Mumbai: Imagine this. A powerboat speeding at 120 kmph chased for visuals by six land-based cameras, a helicopter, a chase boat, three handheld cameras on the shore, 12 on-board cameras… 20 visual sources hitting your eye and brain at the same time. How do you filter what to tell the viewer, what to describe, and how to analyse events that take place at breakneck speed? Westbury Gillett, director and producer for the live coverage of the Nexa P1 Powerboat racing event in Mumbai, has the answers.
Mr. Gillett is like a music conductor at a philharmonic orchestra; managing camera and production crews, and giving instructions every millisecond. He has spent more than 19 years in covering live events and has even won an Emmy Award, America’s highest recognition for excellence in television. He may not win an Emmy for his live P1 coverage, but the challenges are equally daunting, if not more. “A live show has many uncertainties,” he confesses. “You need to go in with a Plan A as well as a Plan B. It is like a military operation.” His production of what is possibly the world’s first live coverage of a powerboat racing event involves close to 30 people handling — apart from cameras — sound engineering, replays, radio frequency experts, online graphics artists, and maintenance engineers. “Viewers get excited about the moment,” he says, “and don’t know what will happen next. You plan for everything and only then try to deliver.”
The London-based producer is not new to live sporting events. He began with Formula 1, before moving onto the up-and-coming sport of Formula Electric (FE). He was also part of the production team for three Olympics (2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, and 2012 London) besides America’s Cup, one of the world’s premier sailing competitions.
Mr. Gillett is excited about the challenges posed by powerboat racing coverage because it will deliver pure sporting action to viewers. “Formula One is astute in the business of money, because of their television deals and sponsorship. Unfortunatelyin F1, the view is very wide. You can see all the branding and advertising, while the car is very, very small. If the viewer feels he is being sold something while he is watching a car race, he will most likely walk away. Sport on television cannot be only about the money, the fan comes first.”
Formula 1 is motorsport’s past, he feels, asserting that the future is Formula Electric, with high-end innovation. “Formula E is a 45-minute race, as against two hours in F1. Sport is realising that you need to cater to a young audience, even while Wimbledon has five-hour matches. Everyone is so busy now, so engrossed in so many things that sitting down for three hours (to watch sport) is not realistic. Cricket has moved to Twenty20, and even tennis has a final set tiebreak. Sport needs to balance between tradition and innovation. There is room for everything innovating. For example, FE has heartrate cameras on the drivers, conveying the mood.”
Mr. Gillett says FE is also better for the environment. “Our planet is in a mess. We have to accept and realise it, and look to change the same way as the automotive industry realised this. FE is an example of sustainability. Audi has pulled out of Le Monde specifically to work on FE. Electric cars is the future.” He adds, “P1 powerboats will run on ‘green’ fuel (from Bharat Petroleum) which limits damage from emissions.”
He says he is aware that the younger generation may not even be watching live sport on TV. “The younger generation has moved beyond TV and may be watching live on mobiles or tablets. My job is to produce the show, leaving it to the viewer to enjoy where he wants to. At Nexa P1, we will offer the second-screen experience (additional feeds on mobiles or tablets offering more on the same event when viewed simultaneously with live telecast).”
