MLS Press Day in Ft. Lauderdale
MLS players had just come off their break and were gearing up for another season when we set up in Ft. Lauderdale, FL for a press day. The interviewer was a former pro soccer player, which changed the tone of the whole thing. Athletes talk differently to someone who has been in the same position, and the questions moved quickly from the standard press day answers to the two subjects that mattered most this year: the World Cup coming to the United States, and what each player personally wants out of the coming season.
Director of Photography Rachel Sanchez covered the day. Press days are a specific kind of shoot. The talent rotates through on someone else's schedule, the room does not change, and the crew has to be ready for whoever walks in next without a reset in between. That means the camera position, the lighting and the audio all have to hold up across a long run of subjects with different heights, different voices and different levels of comfort in front of a lens.
The primary camera was a Sony FX9. It is a sensible choice for this kind of work: full frame, strong in a fixed interview setup, and forgiving when a subject shifts in the chair or leans forward to make a point. Audio ran on two handheld mics, one for the interviewer and one for the player. Handhelds are practical on a press day rotation because they move with the talent and there is no lav to rig and re-rig between every subject. IFB was in the kit so the interviewer could stay connected while the interviews were running.
Footage went out over LiveU. That is the detail that shapes everything else on a shoot like this. When the delivery is live rather than a card handed over at the end, there is no second pass. Framing, exposure and levels have to be right as the interview happens, and the signal has to stay up while players cycle through. Rachel S. built the setup around that reality, keeping the camera and audio stable so nothing needed to be rebuilt mid rotation.
The subject matter gave the interviews some real content. A World Cup on home soil is a different conversation for an MLS player than a tournament overseas. It brings attention to the domestic league, it changes what a strong season can lead to, and it is the kind of topic players actually want to talk about rather than deflect. The second thread, what each player hopes to get out of the season ahead, gave the piece its individual voices. Same two questions, a room full of different answers.
If you are planning a press day, a media rotation or any interview block that needs to go out live, we can put a DP and a package like this one on the ground for you.
