I spent much of the weekend curled up on the sofa with my family, hooked on the action from the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. The sheer speed, skill and courage of the athletes never fails to amaze, and this time around the action is being brought to us armchair viewers from new and immersive angles, thanks to custom-made FPV drones.
Tracking the luge – the fastest sport on ice – down narrow channels, and whizzing down mountainsides in pursuit of downhill skiers exceeding 80mph, drones are capturing a sense of speed and drama like never before at the Winter Games.
What they’re also adding – much to the chagrin of many viewers (and potentially athletes) – is a distracting buzzing noise. Yes, FPV drones sure can be noisy, and they’re drowning out the sounds of metal, fiberglass and wood on ice (and cowbell) to become the soundtrack of the event.
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Drones at the Winter Olympics are polarizing viewers; “the drones can buzz off” chimes one; “the 90mph drone follow cam in downhill skiing has been insane! Best POV” says another.
For me, this Reddit thread comment summarizes the situation perfectly: “I try to ignore the sound as much as I can, but it’s worth [sic] the amazing POV it provides. As long as the athletes don’t find it distracting, all good.”
In general, the new camera angles tracking athletes are being welcomed; the noise of the tech capturing those shots, not so much.
And then there are the athletes – how are they coping with the nearby presence of drones as they channel years of training in a bid to deliver on the big stage? Are they a distraction?
The big question already on everyone’s lips, then, is: is it possible to enjoy the benefits of drone footage, without the drawbacks associated with the hardware?
An evolution in Olympics coverage
The IOC was quizzed about how athletes are responding to drones, and the measures taken to ensure that drones are not affecting their performance, at its daily briefing on February 9, which is on YouTube.
Pierre Ducrey, IOC Sports Director said: “When you prepare the broadcasting of a competition like this, you spend quite a lot of time practicing to test, including with some of the highest level athletes, to make sure that the distances are right, to make sure that the noise level is right, to make sure that there is the minimum level of disturbance.
“It is an evolution, for sure – people are not used to seeing maybe the shadows on the field of play, or to hear the noise – it’s different. But the integration of the performance and this seems something we can absolutely manage, and gives the results we have seen over the weekend, so we are very happy with it.”
Indeed, Games organizers claim that they’ve received no complaints about drones from athletes thus far.
For athletes, the noise of drones, their nearby presence (trusting in the skill of those controlling the drones to fly them a safe distance), and potential shadows cast is something they’re likely going to have to get used to throughout these Olympics and in those to come.
In her work for the BBC, two-time Olympic gold medallist Lizzie Yarnold said, “I spoke to a USA skeleton and luge coach and he said that the athletes can’t hear it and aren’t affected by it, but I think if I was competing with a drone I would be super aware of it”. We haven’t heard any feedback yet from athletes in other disciplines, such as skiing.
For viewers, the question of the possibility of removing the noise of the drones for live coverage is less clear. It could be possible to isolate frequencies to remove the high pitched buzzing noise, but likely at the cost of other authentic sounds, such as skis and boards carving ice.
The IOC said in its daily briefing that Yiannis Exarchos, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), will be addressing the press on February 18, when we’ll likely found out more about the technical aspect of incorporating custom-made drones into live footage.
What do you think? Are you enjoying the drone footage? Is it worth it the annoyance of the buzzing noise during live footage? Let me know in the comments below.
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