Five questions with Nolan Nichols

The HokieVision associate director discusses working with the volleyball team with videos, instant replay and more

June 6, 2018

Editor’s note: Every Wednesday throughout the offseason, we’ll catch up with volleyball support staff for five questions.

Nolan Nichols | Associate Director of Production & Live Events

Q: Given the type of movements there are in volleyball, what do you enjoy about shooting volleyball video?

NICHOLS: “Volleyball is a fun sport to shoot because there is so much action and movement happening! It is actually one of the more difficult sports to shoot because the game happens so fast. Following the volleyball while being smooth in your camera movements can be a challenge at times, but this sport makes you a better camera operator. If you can shoot volleyball well, then it's going to set you up to be a better camera operator for other sports.”

Q: What are some of the challenges you face with the new rule that you must have monitors ready for instant replay?

NICHOLS: “The toughest thing early on last season was getting everyone accustomed to the workflow and protocol that official review entailed. With the way we have official review setup, we only need one person on the scorer's table to operate it, which is a good thing. However, the challenge was that we needed to train enough people with the system so that we could have one person at every home conference match dedicated to doing official. We are thankful that official review went very smooth for the most part last season, and it was so cool to see calls get overturned and know that official review really does make a big difference and impact on the game.”

Q: Is the video shoot day during the preseason one of your favorite days of the year on the job?

NICHOLS: “It is a very fun day for sure, but I'll be 100 percent honest with you and say that I still get a little nervous the day of the video shoot. That day takes so much planning and organization because our goal is to film most, if not all, of the video board elements in a single day, including the intro video, social media videos, in-game entertainment, starting lineups and photos.

“The biggest challenge with that is timing out how long everything will take so that the rotation doesn't get delayed because we only have so much time with the players, and we don't want to keep the players too long anyways. We work very closely with marketing and the coaching staff for this day, and they are all incredible to work with. Last season was probably the quickest and smoothest it had ever gone, and it seems like every year it gets better and better!”

Q: Each videographer has their niche when shooting and editing videos, so what's your niche per say?

NICHOLS: “That's a good question, at HokieVision you get to be involved in all stages of production and it's always cool to see what people enjoy more. I truly enjoy all the different roles, but I would say I enjoy editing the most. It's so much fun taking the footage and crafting the best video you can. My favorite type of project to edit are the storytelling features when we interview a student-athlete about something that maybe fans don't know about. Everyone has a story, and the fun part is researching and asking the right questions in order to find the stories in everyone.”

Q: What is one thing that you hope that you and your HokieVision staff are going to do new this upcoming season regarding volleyball?

NICHOLS: “I would say that fans should expect two major changes this year. The first is that you will see increased volleyball storytelling content on the website and social media outlets. We realize how much of an appetite there is for storytelling content and getting to know the players, and we look forward to bringing this approach to volleyball this season.

"The other thing is that you will see enhanced coverage in the quality of home broadcasts on ACC Network Extra. We have and still are in the process of expanding our staff as the 2019 ACC Network launch gets closer, and with the new hires we have already made, it is going to take our broadcasts to an even higher level. And by the time the 2019 season comes, all the home broadcasts will be TV quality. So there is a lot to be excited about for volleyball, and as always, if any fans have ideas or comments on what they would like to see more of, we are always open to suggestions!”

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