EVS and HBS Academy organize new training sessions on live sports production

These masterclasses aim to attract the next generation of talent and encourage greater gender diversity in live event production.

EVS y HBS Academy have organized two new masterclasses to encourage more women and students to consider a career path in live sports production.

The sessions were held at the EVS headquarters in Liège at the end of April, following on from previous sessions that took place with great attendance during IBC 2017. The sessions were held for the first time to coincide with the announcement of a strategic educational partnership between Belgian manufacturer EVS and HBS, the host broadcaster of major sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup.

Las dos sesiones introductorias dieron a los participantes una muestra de lo que se incluye en el programa de formación “Producción Deportiva en Vivo con Simulador de TV en Vivo” que HBS Academy presenta en la Escuela Nacional de Cine y Televisión del Reino Unido (National Film and Television School, NFTS), así como en otras escuelas de medios de comunicación de todo el mundo. Por su parte, Train Tomorrow’s Stars es una sesión dedicada a la producción de deportes multicámara para los recién llegados a la industria, mientras que Encouraging Women in Sports Production and Directing está diseñada para promover la diversidad de género.

Both courses cover the basics of live sports production, including directing, understanding the roles of each team member, camera positions, production planning, and using live slow motion technology. Each attendee has the opportunity to direct a live football match using the EVS Live TV Simulator, a unique live broadcast training tool designed specifically for Broadcast Academy courses.

Larissa Bauer, participante de una de las sesiones, ha asegurado que “ha sido una oportunidad única para participar en un programa diseñado para mujeres. Sentarse en la silla del director fue la parte más emocionante de la sesión. Espero que haya más cursos en el futuro”.

Speaking about the partnership with EVS, Lise Cosimi, Director of the Academy of Radio and Television, and Head of External Relations at HBS, underlines that "the training events we have organized so far with EVS have been a great success, and it is great to see new people have the opportunity to learn from our experience. We are planning additional sessions at IBC 2018 to keep up with the demand of people who want to attend."

Senior Director of Television, Jean-Charles Vankerkoven, provided expert real-world insight to both groups, saying, "With the EVS Live TV Simulator, attendees can experience the unique challenges of operating in a live production environment. The technology encourages them to think creatively and highlights how exciting it is to be part of this industry."

Yves Morrier, Head of Training at EVS, added: "The HBS Academy program has demonstrated the level of interest that exists among both young people and women in pursuing a career in this field. Participants came from Qatar, Spain, Germany, France and Belgium to attend the programme, so it is important that the momentum we are generating is built on and that everything possible is done to encourage their future development. The feedback we have had from those who have taken the classes has been extremely positive, with our TV Simulator in I live by helping to deliver the best experience of what happens behind the camera.”

The Broadcasting Academy was created by HBS in 2007 to improve the skills of television professionals especially in sports production environments. The live TV simulator, which can be easily integrated into an existing live production infrastructure, was created by EVS and HBS in 2016 as a training tool for the Academy to train staff in the field. It includes live video servers that allow up to 20 channels for ingest/output, instant playback and slow motion tools, as well as a live video switcher that can be used by three operators at the same time.