How it Works: Surf Webcast

There are so many interesting and unique things that go into sustaining the action sports industry. From the people to the jobs they do, this huge yet alternative industry kind of fly’s under the radar. From things here at Killer Dana all the way to the brands themselves, we thought it would be interesting to dig a little deeper into how it all comes together.

We thought a good place to start would be something that takes up some serious office time here at Killer Dana, webcasts. We take them for granted sometimes, expecting the best coverage possible but not really realizing how the surfing world is still developing a criteria for covering surf events.

Lucky for us, we have a fellow employee who works on surf webcasts and is fresh of the jet from Hawaii where he worked the Vans Triple Crown and most recently, the Volcom Pipeline Pro.

KD: What is the difference between a live stream and a webcast?

Mainly, the difference is the level of production. A live stream can be as simple as turning on a video camera and plugging it into your computer. A webcast is a broadcast on the internet. In the surf world, webcasting is trying to get to the same level as any live sport you see on T.V. Webcasting a live surf event includes everything from multiple camera angles, to replays, commercials, interstitials, content segments and live interaction with the viewership. The smoother all of these things are put together, the better the webcast.

It’s not just cameras and tripods anymore. A full production truck backed up at the Volcom house.

Are there things going on during the contest that online viewers don’t ever see?

A good webcast tries to tell a story. This falls into the hands of the director, who is responsible for what cameras are live at what time and also what they are shooting. Most surf webcasts have a designated roving cam that is constantly shooting what is going down on the beach. Whether it is a cheering crowd, girls in bikinis or a frustrated/excited contestant, we try and cover it all. The online viewer may not see everything that happens on the beach, but they are seeing the best of it. Nothing really happens that we don’t try and communicate during the webcast.

Don’t fool yourself, the video engineer knows exactly what each of these wires is doing at any given moment.

What kind of time delay is there from what’s happening live and what is being shown on our computers?

It varies depending on your internet speed. If you have the fastest internet available, there is usually still a minute delay, maybe more. The Volcom Pipeline Pro was the first surf event to be broadcasted live in full HD. Oceanic Cable in Hawaii set aside an HD channel to show the entire event. The TV in the room next to us had about a ten second delay from what was actually happening.

Each of these monitors has a specific task.

How much preparation goes into webcasting a surf event?

A lot. Whoever is paying for the webcast (Volcom in this case) begins preparations as much as a year in advance. From them it goes to the producer. It takes at least a month to organize everything from the proper gear to the proper crew. Once everything is on location, it can take anywhere from two to five days to have everything up and running in proper order to webcast the event. These time frames can vary drastically based on anything from equipment malfunctions to an inexperienced crew. Everyone that worked the Volcom contest knew their stuff and it showed in the final product.

Camera test before the event starts. During the contest, this camera is on a scaffold.

Other than filming the event live, what else goes into a webcast?

There are so many people that come together to make these things work it would be impossible to lay them all out here. One of the most important jobs is the person that is in charge of making sure everyone gets fed. It’s not like you get a lunch break during the contest. It’s non stop from the first heat to the last, so the amount of individual tasks that make it work is pretty impressive.

These guys don’t move from their machines until the last heat is over.

What is the future of surf webcasting?

The good thing about surf webcasts is that each one is setting the bar higher and higher. The bad thing is that these things aren’t cheap. The higher the production level, the higher the costs. There are lot of things going on in professional surfing that could effect the eventual outcome of where a surf webcast can ultimately go. With the right amount of funding, there is no reason a surf webcast can’t look like any other professional sport broadcast.