Image By: Seth Johnson

Photo of Seth, Ryant, and Keesley (Photo By: Melanie Boyd)

On Saturday, September 6th, 2025, Commodore Productions was invited to tour Florida State University’s Seminole Productions and was given access to the Press Box, Sidelines, and the Press Conference. Brandon Smith, Seth Johnson, Ryant Johnson, and I, Keesley Walker, were the lucky ones chosen to represent Gulf Coast State College’s Digital Media Program.

The morning started off really early, and we were all filled with excitement and anticipation for what the day would hold. We started a two-hour drive to Tallahassee, eager to get there to see what Seminole Productions was like and, more importantly, how they operated.

Once we made it to FSU, we got to tour all of Seminole Productions. They have five control rooms that they can broadcast from, editing bays for non-live broadcast projects, and even a room dedicated to audio mixing. FSU is equipped with Fiber cable that runs from Tallahassee to Jacksonville, Florida, and then from Jacksonville to Birstall, Connecticut. This allows for direct broadcasting of the show instead of having to use satellite broadcast. This was amazing to see since Gulf Coast State College has a similar setup, just not on quite as big a scale.

While touring, I was impressed by their setup, but also the way they communicated as a team while broadcasting. I was also excited to see that we were using a lot of the same equipment and software that they use, like audio boards and the Adobe Creative Suite.

Photo of S.P. Camera OP. (Photo By: Seth Johnson)
Footage of FSU Game (Video By: Keesley Walker)

It was finally time for the game, and all of us were eager to get on the field and be able to capture images and video of the game. We were granted access to the endzone areas and the press box. During our time recording on the field, we faced several challenges, like over-exposed footage/images, following the action at times, and trying to capture everything happening on the field and in the stadium seats.

To fix the exposure issues, we used ND Filters, which act like sunglasses for the iris within the camera. We also adjusted how much light the Iris would allow in. By applying both of these, we were able to get footage that was not too light or dark. For following the action, we used techniques that we learned in class or from work, such as sporting events at GCSC. It was such a great learning opportunity we were given, and it was a great experience getting to use our skills and techniques in a massive production space.

Our trip to FSU was an experience that none of us will forget! Getting to tour Seminole Productions’ setup was very insightful and gave us ideas on how we can improve our own setup. We got to put our skills that we have learned at Gulf Coast into action when we were filming and photographing the game. All in all, we had an amazing trip and gained more experience as well as knowledge than we could have ever imagined.

Thank you to Seminole Productions and FSU for allowing us to come and experience all that we got to!

Photo of FSU Football Game (By: Seth Johnson)

Keesley Walker

Student Worker - Fall 2025