n 10 February 1829, a letter was sent from St John’s College, Cambridge to Christ Church College, Oxford reading: ‘The University of Cambridge hereby challenge the University of Oxford to row a match at or near London, each in an eight-oared and women’s Cambridge and Oxford Boat Races have instilled their places as global events on the international sporting calendar. With millions of viewers tuning in worldwide, swathes of spectators only elevate the already high-pressure atmosphere. Drones and helicopter crews capture these crowds, which densely spill along the Thames riverside across the entire length of the race route. First televised by the BBC in 1938, the original broadcast saw cameras covering only the finish line and the boat house. Viewers heard commentary from John Snagge, with his famous gaffe: ‘Oxford are ahead, no Cambridge are ahead. I don’t know who’s ahead, but it’s either Oxford or Cambridge!’ This was paired with a pretty basic chart showing the race’s progress. boat during the ensuing Easter vacation.’ Almost 200 years later, both the men’s
To highlight the production’s rapid evolution since then, the BBC’s 2010 coverage had 25 cameras on land, nine on the water and one in the air. Fast-forward to 2023, and the world was able to see Cambridge snatch the trophies for both men’s and women’s races – thanks to a sophisticated OB involving 31 cameras across the 4.2 mile course. That camera spec included use of a helicopter, two drones and live feeds from minicams on the Oxford and Cambridge boats as they raced (showing the cox and stroke). FEED got chatting to some of the team over at FilmNova, the BBC’s official production partner for the race for the second year running. OARSOME SET-UP With the women’s race averaging 2.5 million viewers, and the men’s 3.2 million, it was ever- important to execute a totally seamless broadcast. The Gemini Boat Race is notoriously challenging to cover due to the nature of volatile geographical and weather conditions. The route cuts through a deeply metropolitan area, making mobility and signal strength tricky to navigate.
WITH MILLIONS TUNING IN WORLDWIDE, SWATHES OF SPECTATORS ONLY HEIGHTEN THE PRESSURE
DIRECT TO AIR Cutting to drones and helicopters over the Thames made for the most active Boat Race production yet
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