Behind the Scenes: Nashville Predators Megatron production

Here's a fun article from the Tennessean, taking us behind the scenes into the Megatron production room at the Nashville Predators. (via Kukla's Korner)

When the animated heart flashes on the big screen at Predators games, some couples snuggle up, watching with anticipation. Others grip their beers and slink into their seats. But regardless of whether they're ready to smooch in front of roughly 15,000 fans, it's time to pucker up, people. Everyone's fair game.

Deep in the belly of Sommet Center in a dark room packed with knobs and screens, it looks more intense than an airplane cockpit. But despite the equipment and fast-paced job at hand, the people in the room seem to be having as good a time as the fans, giggling at the couples on the screen.

...

While it might seem simple — cameraman finds a couple; they kiss; move on — the mechanics behind the kiss cam and other scoreboard antics involve a team of 15 people and 28 screens of stats, scores and fan shots. For any given kiss, the people in the control room have four couples to choose from, on four screens, from four cameramen out near the ice.

... In 2007, the scoreboard at Sommet was replaced, and its four high-resolution video screens earned it a new title: megatron.

" 'Jumbo' didn't seem good enough," he said.
...

While the kiss cam gets attention for sure, the megatron moment [Blake Grant, director of technical operations] most remembers still gives him chills.

During the Predators' first year in the playoffs, the home team finished killing a penalty against Detroit just before going into a TV timeout. The fans — all 18,000 or so of them — erupted into a spontaneous standing ovation and kept it up through the break until the puck dropped again.

"It wasn't a funny moment, but it was dramatic," he said.

Grant says the crew works to keep a balance between the game and the entertainment. When the game is good, it obviously gets the attention. But even in the most heated matches, the timeouts and TV breaks give them time to get fans dancing, singing and, of course, kissing.

"I think the scoreboard has its own personality here," he said.

Rats on the comeback in Florida

On Frozen Pond has a wonderfully titled post today: "Don't Call it a Comeback, They've Been Thrown for Years", all about the resurgence of the rat-throwing tradition at Florida Panthers games:

We haven't seen rubber rats in large numbers on Florida ice in quite some time, although the rubber rodents are definitely making a comeback.

Sure, the NHL came up with a rule to block the practice of throwing objects onto the ice during a game soon after the Panthers' 1996 run to the Finals were over. That doesn't mean people haven't been doing it in smaller numbers since.

We've seen a rat or two fly onto the ice after goals in the past decade, but most know it's a practice that could cost the home team. Yes, the refs could call the Panthers for a two minute delay of game if it were to get out of hand.

But there is no delay after a game is complete. Lately, more and more rubber rats have found their way to the ice following Florida victories. Saturday after the Boston game, more than two dozen hit the ice. Some were small, some were big.

More here from the Miami Herald.

Top 100 arena and stadium songs

Thanks to Alex for sending us this link from the makers of Sound Director, an audio software tool. They've come up with a list of the top 100 arena and stadium songs:

"We polled industry professionals from the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and major colleges all across North America to get their top 100 songs. Well, they wouldn't allow us to stick with just 100 so there are a few extras. Here's what they came up with for the most widely played arena and stadium songs in alpabetical order by title."

Montreal's new video scoreboard is really, really big

Montreal's new video scoreboard is huge. It was installed last summer (2008) by Daktronics, and the main screen is about 17' x 30'. (Even bigger than Vancouver's huge scoreboard, which measures 13' x 24'.) The video below gives you an idea of the scale - it drawfs the on-camera host. Also interesting in this vid are the photos of previous scoreboards in Montreal.



Yes, it's big, but nowhere near as big as the Kansas City Royals scoreboard (85'x105') or the forthcoming Dallas Cowboys scoreboard (71' x 159').

Three fun in-stand promos from the Ottawa Senators

Here are three fun in-stand promos from the Sens:

• Fans First: Fan Attendance. A season ticket holder announces the attendance ... and wins a trip.
• Sirius Rapid Fire Trivia. Tonight's topic: Nuclear Physics.
• Esso on the Run Race To Win. Remote control cars race around the ice during the intermission.

Buffalo Sabres video celebrates "Sabres love story"

From The Buffalo News:

A youth hockey player’s unexpected encounter with his beloved Buffalo Sabres, wrapped in evocative scenes of local winter splendor, will play out on the JumboTron at HSBC Arena tonight as the Sabres debut a new game-opening video.

...

The video “stars” Adam Batz, a 9-year-old Williamsville resident, who rises before sun-up headed for a game of shinny hockey with a bunch of his friends and their dads. Adam’s parents, Cathy and Dan Batz, also have starring roles in a plot that starts off in Lackawanna’s Bethlehem Park neighborhood, with key scenes at the Erie Basin Marina and HSBC Marina.

...

Matt Gould (Buffalo Sabres executive producer), who produced the Sabres’ popular “Better Days” game-opening video, which featured Buffalo’s Goo Goo Dolls and ran during the team’s 2007 playoff run, said this time the video is “less music-focused.”

“ ‘Better Days’ was more like a montage; this one is driven by a true story line,” said Gould, who was joined by Sabres production staffers Mark Blaszak and Drew Boeing on the project.

Ice fishermen, the Ohio Street lift bridge, the Buffalo skyline and waterfront, and Sabres game highlights all play supporting roles in the script written by Sabres Managing Partner Larry Quinn.

And the Goo Goo Dolls aren’t left out. The band’s single “Real,” which was featured on the AT&T Team USA Soundtrack, a compilation of music by several artists to benefit the U. S. Olympic Team, is part of the soundtrack for the video.

...

Shooting for the video started two weeks ago, when the Buffalo area was blanketed in fresh snow, and concluded on Monday afternoon at the Erie Basin Marina, utilizing the outdoor hockey rink from last weekend’s Labatt Pond Hockey tournament.

In addition to the Batz family, several local boys and their dads took part, along with Sabres Drew Stafford, Jason Pominville, Patrick Kaleta and Chris Butler.

The script originally included a feature role for Gaustad, who was sidelined by a shoulder injury. Thomas Vanek was selected to take Gaustad’s place, only to be taken out of the picture by a fractured jaw.

Read more...

Brian Gainor on "Sonic Branding"

As a follow up to our recent post about the Garth Brooks song in Kansas City, here's a piece on "sonic branding" by Brian Gainor on his excellent Partnership Activation blog:

Sit back and take a quick moment to think, what is the sound of your brand? How does the "sound" of the Dallas Cowboys differ from that of the Miami Dolphins? How does Miller Lite differ from Heineken?

From classical to country to hip-hop, brands across the globe connect with consumers with different sounds. What I am talking about is Sonic Branding, the use of a special sound to identify and advertise products associated with a particular manufacturer. Sonic branding is becoming an increasingly powerful tool for brands to convey memorable messages to consumers... Why? Marketers are now starting to combine music and sports to hit their target consumer base's multiple passion points...

How are professional organizations starting to capitalize on this phenomenon? They are starting to take ownership of their music by integrating corporate partners more heavily in their online content/in-game music (i.e. offering team/player music via iTunes integration online) and are taking greater strides to understand how they can win over more consumers by creating products/events that incorpoate both music and sports (i.e. Nike Plus).

From an outsiders view, which teams have done a great job capitalizing on the passion that fans have for both music and sports? Consider the ways that Celtic Glasow, Liverpool FC, the Boston Red Sox, and the New York Yankees incorporate music into their game experience. Can these organizations do a much better job leveraging these sounds as assets? Of course... Which is definitely something that we will start to see all teams expound upon in the near future as consumers take greater control of their music and sports...

There plenty of examples of teams with a song that fans have adopted -- for example, the "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" tradition at the Chicago Cubs. Here are some other ones:

• You'll Never Walk Alone - Liverpool Football
• Sweet Caroline - Boston Red Sox
• Ole Ole Ole - Montreal Canadiens
  

Promotions gone wrong: Nuggets hand out live kittens to fans

Fanhouse reports:

At a recent home game, someone thought it would be a great idea for the [Denver Nuggets] mascot to come onto the floor with a box of live kittens, and proceed to pass them out to anyone in the stands who claimed to want one.

PETA, who has been involved in some sillier causes relating to the NBA in the past, predictably weighed in on this one:

Handing kittens out like candy to any spectator who wants one is a virtual death sentence for the animals. All too often, people who acquire cats on a whim discover that caring for them is more work than they expected, and the animals end up dumped on the streets, abandoned in extremely crowded animal shelters, or obtained by unscrupulous individuals who sell them to laboratories or use them in dogfights or rituals.

Interview with New York Islanders organist Paul Cartierm

From Time Out New York (via Kukla's Korner):

Who he is: Air traffic controller by day and organist by night, Paul Cartier has been playing for the New York Islanders on and off since 1979, and for the Yankees for the last five years.

First attempt: Cartier had been going to Islanders games since the team was formed. Three years later, when he was 15, they hired a new organist who “wasn’t very good,” according to Cartier. “I went to the Nassau Coliseum and asked to audition for the job. I got laughed at.”

Breakthrough moment: As a transfer to Hofstra University, Cartier enrolled in Piano 101, which happened to be taught by the Islanders’ newest organ player. “I would get to class early and softly play some of the stuff that he’d play at the Coliseum. One day he took notice, and I confessed my obsession,” Cartier explains. The professor invited him to the organ box during the next game and let Cartier test his chops between periods. “He was impressed and helped me get the gig playing for the New York Arrows indoor soccer team.” From there, Cartier began filling in occasionally for his professor until he eventually took over.

And then: The senior director of scoreboard and broadcasting for the Yankees approached Cartier and asked him to join their roster as well.

Cartier’s advice: There is an unofficial exclusive Web ring, where the NHL organ players exchange ideas and stories and some even play in a fantasy hockey league. How can you break in? “You need to be persistent without being a pest,” he warns. Call the team’s office and ask who’s in charge of music. “Introduce yourself and let them know that you’re always willing to help out in any way.” And don’t overlook the minor-league teams—they’re good experience and a great way to get your name out there.

Read the full article...

Garth Brooks and the Kansas City Royals: I've Got Friends in Low Places

From Partnership Activation:

In 2008, the Kansas City Royals started a new tradition that quickly became a favorite among fans. During the 6th inning of every home game, the team began playing the legendary Garth Brooks hit, "Friends in Low Places" on the video board, complemented with lyrics and crowd shots for fans to enjoy. The song, which quickly became known as FNLP among the team's camera crew (due to its regularity), became an instant hit among the KC faithful.

Chris DeRuyscher, the team's director of game entertainment, thought of the idea while attending a Garth Brooks concert at the Sprint Center. Realizing Brooks' history with the Royals organization as a Spring Training participant a few years ago, it made every bit of sense to integrate his music into the Royals' game entertainment.

The Royals used a two-hour session with Garth Brooks to create 20-25 different openings for "Friends in Low Places". The collaborating parties catered introductions for the song to specific promotional nights the team was offering during the season (e.g. Ladies night).

This promo was a finalist at the 2008 IDEA Golden Matrix Awards last summer, and it looks like the fans are having a great time with it. Here's a video clip: