Double Skycams Providing Unique Aerial Views Inside State Farm Stadium
If you’ve ever wondered how broadcasters capture those amazing aerial shots over a football field that seem to follow the ball as it’s kicked or run down the field, the answer isn’t drones, which would be a safety risk and a very noisy distraction for players and fans.
Instead, a device called a Skycam is used, which features a stabilized camera hanging from a computer-controlled cable system that can silently maneuver the camera up and down, left and right, and forward and back, at speeds of up to 29 mph. The system was actually first used at an NFL game back in 1984 in San Diego, but almost 40 years later, a pair of them will be soaring over Super Bowl LVII carrying a 4K camera and a slo-mo camera to provide detailed views and replays of the game.
