Far from being a dairy farmer near the town of Winchester, Ont., veteran SAIT cameraman knows what it takes to make Olympic coverage a sport in itself.
SAIT television production instructor Carman Dawley will be operating a mobile camera, similar to the ones found in studios, at the hockey games during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Marvin Calderon, SAIT Polytechnic
“I joke about it being a natural progression from cows to television,” said Carman Dawley, a television production instructor.
Dawley is one of hundreds of media personnel who will be covering the Olympic events during this year’s 2010
Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He will be operating a mobile video camera, similar to the ones used in studios, during hockey competition this month.
His position is coveted because of the limited press passes allowed at the Winter Olympics
“This would be my fourth Olympics.”
His first Olympic experience was in 1984 in Sarajevo, followed by the 1988 games in Calgary, and Lillehammer in 1994.
Dawley has been a freelance cameraman for over 30 years and since coming to SAIT as an instructor 20 years ago, he said he was still contacted for freelance work to cover sports games.
After four years of teaching and freelancing, Dawley said, he was asked to cover hockey in the Lillehammer games.
He said that because of his freelance work, he was recently called and asked to be part of the host nation’s broadcast team, and said this is now a common practice in the industry.
He said things have changed since his career began, with the industry moving away from using mainly full-time employees to contractors.
Although many would believe being a veteran sports cameraman gives him a unique look at the game, Dawley said sometimes the view is not at all interesting.
“The first time Sidney Crosby, with Pittsburgh, came to Calgary, I worked the game,” he said.
“And all I did was shoot Sidney Crosby, the whole game—even when he was sitting in the bench.”
Dawley said sometimes you do get a different view from what most people see.
He’s often stood on the side of the mountain by himself, waiting for a skier to come speeding past.
“It’s just you and the squirrels at 30 below,” Dawley said.
He said he would be operating a high definition mobile camera probably with an 1800 mm lens or higher, optimal for sports coverage because of its close-up capabilities.
Although the camera shoots high definition footage, he said the viewfinder is black and white.
“I don’t care if the viewfinder only shows black and white,” Dawley said, “as long as it’s in focus.”
With coverage of three previous of Olympics under his belt, he said he’s most looking forward to reuniting with and working with a lot of friends and industry peers from across Canada as part of the Olympic broadcast team this year.
Dawley said he also is looking forward to taking part in a major television production, and providing pictures to millions of people across the world.
