Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/957795
14 DGA QUARTERLY PHOTOS: (FAR LEFT, TOP AND BOTTOM ) COURTESY PIERRE MOOSSA; (RIGHT) NBC OLYMPICS (2) FOCUS and she goes through and puts what jumps are where at what time and what direction they're going. She sends me the links to all the performances and I watch their routines and mark what cameras I'd want to be on for those jumps, because to me it's a cardinal sin being on the wrong camera for a jump." Since much of the coverage during the free skate finale focused on the buildup, Moossa and his team made fine use of the handhelds at both the entrance and exits to the rink, as well as one at "the curtain," where the skaters linger before gliding into the arena for warm-ups on the ice, and backstage for "the relationship shots, because we were building up stories," says Moossa, who adds that "our job is to give viewers the best seat in the house." Those storylines were already brewing prior to the Olympics, and became solidi- fied after the short program, when possible scenarios involv- ing each skater were exhaus- tively worked out and com- municated to the production team. Then on the morning of the event, the camera team is briefed, with any footage captured during practices fair game, such as "Zagitova doing five triples in a row" the day before, recalls Moossa, "which was almost like a mic drop." While Moossa was positioned in a mobile unit just outside the venue, viewers were treated up close to the unfolding backstage drama involving the Russian frontrunners, with the aim of capturing them in the same frame as much as possible—Zagitova exhib- iting a steely resolve that belied her years, and Medvedeva seemingly in her own pro- tective bubble. During Zagitova's performance, Medvedeva, with headphones, paced the warm-up room like a prizefighter, dancing to the beat of her own drum. As Weir explained toward the beginning of the evening, it could come "down to an eyelash that separates them." And Zagitova, having skated an almost flawless routine, set up a situation where Medvedeva had to skate the best program of her life to win, which is what she did. When she came off the ice, in tears, Moossa avoided any replays "to let the moment speak for itself as they are waiting desperately for their scores." There was so much commotion around Medvedeva, with handlers on either side, that the one camera able to capture her emotions in that tight space was on the op- posite side of the ice. "Communication is so key to what's going on," says Moossa, "and what one person's doing and the other per- son knows to react." And it was all played out commercial-free. When the score was revealed—match- ing Zagitova in the free but not enough to overcome her previous deficit—Medvedeva looked stunned. "Johnny can understand Russian," says Moossa, "so he could hear her saying, 'I did everything I could,' when she found out she didn't win." Adds Moossa: "If you're a sports fan, there's nothing better than when people perform at the highest level. And then it becomes a shame when there's only one winner." ® » Above: A camera map of Medvedeva's routine; below right, contrasting emotions following their performances; left; announcers Terry Gannon, Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir with director Pierre Moossa. tktkktkt