Filming Denver Broncos Player Poses for CBS Sports
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix posing on our set
Ever notice the cool poses NFL football players make when they’re being introduced for each game on television?
It might be a muscle flex, a pull of the jersey, or even a drop back to throw the ball.
All around them are elaborate motion graphics and stats that vary depending on what network the game is airing on - whether it’s CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, Amazon Prime Video, or Netflix (who is streaming a Christmas double-header this year.)
For the past several years we’ve been invited by our friends at CBS Sports to shoot these poses in preparation for each new season.
It’s always a fun and interesting shoot!
The mission each year is to create a head-to-toe green screen set on the Broncos indoor practice field that allow the players to perform a series of choreographed moves.
Each network has different requests, and we shoot for all of them.
The green screen process works by using chroma keying, a post-production technique in video and film editing where a solid-colored background (usually green or blue) is digitally removed, or "keyed out," from the foreground footage.
That way the graphics team for each network can use the player with any background they want.
Building the Set
The Denver Broncos staff have always been incredibly accommodating and easy to work with. They provide us a footprint on their indoor practice field covered with hard plastic panels for protection, as well as a power drop for us to plug our gear into.
Before the lights go in, we need to isolate our subjects from the existing light pollution with a 20x Ultrabounce and black solids
We go in the day before the shoot, load in our gear, fly the green screen (we either use a 20x20 or a 12x20 depending on what’s available), build a ceiling over our set (more on this below), light the scene, and rehearse.
We also send photos and clips to the client for approval.
Basically we get everything as perfect as we can, so that the shoot day runs as smooth as silk.
Lighting
One of our biggest challenges is light pollution - meaning a lot of light we don’t want. The practice field is lit with industrial overhead LED lights, and daylight pours through windows all around.
Add in the random flash pops from the neighboring photographers, and it’s easy to see why isolating our set becomes essential.
We only want our controlled light falling on the players.
So our G&E team flies a 20’ x20’ Ultrabounce topper over our set. This helps protect us from the ambient overhead lights.
We decided on white rather than a black solid to help build a base exposure, rather than to create a black hole above our subjects. We do use 12x12 and 20x20 solids to block other ambient light and the photography flashes.
Since the players face both left and right depending on the pose, we key evenly with two Arri S-60 Skypanels through 6x6 lite grid cloths. Then we use multiple Kino Flos to light the green screen, and as kickers on each side of the player.
Shooting
Broncos cornerback Jahdae Barron
The players have a lot of other things to do that day (photos, exams, other media), so we really only get them for about 8 minutes each. Once a player becomes available, a member of the Broncos staff brings them over, and we get cranking - one pose after the other.
There’s no time to spare.
In order to pull off all the shots we need, it becomes a well choreographed dance between our team.
I’m grateful to have a fantastic camera assistant to help!
The day goes by very quickly, with a mix of frenzy (six or seven players lined up one after the other) and long breaks.
Flipping the camera
The networks request both horizontal (16x9) and vertical (9x16) versions of the poses, each at their max resolution.
In order to achieve these changes quickly, we use a Wooden Camera 90 degree plate, with a tripod adaptor on each side so that we can flip the Arri from horizontal to vertical and back in a matter of seconds.
We shoot with an Arri Alexa Mini, and a Canon 17-120 zoom lens.
The “Sound set” - photo courtesy of Ben Rader - our sound set DP.
Sound Set
While we don’t capture any audio on our main set, we also provide a second “sound set” that we usually set up in one of the side rooms for player interviews. For this we have a smaller green screen set-up, and a Sony FX9.
It’s really cool watching the games throughout the season and seeing our work. This is definitely a project we look forward to every year!
So fun bringing our daughter Isabella to set!
Our Team for 2025:
Main set:
Director of Photography - Tom Miller
Camera Assistant - Scott DaHarb
Gaffer - Dylan Rumney
Key Grip - Damond Buckless
Lighting Intern: Ian Surowiec
Production Assistant / Intern - Isabella Miller
Runner: Benjamin Fishman
Sound Set:
Director of Photography - Ben Rader
Sound: Trevor Nordeen
Client: CBS Sports
Production Company - Big Pictures Media
Camera - MP&E
Grip & Electric - Light Factory Entertainment