My First Commentary Experience!
Post-production is an integral part of disc golf culture, and players and fans alike look forward to watching coverage of their favorite tournaments and players in the days and weeks following each event. With advances in technology and the increasing popularity of the sport, it is likely that post-production will continue to play an important role in the growth and development of disc golf for many years to come. For a lot of people, post-produced coverage may be the first time they have ever experienced disc golf on any kind of scale outside of their local course or community. For me, it was where I found out that the fun little game I enjoyed at my local church property was so much bigger than I could have ever imagined.
The history of post-production in disc golf can be traced back to the early days of the sport, when video coverage of events was limited to amateur recordings made by spectators and players themselves. As the sport grew in popularity and more professional players began to emerge, the demand for high-quality video content increased, leading to the development of more formal post-production processes.
One of the early pioneers of disc golf post-production was Jussi Meresmaa, a professional player from Finland who began producing video coverage of European tournaments in the mid-2000s. Meresmaa's videos were a hit with disc golf fans, and he eventually founded SpinTV, a media company dedicated to producing high-quality disc golf content.
In the United States, the Disc Golf Guy (Terry Miller) began producing post-production coverage of tournaments in the late 2000s and has since become one of the most prolific and respected producers of disc golf videos in the world. Other notable post-production companies and individuals include Jomez Productions, Gatekeeper Media, GK Pro, and Central Coast Disc Golf, all of which have played a major role in shaping the way that disc golf events are covered and presented to audiences around the world.
One more company trying to make its mark in the post-production game is Hyzer Media. With close to 400 videos on YouTube, you can find tournament round footage, drone flyovers, and fun challenge videos. These guys do all of it and provide great media coverage for the local tournaments and events that are happening in your backyard. One such event that I want to talk more about is the Team Battle played at the Green Monster earlier this year.
The Team Battle brought together 4 different disc golf companies, Just Playing Disc Golf Supply, Home Again Disc Golf, Double Helix Disc Sports, and Cosmic Disc Golf. The purpose of the event was to try out a new format and showcase some of the amazing local talent. Additionally, it helps to foster the growth of local companies and bring more disc golf content to their local communities. I was fortunate enough to be invited to the event to help with taking photos and videos as well as provide commentary for the coverage.
The round footage is of the MPO group consisting of David Dunn (Double Helix), Ramie Millar (Home Again), Andrew Stocklin (Cosmic), and Derek Bigley (Just Playing). I was also joined by Ramie on the commentary for the video. If you haven’t checked it out yet, here are the links for the front and back 9:
Front 9 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25tNPHXWSZk&t=514s
Back 9 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89Ru3v2rMuw
This was the first time I was doing event coverage for disc golf content, and let me tell you, it was so incredibly fun! I’ve done some commentary before for other things, but they were very scripted and only short in length. Working with Dave Oster (HyzerMedia) and Ramie was wonderful. Dave was able to prepare us before each video with some technical aspects of the recording, which made things easier. We didn’t get to see the video in advance to make the commentary more genuine and feel less scripted or prepared. It was a rush to have the video start and have to start talking about what I was seeing on screen.
I prepared myself by reviewing the course beforehand and reviewing some of the content I was able to capture while on site. I made sure I remembered everyone’s names and tried to prepare to handle the points that I know would commonly trip most people up. It helped that my co-commentator, Ramie, had some experience before and was very comfortable with the process. He was able to step into more of the play-by-play role, discussing some of the optimal shot selections and outcomes of the throws we were seeing on screen.
I was given the responsibility of hole introductions which was a lot of fun to be able to do. Then, I tried the best I could to add commentary that focused on the course and some of the choices that the players were making. I enjoyed the back-and-forth I was able to have with Ramie which I thought fit the more relaxed nature of the video.
Looking back and thinking about the process, there were some areas I would have liked to be better prepared for, but I wouldn’t change the experience. It has made me want to do it again and even consider expanding some of the media that I put out to include video content as well. One thing I know for sure is that it has me even more excited about the direction I’m looking to take things. It makes me incredibly thankful for the opportunities I’ve had and continue to get to be a part of these things.
What do you think? Did you watch the coverage? If not, it’s a few paragraphs above. Go check it out, come back, and let me know what you think of it! I’ll wait here for you.
Gary Daddario III (www.thumberlife.com)