

Agreed. It pisses me off. The classic broadcast angle is really good because you see the entire play develop, you can see depth, you can clearly see the players.

They have this tendency to going to this stupid angle from behind halfcourt. In it, you see zero depth, it looks completely 2D so you cant figure out whats happened with the play. Nevermind the fact that you can't see the players. It's called CONTRAST. You need contrast to see. If the players are against the wood floor in the classic angle you can see. If the players are against the crowd with so many varying colours, you can't see at all. Common sense is eroding. It feels like the production guys want to get noticed for their "revolutionary" broadcast twists at the expense of the fans' greater good.

[JDSS]

Also, great first post to OP. Shows the level of frothing fury to go through the process of registering an account and still have anger left over to start this thread.