Grand Rapids Rise 2024 | Pro Volleyball Federation

[fightingminime]

Mar 7, 2024 19:58:10 GMT -5 genisvel said:

Yeah, yeah. It's bad. But the gameday experience is usually pretty fire.

This is from the Rise's brother team from a few years ago:

Any excuse to bring a weaponized glow stick into the arena.

[genisvel]

Is this a relative of Emiliya and Denislav?

women.volleybox.net/viktoria-dimitrova-p74183/clubs

[exit237a]

Grand Rapids,

Please change your volleyball broadcasts.  Look at any of the other six teams' broadcasts and just emulate those.  Center your sideline camera, parallel with the net.  During play, don't do any switching between camera views.

Broadcasting volleyball might be new to your production crew but volleyball has been broadcast for decades using these general principles.  Until you make changes, your broadcasts are borderline unwatchable.  Spectators are just waiting for the shoe to drop during each point for you to switch to the tight, shaky handheld cameras that don't adequately capture what all is happening on the court.  And the skewed, stationary sideline camera doesn't present the action in an equal way; it's partially behind one team instead of splitting the court in half.

Signed,

one of probably many volleyball fans

[genisvel]

Mar 9, 2024 20:53:19 GMT -5 exit237a said:

...Center your sideline camera, parallel with the net.

And the skewed, stationary sideline camera doesn't present the action in an equal way; it's partially behind one team instead of splitting the court in half.

I understand the complaints about the hand-held floor cameras and the constant camera switching.

While it adds to the Rav Party atmosphere they are trying to create in the arena it's annoying when your sitting at home.

But the only way you get the camera to have the net center-screen is the crows nest position. They tried to use it a couple of times in the second home game and no one on these boards liked that either.

The only other option is to put the camera directly in a spectator section where fans are going to be walking in front of it when returning to or leaving their seats. Or, your putting the camera on a platform where it will 1) block off prime seats for ticket holders and 2) obscure the vision of fans who have bought prime seats behind that camera.

I highly doubt you'll get that camera angle you're asking for.

[exit237a]

Mar 9, 2024 23:19:17 GMT -5 genisvel said:

Mar 9, 2024 20:53:19 GMT -5 exit237a said:

...Center your sideline camera, parallel with the net.

And the skewed, stationary sideline camera doesn't present the action in an equal way; it's partially behind one team instead of splitting the court in half.

I understand the complaints about the hand-held floor cameras and the constant camera switching.

While it adds to the Rav Party atmosphere they are trying to create in the arena it's annoying when your sitting at home.

But the only way you get the camera to have the net center-screen is the crows nest position. They tried to use it a couple of times in the second home game and no one on these boards liked that either.

The only other option is to put the camera directly in a spectator section where fans are going to be walking in front of it when returning to or leaving their seats. Or, your putting the camera on a platform where it will 1) block off prime seats for ticket holders and 2) obscure the vision of fans who have bought prime seats behind that camera.

I highly doubt you'll get that camera angle you're asking for.

Hey, it’s no skin off my nose.  They can invent whatever rationales they want for a highly subpar broadcast and prioritize an individual section of seats in the arena over the thousands of eyes tuning on on YouTube if they think that’s the better move.  But you have legit volleyball fans who would normally tune in and follow your team that can’t stand the chaotic, amateurish broadcast.  Unless you’re someone heavily invested in the Rise, it’s enough to make some of the rest of us just turn off the match.

I guess we all make choices, and the decision to broadcast games that way is not one I’d be making, especially in this critical first season.

[genisvel]

If the YouTube broadcasts brought in any income, I would agree. But, YouTube doesn't pay crap, Franklin is probably paying in balls, Spalding is probably providing discounted equipment. The only sponsor paying money is, maybe, USAVB.

Those seats are needed income right now.

If the league can get more advertising (the advertising market is really soft right now and an ad spot on TV isn't worth what it once was with the exception of the SuperBowl or the Oscars), or an actual TV deal where teams get a cut that offset the price of admission to those seats, we'll probably get that change.

[volleydoc2]

Mar 10, 2024 7:54:50 GMT -5 genisvel said:

If the YouTube broadcasts brought in any income, I would agree. But, YouTube doesn't pay crap, Franklin is probably paying in balls, Spalding is probably providing discounted equipment. The only sponsor paying money is, maybe, USAVB.

Those seats are needed income right now.

….

While “those seats might be needed income right now,” I would think a good stream would sustain that needed income beyond the now.

YouTube viewership pays in eyeballs. Eyeballs, when properly entertained, beget more eyeballs, with deep pockets. Good, non-seizure-inducing camera angles is quite literally the bare minimum. Other home productions in the same league seem to have figured it out.

[genisvel]

Like I said, they need to limit the floor cams and the still cameras needed to be smoother. No question. I think those two things would improve the viewing experience greatly.

I'm just less optimistic about the still camera angles until streaming/TV isn't on a platform designed for amateur creators.

[n00b]

Mar 9, 2024 23:19:17 GMT -5 genisvel said:

Mar 9, 2024 20:53:19 GMT -5 exit237a said:

...Center your sideline camera, parallel with the net.

And the skewed, stationary sideline camera doesn't present the action in an equal way; it's partially behind one team instead of splitting the court in half.

I understand the complaints about the hand-held floor cameras and the constant camera switching.

While it adds to the Rav Party atmosphere they are trying to create in the arena it's annoying when your sitting at home.

But the only way you get the camera to have the net center-screen is the crows nest position. They tried to use it a couple of times in the second home game and no one on these boards liked that either.

The only other option is to put the camera directly in a spectator section where fans are going to be walking in front of it when returning to or leaving their seats. Or, your putting the camera on a platform where it will 1) block off prime seats for ticket holders and 2) obscure the vision of fans who have bought prime seats behind that camera.

I highly doubt you'll get that camera angle you're asking for.

Couldn't they just lay the court so that it's centered on the broadcast camera rather than in the center of the hockey rink?

[genisvel]

Mar 10, 2024 13:08:26 GMT -5 n00b said:

Mar 9, 2024 23:19:17 GMT -5 genisvel said:

I understand the complaints about the hand-held floor cameras and the constant camera switching.

While it adds to the Rav Party atmosphere they are trying to create in the arena it's annoying when your sitting at home.

But the only way you get the camera to have the net center-screen is the crows nest position. They tried to use it a couple of times in the second home game and no one on these boards liked that either.

The only other option is to put the camera directly in a spectator section where fans are going to be walking in front of it when returning to or leaving their seats. Or, your putting the camera on a platform where it will 1) block off prime seats for ticket holders and 2) obscure the vision of fans who have bought prime seats behind that camera.

I highly doubt you'll get that camera angle you're asking for.

Couldn't they just lay the court so that it's centered on the broadcast camera rather than in the center of the hockey rink?

Yes. But, right now they've probably already sold tickets to court-side and restaurant seating (instead of couches, we have a restaurant), so maybe next season if they decide that's how they want to rectify camera placement along the net.

[genisvel]

Rise Play-by-Play man Dan Hasty was a substitute host on a Michigan afternoon sports radio show before Saturday's Colimbus game. He did a full hour on the Rise:

Starts at 2:31

@ 6:23 he interviews his color commentator Katie Olsen (not one of those Olsens)

@ 15:45 Cathy George (a portion of which was played during Saturday's match).

@ 32:42 Libero Sarah Sponcil (I posted her portion of the hour to her thread on the Beach side)

[genisvel]

[genisvel]

This probably belongs in the "Off The Net" board, but I thought this story was too nice for that. The Rise's brother team did something pretty cool:

[genisvel]

After today's blog post, and the announcement that player salaries will increase, I'm optimistic that Sponcil at least re-signs with the Rise for next season.

Maybe she'll even move to the area? 🤞

[genisvel]

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