Livestream Brings WCVI to the Internet
The desire to prove that quidditch is a “real” sport was one of the major themes of World Cup VI. This sentiment was echoed by Andrew Arons, director of the World Cup live stream, in his description of his initial vision.
Photo by Kat Ignatova/IQA Photo Editor.
“My goal was to make the stream look like something you would watch on television. This in turn attempts to legitimize quidditch as a sport. If people think they are watching it [like] how a television broadcast would look, then they think the sport is real,” explained Arons.
Work on the live stream started more than six months before the event. However, the final budget for the original plan ended up being approximately $80,000, creating a huge roadblock for the project. “I was pretty disappointed when [the original plan] fell through, but a number of factors helped us recover brilliantly,” said Alex Benepe, IQA Commissioner. Alexis Moody, the IQA's Video Manager, suggested a much smaller budget of under $2,000, and Hannah Pohlmann, the World Cup VI Human Resources Director, put Benepe in contact with friends at the University of Florida in Gainesville. David Cody Allen and Nicholas Cravey, business partners at Open Idea Productions, soon joined the project.
“Nicholas and myself arrived at the field on Friday afternoon and scouted the fields and what we would need. We started setting up early Saturday and...work[ed] out the kinks, streaming off and on throughout the day. By the time Sunday came, the stream was going strong and the amount of viewers just kept going up all day,” explained Allen.The biggest technological issue was establishing a strong Internet connection at the facility. “There was Wi-Fi, but it was open for everyone to use, which made it hard to use,” said Arons. Thankfully, Keith Cardin, founder of the website MyHogwarts, happened to have 500 feet of cable in his car. After that, Benepe recalled that “all we needed to do was buy a crimper and some other tools, and the webcast team was able to cut and splice the cable to make a direct connection.”
Another figure instrumental in the live stream's success was Jeff Kuenzli, one of the Austin-Tindall Park coordinators. “[He] was super helpful in making sure the park's infrastructure was prepared on a last-minute basis for us. He put us in touch with Michelle Hansen at CenturyLink, the park's internet provider, and they installed a special internet box just for the webcast. Normally this type of installation couldn't have happened in the final week before the event, but they made an exception for us thanks to Jeff's connection and were extremely accommodating and friendly,” said Benepe.
The results of their hard work did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. The final match alone currently has over 7,800 views, and many of the comments focus on the high quality of the video.
“You could see so many comments pouring in, praising the webcast. I think my favorite comment was from someone who said, "I was really sad I couldn't go to the Cup, but thanks to the webcast I felt like I was there the whole time,” said Benepe. Arons was also excited to see the positive response: “All of the effects that I wanted, such as an instant replay transition, instant replay itself, the snitch cam, and the scoreboard, exceeded not only my expectations, but other people's expectations as well!”
Despite initial setbacks, the overwhelming success of the final product was well worth the effort for Cravey and Allen. “We would really just like to thank [the] IQA for the opportunity to work with them. We were really made part of the team and allowed the freedom to push beyond what we thought we could accomplish. We'd also like to thank the rest of the video team; everyone put in such hard work, and without them it wouldn't have been possible,” said Allen.
As the popularity of quidditch grows and more matches are professionally filmed, the issue of using instant replay to evaluate calls made by referees is one that Arons thinks will become increasingly relevant: “Just like in Major League Baseball, where it is slowly being rolled out, quidditch is a sport that may or may not want to consider using [instant replay].”
Although this is sure to be an issue that will continue to be highly debated in the upcoming years, it is almost certain that live stream will continue to play an increasing role at all upcoming Quidditch World Cups. For those looking to incorporate video at their next tournament or elsewhere, Benepe explained, “If [anyone is] looking to hire video producers - talk to us! We can put you in touch with the amazing people that put this all together.” Interested tournament organizers can fill out this video coverage request form and email alexis.moody@internationalquidditch.org for more information. All 29 videos from the live stream can be viewed at the Livestream website.