Live drone and broadcast support: working with TBN on SFC
Updated: 7 days ago
There is a different kind of focus that comes with live production. The event keeps moving, the director is making decisions in real time, and the next picture needs to be ready when it is called. You get one opportunity to capture that moment.
I’m Steve Clanton, and I run Clanton Media in Florida. We are a small production business built around hands-on work. My wife, Nichole, contributes photography and editing, and we bring in additional crew when a project calls for it. Some assignments involve taking an idea all the way through the finished edit. Others mean joining a larger production team and doing our part well.
Our work around Sport Fishing Championship is a good example of that second kind of assignment. It has included live drone coverage from the USS Yorktown in Charleston and engineering support with TBN’s production team. SFC’s Carrier Cup coverage reached viewers on ESPN. Those are connected parts of the same production story, with many people contributing to what viewers see.
A useful aerial shot has a job to do
The USS Yorktown gives the Carrier Cup a setting you can recognize immediately. From above, the flight deck, waterfront and surrounding Charleston landscape help establish where the broadcast is happening. An aerial view can connect the event to its location in a way a tight camera shot cannot.
For a live show, that view also needs to fit the production. A beautiful shot has limited value if it arrives at the wrong time or does not give the director something useful to cut to. We think about the aerial camera as part of the coverage: what it establishes, how it relates to the other cameras, and how long the shot can remain useful on screen.
That changes the priorities. Smooth movement, a clear composition and a dependable picture matter more than trying to make every shot complicated. The aim is to give the team an option that helps tell the story while the show is moving.
The preparation happens before the live window
The TBN team’s preparation for the 2026 Charleston production included load-in, transmission testing and rehearsals ahead of the live coverage. My assignment on that crew included boat engineering support. It is a reminder that live production depends on much more than the cameras visible to an audience.
Camera, audio, engineering, lighting and production staff all have work that needs to come together. Testing provides an opportunity to check the path from the source to the people who need the picture. Rehearsal lets the crew work through the running order and understand the timing before the pressure of the live window.
For us, joining that process starts with listening. What does the production need from our position? Who is the right person to communicate with? What needs to be ready before the next segment? Knowing our responsibility helps us support the people around us without adding unnecessary noise to a busy show.
Being ready when the plan moves
An outdoor broadcast has conditions that a studio does not. Weather, the location and activity on site all need attention. The production team planned with those variables in mind, and the ability to adjust is part of working well together.
That does not mean improvising everything. It means preparing enough that a change can be handled calmly. A clear brief, an understood running order and communication with the production lead give the crew a shared starting point. When priorities shift, that foundation helps everyone keep working toward the same result.
The same approach applies to live drone coverage. We plan around the operating location and the production’s needs, then make decisions based on the conditions in front of us. Getting the shot is only one part of the responsibility. It also needs to be appropriate for the setting and useful to the show.
Giving the wider team its credit
We value this work because we enjoy being part of a capable crew. My work with TBN brought me into the SFC production, with Carrier Cup coverage broadcast on ESPN. Our contribution was a defined part of a larger effort, alongside the people handling the other technical and creative positions.
A good production partner understands that distinction. Sometimes the most useful thing we bring is an aerial perspective. Sometimes it is engineering support, camera work or an extra set of experienced hands. The role changes with the assignment. The expectation to communicate clearly and look after the work stays the same.
What carries into the next event
Live production has made us attentive to moments that cannot be repeated. A conference speaker’s reaction, an award presentation, a race on the water or a broadcast transition each has its own timing. Preparation helps us recognize what matters before it happens.
If you are planning a live event or assembling a production crew, tell us what you need covered, who is leading the show and how the pictures will be used. We can discuss the role, equipment and preparation that fit your production.
