Several Estonians on global crews behind World Cup ceremony broadcasts

Estonia didn't qualify for this year's World Cup, but Estonian crew members were there behind the scenes, helping bring the tournament's ceremony broadcasts to TV viewers.

Among them was TV director Marek Miil, who led broadcast production for two World Cup opening ceremonies, including a high-profile match dedicated to the United States' 250th birthday.

He told Raadio 2 that crews for the Fourth of July match included three other Estonians, while his own team that day included Turkish, British and local production staff.

Miil said major sporting event broadcasts are handled by experienced international teams, with production companies selected years in advance through competitive procurements.

This time, he was hired through a Italian company that has worked on previous Olympic Games. "Nobody just ends up somewhere by chance," the veteran Estonian director acknowledged.

Despite the spectacle, Miil said the TV director's role is less creative than viewers might expect, as broadcast teams are responsible for executing a carefully planned production.

"There's a creative director that has come up with everything that happens at the opening, and choreographers that have planned it all and rehearsed for months," he explained. "Then the poor TV director shows up and, as glamorous as it may look, our job is simply to stick to the plan and capture it all."

In charge for six and a half minutes

Miil said the Fourth of July ceremony he worked on was dedicated to the United States, which co-hosted this year's World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada.

His production team operated from a separate control room, coordinating with the main broadcast operation and using both their own camera operators and feeds from the match itself.

Once the Estonian director's six-and-a-half-minute segment ended, control of the broadcast was handed back to the main production team.

The main broadcast that day, he added, was led by a British crew.

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Editor: Annika Remmel, Aili Vahtla