Skycam is a high definition camera system that flies in three dimensions above a playing field. The system is computer controlled, driven by cables and powerful winches and, most importantly, operated by a highly skilled team of operators and technicians. The Skycam system took the sports industry by storm around 2001, because it offered a point-of-view never before seen and an opportunity for enhanced game analysis. ESPN was the first to use it for Sunday Night Football, and since that point, its use has grown to other networks and even to other sporting events. The system is operated by up to a nine-man crew, according to Skycam’s Stephen Wharton. “We have a full time five man crew that consists of the pilot, the camera operator, an EIC [Engineer in Charge], an E2 and a rigger. The pilot is responsible for flying the camera above the field. The operator, who you can think of as the gunner in an aircraft, is responsible for pan, tilt, focus and zoom — in other words, he’s the shooter. The EIC is responsible for managing the entire crew, including the E2 and the rigger. We also have an additional four people who are reel watchers.”
—From “Video World” by Paul Berliner, PLSN, Oct. 2013
