Throughout preseason football camp, GSEagles.com will take you on a behind-the-scenes look at different aspects of the football program that go beyond the practice field. In today's installment, we check in with the Video Department.
Similar to most departments, football camp provides the busiest time of year and longest days for the video office. With a hand in all of the recording needed for coaches to get the team ready, the fall is a hectic time for
Chris Ball and his staff.
Leading up to camp beginning, Ball made sure that even little things were good to go for day one of practice. He ordered and checked the lifts and tested all the cameras, batteries and tripods to make sure they were in working order. With his student staff of five back in town for the start of camp, he is schedules who will head up the tower on what days to film practice and who will be in the office editing, while also sorting out the rest of his requests.
Done are the days of climbing the side of the tower and lugging equipment up there with them. They use a pulley to get the equipment up, Ball and his staff are grateful for the tower and lifts. When the team is in Paulson - like it has been so far due to wet fields - they have to get creative with positioning to make sure they have the angles needed. They use walkie talkies to communicate who is filming what period and what angle the coach needs. It's a carefully choreographed dance to make sure everything is covered to give the staff every angle needed to get ready for the season opener.
Camp is not much different from the season for the video office; it's just a matter of being thrown back into the craziness. The day begins early for much of the staff, as someone is always around when the players and coaches are in meetings, just in case there are any malfunctions. Ball has his student staff in the office for a few hours throughout the day to assist on other projects before they begin to gear up for football practice. Ball meets with students before practice to go over the schedule and see if there are any issues. They also have radios to communicate changes and if any issues arrive.
During practice some of the student staff is stationed around the field getting various birds-eye-views of all the drills, some are on the field and are preparing the footage for the coaches to use later on. You'll also see another group of students wandering around getting all sorts of unique shots. Those would be the members of GATA Lifestyle, the program's recruiting arm which puts out hype videos and graphics to catch the eye of recruits and fans. That group has really ramped up their efforts and fans can continue to expect great things from that group this year, like this cool video.
Ball admits that with the proper instructions and direction, the coaching staff doesn't have too much difficulty with the computers and monitors used to display film. All of the footage is fed from the video office to a server that coaches can watch on laptops, iPads and in each of the meeting rooms after it is completed, leaving it in the hands of the coaches to get the film up on the monitors. The goal is for the coaches/players to be able to watch the practice less than an hour after practice is over and then it is pushed out to the cloud so they can watch on their mobile devices.
As with any outdoor sport that competes in the summer, the weather in south Georgia can be a challenge and Ball's group has to be ready on a moment's notice to pack up and move or change practice time.
With the need for 24-hour access to video and information, Ball's group plays an integral part in the team and staff getting ready for the opener on September 1.
Georgia Southern Preseason Football Schedule
Date (Time, Location)
Mon, Aug. 6 (8:30-10:30 AM, Eagle Creek)
Tues., Aug. 7 (8:30-10:30 AM, Eagle Creek)
Wed., Aug. 8 No Practice
Thurs., Aug. 9 (8:30-10:30 AM, Eagle Creek)
Fri., Aug. 10 (8:30-10:30 AM, Eagle Creek; Eagle Creek Baptism; Operation Move-In)
Sat., Aug. 11 (6 PM, Paulson - Scrimmage #1; Fan Fest)
Sun., Aug. 12 (8:15-9:45 AM, Paulson)
Mon., Aug. 13 No Practice
Tues., Aug. 14 (4:30-6:30 PM; Eagle Creek)
Wed., Aug. 15 (4:30-6:30 PM; Eagle Creek)
Thurs., Aug. 16 (4:30-6:30 PM; Eagle Creek)
Fri., Aug. 17 (4:30-6:30 PM, Paulson - Scrimmage #2)
Sat., Aug. 18 (TBD, TBD)
Sun., Aug. 19 (7 PM, Paulson)
Mon., Aug. 20 No Practice
Tues., Aug. 21 (4:30-6:30 PM; Paulson)
Wed., Aug. 22 (4:30-6:30 PM; Paulson)
Thurs., Aug. 23 (4:30-6:30 PM; Paulson)
Fri., Aug. 24 (6-8 PM, Fan Fest to follow, Armstrong Campus - Savannah)
Sat., Aug. 25 (TBD, TBD)
Times and locations subject to change
