July 20, 2020

 Today is my first day that I have to report to work, and I am ready.  I get up bright and early and head to the gym.  Actually, I don’t.  I lay in bed contemplating should I go the gym now, or do it when I get back from the WWOS complex?  I procrastinate long enough to prevent me from going to the gym for my usual morning workout.  I didn’t sleep well at all last night, and I don’t know why.  Sometimes I just cannot shut off my brain. I know that I am tired and I know that I must sleep, and I toss and turn for hours.  No reason other than I wish I had an off/on switch for my head. Regardless, as I missed the window to have a decent workout, I watched the various local and national news shows to see what was going on in the world.  There is only one thing going on…COVID.  At least that is what the news says.  Oh yeah, and it’s going to rain somewhere in Orlando today at some point.

As I leave my room, I do a pat down of myself.  I have my credential, I have my proximity sensor, I have my wristband, I have my mask on.  I swear, every time I leave my room, I have to do that.  I am so afraid I will forget one of those components and get dinged and sent packing. Even after making sure I have everything, I still feel like I am missing something.  I boarded the shuttle and off we went.  Hardly anyone is on the road because our complex is not open to the public and neither is the WWOS complex.  There are Disney vehicles dotting the median and road shoulders, along with Orlando police officers, to make sure no unauthorized personnel penetrate our bubble.  There are numerous portable electronic signs along the way letting anyone and everyone know that the WWOS complex is closed.  We pull into the green zone entrance and I head straight to the Visa Center.

Today will consist of tests, tests, and more tests.  Equipment checks all day long. Each technician is responsible for his or her piece of equipment.  Me, being a camera operator, I need to make sure my camera is built so it is comfortable and easy to operate. I adjust the height tweak the viewfinder so the picture is as clear as possible.  This camera and components are not the newest on the market, so it takes a long time for me to get the viewfinder as sharp as possible.  Even after I finished fine tuning the monitor, I am not satisfied, but I can’t get it any sharper.  And this is critical.  With the clarity of the televisions available today, even being the slightest bit out of focus is cause for alarm.  It really shows up during the broadcast and my fellow camera operators are quick to point it out whenever it occurs.  “Hey Pierce, you have to zoom AND focus!”  We are brutal on one another, but in a very friendly manner, at least I think it is in a friendly manner. We are our own worst critics, and we are not shy about popping off to one another on headsets during a game.  It’s kind of fun actually, as it makes the daily grind go by much quicker.

Just because I have my equipment in order and in running condition doesn’t mean I am finished for the day.  We have to allow time for the video engineer to color correct each camera so they are consistent when the technical director cuts from one camera to the other. The cameras are fed into the EVS machines (instant replay) as well, and those levels must be consistent as well.  The audio that comes into our headsets so we can hear the director and announcers needs to be checkout as well.  We do transmission tests to Atlanta as well, while ESPN tests to Bristol.  The lighting on all three courts is inconsistent as well.  Remember, these are not NBA venues where the NBA has designated a precise lighting grid that is very consistent in each home arena.  We are trying to regulate this in replacement arenas that were not designed for NBA games, much less, the possibility of televising over 200 games in 2 months.  This is going to be a long day.