NY Liberty - Director


		Camera Cuts Video
		Commercial Break Video
		Graphic Display Video
		Halftime Highlights Video
		The Director Description

When you watch a basketball game on television, you see shots of half court plays, shots of players driving to the basket from a variety of angles and close-ups of the players as they step up to the foul line. The Director is the person in charge of deciding which shot the viewer will see at which time during the game. It's a job that requires quick thinking since the game doesn't slow down. Succeeding as a Director takes a lot of experience. One must become familiar with the many camera angles and what will look best to the viewer.

Besides selecting which camera shot you see at home, the Director has a lot of preliminary work to do prior to a game. He or she is in charge of making sure that all of the technical equipment is working and that the various cameras are set up in the correct locations. The Director oversees the technical crew, including the cameramen, audio technicians, the crew handling video replays and others. He or she makes sure all assignments are in place for the pre-game show and the game plus half-time interviews and post game activities.

Bob Lewis directs New York Liberty basketball games. He is a veteran with some 20 years of experience directing Knicks basketball, Rangers hockey, track & field, horse racing, women's tennis and other activities for the MSG Network. He knows all the elements that need to be in place prior to the game. "Three hours before the game we check to make sure all the technical equipment is working. Two and a half hours before the game we have a meeting with the announcers and production crew to discuss the game and pre-game show. Two hours before the game we prepare video, voice-over segments and then rehearse" explains Lewis, who also prepares for a game by studying all the information on the teams involved from newspaper clips, the Internet and other sources.

During the game, Lewis runs the show, selecting camera angles, calling replays (along with the Producer) talking to the technical crew and the announcers. "It's a lot of teamwork," says Lewis "I lead, I follow, I coordinate. A good technical crew helps a lot."

Lewis started with the MSG Network 30 years ago, taking jobs as a tape librarian and as a shipping clerk. He then got a position as an Associate Director for seven years, where on-the-job training taught him about directing. He credits his ability to work with people and stay calm in what is often a stressful situation as his strengths at doing his job. "You have to be able to listen to 4 or 5 people at once and look at monitor wall of 20+ monitors and understand or connect what is going on in all of them" explains Lewis.

For Lewis, a love of sports and watching sports on television initially peeked his interested in this career. He recommends internships for anyone thinking about directing sporting events. "Be willing to do the grunt work, learn names of the people you work with and offer to help. Listen, and don't act like you know everything," adds Lewis.

Being a Director for sporting events is a very exciting job. You need to think fast and be well versed in all of the skills necessary to present the game to the viewer as smoothly as possible. It's a job you work your way up to, as Lewis did, with years as an Associate Director. Working for your college broadcasting department or on-campus television productions is important, as are internships, especially if theyinvolve working with the technical crew in any capacity. Being a Director for sporting events is a very exciting job. You need to think fast and be well versed in all of the skills necessary to present the game to the viewer as smoothly as possible. It's a job you work your way up to, as Lewis did, with years as an Associate Director. Working for your college broadcasting department or on-campus television productions is important, as are internships, especially if they involve working with the technical crew in any capacity.