My cousin (technically second cousin) is a production crew consultant who works with different networks (primarily SEC Network and Fox Sports) coordinating game day film crews for sporting events. I was talking to her (“Gayle”) at a family event Sunday and she had some interesting insights into the “fan shots” during games. She said they typically have a pre-production meeting the Wednesday or Thursday before the game where they go over camera locations, assignments, etc., and the camera crews get pre-determined “focus shots” that tell them what types of fan shots to focus on during breaks in the action. I’m paraphrasing but she explained it like this:
The goal is to make the viewer feel what it’s like to be at the game. You want each game to feel unique. You don’t want a game at Ann Arbor or UCLA to feel the same as LSU, because that’s not interesting. So the focus shots tell them the types of fans to focus on to give the perceived “feeling” of that school. They’re a series of cues for things to look for. Who decides the “feeling” of a particular school and the resulting focus shots? The production director makes the ultimate decision, but she said the focus shots tend to be the same from one year to the next and result in a positive feedback loop (i.e. people tune into LSU games expecting to see obnoxious drunk cajuns, so the crews show obnoxious drunk cajuns, which reinforces the perception).
So of course, I asked her, what do the MSU focus shots say? “Camouflage, rustics (she said this is a polite industry term for rednecks), cowbells, body paint” were the four most common ones. So every time you see a fan shot of a fat redneck with body paint or a shirtless dude in camo overalls ringing a cowbell, and you wonder why that’s all they ever show, now you know.
Oh and she said OM is “Sorority/fraternity, date night (i.e. couples), family, and chic.” (I may be missing one there but I know “chic” was one because she said it’s code for “attractive/hot.”)
Seriously, just google "Ole Miss football fans" and "Mississippi State Football fans" and see what you get. And FWIW she went to USM. I don't know the solution to this, just thought it was interesting.
The goal is to make the viewer feel what it’s like to be at the game. You want each game to feel unique. You don’t want a game at Ann Arbor or UCLA to feel the same as LSU, because that’s not interesting. So the focus shots tell them the types of fans to focus on to give the perceived “feeling” of that school. They’re a series of cues for things to look for. Who decides the “feeling” of a particular school and the resulting focus shots? The production director makes the ultimate decision, but she said the focus shots tend to be the same from one year to the next and result in a positive feedback loop (i.e. people tune into LSU games expecting to see obnoxious drunk cajuns, so the crews show obnoxious drunk cajuns, which reinforces the perception).
So of course, I asked her, what do the MSU focus shots say? “Camouflage, rustics (she said this is a polite industry term for rednecks), cowbells, body paint” were the four most common ones. So every time you see a fan shot of a fat redneck with body paint or a shirtless dude in camo overalls ringing a cowbell, and you wonder why that’s all they ever show, now you know.
Oh and she said OM is “Sorority/fraternity, date night (i.e. couples), family, and chic.” (I may be missing one there but I know “chic” was one because she said it’s code for “attractive/hot.”)
Seriously, just google "Ole Miss football fans" and "Mississippi State Football fans" and see what you get. And FWIW she went to USM. I don't know the solution to this, just thought it was interesting.
