What is FICAZ
FICAZ is is abbreviation for FOOTBALL INDEX for TV CAMERA ANGLE and ZOOM.
It is index or score, calculated from various angles from real time TV broadcasting for each individual stadium around the world. Essentially each stadium index shows how enjoyable each football game is presented especially in terms of camera angle and zoom (using F.C. Barcelona as default standard). It you like low angle camera like Bournemouth,Vitality Stadium, than use this index in reverse because Bournemouth will be for sure near or on the bottom of the index.
We review, calculate and create INDEX for each individual ⚽ LIVE TV Football coverage from stadiums all around the world based on Camp Nou F.C. Barcelona 🎥 camera angle as overall the best ever 📺 TV FOOTBALL broadcasting experience possible, which means we can enjoy in watching football games on TV more. Larger INDEX value means better the TV experience. Let’s change Live football TV enjoyment to best possible on each 🏟 stadium, on every TV channel around the world, together, with your help we will have VIP SUITE TREATMENT on EVERY GAME !
Why FICAZ
I was born around 😜1971 is small town in Eastern Europe. In time when started my strong interests for football (about when I was 7 years old) there was so little chance to watch any football game on TV. In the 80′ in my country there were 2 terrestrial TV channels and absolutely nothing else, no satellite, no cable no internet. Nothing except those 2 national TV channels. Every time the game was on, any game, that means it does not matter who’s playing. If it is football on TV I would watch it. It was a threat. I’ve enjoyed it. It was not important how was quality of the picture, sound quality, camera angle, zoom, broadcasting quality, on screen graphics , etc. From today’s standard all that was terrible but I did not even think about that, if ball rolled on the green pitch , good enough for me, let’s watch.
Nowadays, it is competently opposite situation. We have everything I’ve dreamed before. I can almost watch every single game from World Cup, Euro, Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A and every possible league from around the planet without a hitch, almost every day, 365 days, non-stop coverage or replays, thousands of sports channels available. I’ve just need TV subscription and good TV and that is it.
Well, abundance of a choice had delivered a new problem. There is huge disparity in broadcast standard from stadium to stadium. I don’t mean in sense of picture quality or sound quality or on screen graphics. No problem there. Most of the games are in widescreen HD or even 4k quality last few months, even there is a sight of HDR broadcasting, but “good old” HD broadcast is now a standard and it is very enjoyable to watch football game in HD quality.
But huge different in terms how a viewer, a football fan, at home (not at a stadium) especially now in Corona-Covid-19 world, can enjoy the game in terms of camera angle and zoom setup on each stadium. As we know football stadium have a standard for pitch size, ball size, ball type, goal size, lines thickness, line color, security, pitch quality, everything you can imagine there is standard for and rule which must be followed by each stadium to be eligible to host a football match. National leagues, UEFA , FIFA, all of them have similar standard, but one standard nobody talks about are, where should main camera be located on a stadium, what should be main TV CAMERA ANGLE. And that is huge problem for a fan like me and you, us. And I think there is millions of us frustrated as I am when I watch few of biggest European clubs like for example FC Bayern Munich or Chelsea F.C. have their broadcast with their camera angle so low and on wrong position that is just… let me be angry a little … just fracking awfully disrespecting to their football fans. And not just CAMERA ANGLE, zooming too much is another big problem, for which there is no standard (to my knowledge). One of the most important camera handling feature is zoom, which directly correlate with one of really annoying feature of maximum zoom and that is camera tilt. Also too much zoom means low overview of completely football team strategy and too much zoom means lots of camera tilting. So low angle means no perspective, no sense of depth. When ball is traveling to other side of the pitch with low camera you can’t know or see where is that player exactly, is the ball too short, too long, too weak, too strong, no idea, it is so low it is like distorted view of the football game. Here is the perfect example from Bayern Munich – Allianz Arena bellow. A terrible main broadcast TV camera setup.
I am not talking about specially camera especially positioned for closeup shots of players, coaches and referees. Those are OK and they are used sporadically and in short burst when game is not active to increase game flow and give more dynamic into broadcasting. Not sure who is to blame there, either main camera cameraman or producer or director or whoever is responsible to make the decision how much should be zoomed in the game, has been doing huge disservice for the viewers. All that works flawlessly on Barca broadcast.
A perfect TV football experience. I know some people are saying that watching Barca game is like watching ants and it is hard to persuade fans who prefer players to be so zoomed that you can see their eyes color, but if you are interested to see which player is open, if you are interested to see players running to open space, if you want to see potential pass or cross to the other side of the pitch, possible counter attack, gaps in the defense, then the Barca camera setup and angle is way to go.
How?
We are calculating each stadium index called FICAZ INDEX by measuring several key MAIN camera positions to determine camera angle and camera zoom on each separate part of the pitch (and then grading them), the most important parts, which are center of the pitch, top center of pitch, bottom center of the pitch and both corners of the pitch. After that we are calculating points for each criteria and all those criteria use default standard from F.C. Barcelona Camp Nou camera setup and camera handling.
We are using several criteria to get final score, Index for each stadium:
Camera Angle (main camera) – each stadium can get score from 0 to 50 (0,5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45 or 50 points).
Zoom Center (main camera)– each stadium can get score from 0 to 10
Zoom Center Far (top of the screen, main camera) – each stadium can get score from 0 to 8
Zoom Center Near (bottom of the screen, main camera) – each stadium can get score from 0 to 8
Corners (main camera) – both corners as one criteria (average values) – each stadium can get score from 0 to 8
Extra – In extra setting there are combined several extra feature of each stadium, which are: floating Camera (SkyCam), floating camera used for replay or for also LIVE broadcast (0.5 points only replay, 2 point for LIVE broadcast + replay), floating camera for Free kick behind the kicker (1 point), floating camera during penalty kick behind the kicker (1 point).
Check out this short video clip bellow of that feature. HOW COOL IS THAT ?
Also I am waiting to see which stadium will implement drones with hi-tech camera first. I think that is next. Multiple camera option choice (8 points) and the last one is HREN Bonus (from -4 to 4 points) which is my personal additional grading of that stadium, how I feel during the game, for example Wanda Metropolitano Stadium does not have the same scrore as Camp Nou but I really enjoy watching Atlético Madrid home games from that stadium, so I gave it an extra 4 points.
For Extra each stadium can get score from -4 to 16.
the Mission?
Let me put that in simplest way possible, the
1st mission is to raise awareness between fans that there is really easy way to improve their enjoyment in watching their favorite teams on TV by simply changing location of camera on a stadium and hire (or educate or just direct them ) better producers, cameraman.
2nd mission is to ask teams directly (by sending them emails about this index or any other way which might work) to improve the camera angle and camera handling. We need to bombarded them with complaints by emails or thought social media. They might not be aware of the problem, or they don’t care when nobody complains.
3rd and final mission is for TV channels, maybe the most important mission of all is to have FICAZ INDEX presented (shown) before each live game on television by TV channels. Like you have introduction of referees for each game, FICAZ INDEX should be shown fans to see. Also to have TV channels showing FICAZ INDEX in their TV guide for each game in description of the event 👌. When they see Barca Camp Nou FICAZ index at 88.5, and then next day they see for example Stamford Bridge FICAZ index of 22, they’ll notice the difference and demand for better. Of course I can’t do it alone.
Share it, link it, post it everywhere, send to to clubs, TV stations, broadcast providers, what even comes to mind. We need to be united in that effort.
ASK THEM FOR BETTER TV CAMERA SETUP. HIGHER ANGLE.
Summary, what is The FICAZ INDEX?
The FICAZ INDEX is a calculation used to determine the camera angles and zoom used in different football stadiums. It takes into account several key criteria, including the camera angle, zoom at the center of the pitch, zoom at the top and bottom of the screen, and the camera angles in the corners of the pitch. The index uses a standard from the camera setup at the Camp Nou stadium of FC Barcelona to grade each stadium. The final score for each stadium is determined by adding up points for each of these criteria, as well as for any extra features such as the use of a floating camera for replays or live broadcasts, or for free kicks and penalty kicks.