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Video production has come a long way in collegiate athletics. Not long ago, schools would share team film for pre-game preparations. According to Blake Adams, Director of Video and Creative Services at Georgia State University, it was an inefficient and expensive task. “When I first started out at Georgia Tech we traded tape with opponents by literally trading a tape (which sometimes meant hiring a person to hand deliver it to an upcoming opponent by flying it there). Now we exchange video in the blink of an eye with an internet exchange service. Not only does it allow us to exchange full games, but the games are already inter-cut and marked so within minutes of downloading it the film is ready for coaches to view.”

Adams started working in his field as Video Coordinator for his high school team. He was later offered a scholarship at Georgia Tech to study and work in Coaches Film for the Football program. “While there I also became heavily involved with the Jumbo Screen production for all of our sports and honed my skills in creating exciting environments for thousands of fans at sporting events.” remembers Adams. “While at Tech I also received a Bachelors Degree in Business Management focusing on Marketing which has given me a wide skill set in running a fully functioning Video and Creative Services department.”

The application of video technology extends far beyond the playing field. “A lot of people don’t realize the impact of video technology to the fan experience.” says Adams. He points out that upon entering the Georgia Dome (GSU’s home stadium), fans are instantly faced with a video screen, ribbon board or jumbo screen in any given direction. “Videos, specifically intro videos, have the ability to create powerful emotions in a multitude of fans. For our first ever game at Georgia State we produced a very dramatic piece that had players describing the blood, sweat and tears that had gone into preparing for the inaugural season.” Adams’ staff also use video technology to provide in-game statistics, information and fan information. “Video Technology is also huge in our sponsorship department as we utilize all the LED Boards throughout the game to run sponsor messages.” Adams says that creativity helps to cultivate ways to improve the fan experience through video interaction. “At GSU we strive to let our creativity and passion for this technology set us apart. With that said, we are always looking for new technology to further enhance the fans day. Our goal for next season is to implement a text messaging system that is interactive with the Jumbo Screen throughout the game.” With the evolving landscape of multimedia options available to fans, Adams hopes to keep visitors of Georgia State games engaged. “With the ever increasing availability of smart phones and mobile media that is obviously an area we are looking into exploring.” he points out. “My goal is to use technology to not only keep the fans entertained with exciting videos, but to interact with the fan and make them feel like they are part of the action. Maybe they can tune into the locker room pre-game speech from their phone, vote on the play of the game with a text message, watch an instant replay from multiple angles they can select on their phone screen? The possibilities are truly endless and it’s exciting to see where sports technology will be in the future.”

Adams highlights the important role that the Video and Creative Services plays in providing the coaching staff with invaluable video services. “Video has been, and is continuing to be, a vital asset in a coaches arsenal. One of my departments responsibilities is providing film to our Football team and coaches. We cover every practice with three cameras and then import that footage into our computer system where within minutes of practice coaches are able to watch and analyze every play.” Just as important to the coaching staff is, of course, knowing their opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. Collecting video on opposing teams is not a new practice and has been used in sports for many years. Adam’s team at GSU have advanced this age-old discipline and brought it into the 21st Century, thanks to technology providers such as XOS. “We use an add-on XOS, our software developer, where we can develop plays and then let our players use XBOX like controllers to run through those plays from different points of views. Players and coaches being able to study what an opponent typically does in different situations on the field is an incredible tool. With XOS, coaches are able to run statistics against opponents, such as pass vs. run or what an opponent does on third down with eight yards to go, and then also view those plays and show them to players. This is an incredible asset.” The XOS technology has played an important role in Adam’s delivery of state-of-the-art video solutions to Georgia State Athletics. “We utilize the XOS Thunder system for our football coaches film at Georgia State. We were one of the first Division 1 schools to bring in the latest version of XOS and it has been an incredible asset. At Georgia Tech I had the opportunity to work with multiple editing technologies, and decided to go with XOS for GSU.”