Saturday, March 22, 2008

This Is The ESPN Tech Center And Pit Studio









Here are some pictures provided by our friends at ESPN of the infield Pit Studio and the Tech Center.

The Tech Center is brightly lit and contains both NASCAR equipment and graphic elements that can be accessed by touch screen on a main monitor. The cameras are hand-held and move with Tim Brewer to whatever element he is discussing.

The Pit Studio is mounted on a tractor-trailer frame and rises with a scissor-lift to a height needed to present a "background" behind the on-camera talent. You can clearly see the remotely operated cameras that move along a track on the ground.

These pictures also help viewers to see that six or seven hours in the Pit Studio suspended high above the ground is certainly an interesting assignment for the announcers.

If you have any questions about these pictures, please ask them in the comments section by clicking on the COMMENTS button below. Thanks again to the readers that asked for additional information about these two elements of the ESPN coverage, and to the ESPN PR staff for providing these images.
at

17 comments:

  1. NewracefanMarch 22, 2008 at 10:16 AM

    Ok this might be a silly question but how do you get in and out of the pit studio. Are there stairs or does it get lowered back down to the ground? I am assuming it doesn't have a break room and facilities and 6-7 hours is a long time to be "trapped" anywhere.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Daly Planet EditorMarch 22, 2008 at 10:26 AM

    nrf,

    The trailer is lowered to the ground. You may remember AB mentioning recently that the Pit Center was on the ground because of lightning in the area, and that was why the background view was gone. Good question.

    JD

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMarch 22, 2008 at 10:32 AM

    JD
    This looks remarably similar to the Fox Hollywood Hotel set I saw in person at 2 races last year.

    Does ESPN and FOX share it, or is one copying the other??

    ReplyDelete
  4. Daly Planet EditorMarch 22, 2008 at 11:35 AM

    That is a great point. Both units are different in some ways, but as you said they certainly do appear similar.

    I will check and see if I can get my hands on some insider pics of the new Hollywood Hotel for next week.

    JD

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMarch 22, 2008 at 11:59 AM

    John,

    I would like to know that dimensions of all the tv studios. I love hearing about the insider viewpoints of the tv aspect.

    Could you get some access to pictures and dimensions of the tv production booths at all the tracks? I would also like to see where each booth is located at each track if that is possible.?.

    Thanks for this insiders look.

    Amy
    Winter Haven, FL

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousMarch 22, 2008 at 12:16 PM

    In the 8th or last picture it looks like a staircase on the far end. It it is I would believe it is either removable or folds up and down.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousMarch 22, 2008 at 12:44 PM

    the pit studio does have a staircase so the whole thing only has to be lowered when needed for safety or other reasons.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousMarch 22, 2008 at 12:51 PM

    JD, thanks for the pictures. They are interesting. I would also like an inside look at the play-by-play booth and the control room.

    GS

    ReplyDelete
  9. Daly Planet EditorMarch 22, 2008 at 12:57 PM

    GS,

    I have pics of both, so I will put some control room pics up tomorrow. I just want to make sure I have everyone who is in them OK with it.

    JD

    ReplyDelete
  10. SophiaMarch 22, 2008 at 1:03 PM

    Thanks for the photos. Nice to see what is inside but depending on the dimensions, I could get claustrophobic being in that thing all day!

    I enjoy seeing what's behind the scenes.

    ReplyDelete
  11. TexasRaceLadyMarch 22, 2008 at 1:52 PM

    Thanks for the pics, JD. They are fascinating.

    Makes me appreciate the job the guys in the Pit Studio do for us. Sitting there looking at a wall with a moving camera(or 2) would drive me nutty.

    Tell the guys inside, "Thanks".

    ReplyDelete
  12. Kenn FongMarch 22, 2008 at 5:24 PM

    JD,

    If ESPN has this Pit Studio and Tech Center going to the races, why do they rush AB, RW, MM, and RE back to Bristol for Monday's NN?

    kf

    ReplyDelete
  13. Daly Planet EditorMarch 22, 2008 at 5:26 PM

    Ken,

    That is a great question. The cost of sending four folks to Bristol, CT by air vs. keeping the entire infield TV compound in place for one more day is not really going to allow the guys to stay on-site.

    The teardown starts after the race and then the cycle starts again of travel, set and show.

    JD

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousMarch 22, 2008 at 10:29 PM

    IS the pit studio driven back to Bristol CT after every race, and then goes to the next race? Where do they store the pit studio on off weekends like next weekend?

    ReplyDelete
  15. AnonymousMarch 22, 2008 at 10:41 PM

    OH another question. IS the TechCenter a studio on wheels just like the Pit Studio? If so, are there any pictures of the outside of the Tech Center?

    ReplyDelete
  16. AnonymousMarch 23, 2008 at 12:32 PM

    now if they could replace Tim Brewer with someone who can communicate with the audience!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Kenn FongMarch 24, 2008 at 1:05 AM

    JD,

    This is the kind of coverage which has made your blog one of my top three most interesting and useful sites each week.

    While I'm handing out kudos, you and your readers also deserve high marks for the intelligent and civil discourse. Comments on most sites are illiterate, nasty, and ignorant. Okay no more compliments lest I drift towards fulsome.

    Thanks again, JD

    Kenny
    Alameda, CA (near San Francisco)

    ReplyDelete