Behind the scenes at the ROG Grand Final

Running a high-profile gaming tournament is no small task. From finding the players to planning the event, it's a major undertaking. While the Republic of Gamers was busy recruiting the best amateur CS:GO players around the world, one production studio in Stockholm, Sweden, was planning and putting the finishing touches on the culminating event: the ROG “Join the Republic” Grand Finals. 

From beginning to end, prepping for an event like this can take months. In fact, producer Dagny Veinberg spent four months preparing for the ROG Grand Final. It all began with brainstorming, whether for activities like pro captain chicken-killing challenges, content to fill warm-ups and technical pauses, or figuring out whether a particular segment needs to be filmed in advance. All that gets determined at the start.

Watch: The pro captains go head-to-head in a bloodthirsty chicken challenge

It's also important to tell a story. In this case, they'd be portraying the players’ six-month journey from amateur to finalist. This wouldn't just be a livestream; there was also a narrative, and weaving it into the broadcast was key.

As those content plans were developing, so were staff, schedules, and set designs. The producer and director calculated how many cameras would be needed, while sketches and renders were made prior to manufacturing the set. Meanwhile, talent recruiting began for the personalities who would host the show or make surprise appearances, including Pala, Pansy, Sheever, Semmler, Anders, and Moses.

Hosts Pala, Pansy, Sheever, and surprise guest Moses joke on set with pro player SPUNJ

The hosts prepare to go live while the boom camera hovers in the foreground

By the event day, an incredible amount of preparation had gone into making sure everything was primed and ready, including custom graphics, overlays, and even sounds and music.

Custom music and effects were controlled from inside the sound booth

The three sets were assembled and ready to go, along with the gamers’ hardware. Fog machines began pumping out smoke, emphasizing the dramatic lighting, sets, and backdrops. And, of course, plenty of content had been prepped in advance — it was ready to roll based upon the producer’s schedule, but also available if extra material was needed during a pause in the action.

After months of planning, including sketches and renders, the competition set was ready to go

As the pre-showtime hustle began, over 20 people were on set or behind the scenes to make the production happen, from a social media manager monitoring Instagram and Twitter, to a director selecting camera angles, swapping feeds, and directing the camera on the fly.

And then there was the all-important in-game observer — a staff member who picks the POV livestreaming at any given time. This role requires incredible intuition; done correctly, it ensures the viewport is in the right place with premonition-like certainty before the action even happens, guaranteeing a great show for viewers.

Lots of people were working and watching both on-set and behind-the-scenes 

There were many other people running around, too, from talent and stage managers to camera people and stage techs, all of them calling out instructions on headsets. Game admins and photographers milled about, and a wonderful woman kept the snacks restocked for everyone working and gaming into the night. It was a busy place filled with an excited energy, which certainly helps when livestreams can go as late as two in the morning.

While everyone else was rushing to get things ready, Dagny also moved around, ensuring everyone had what they needed and priming the hosts to make sure they were ready for each day. But the most critical part of all, she emphasized, is having great, passionate people. A producer's planning greases the wheels, but when it comes down to showtime, she insisted it’s the amazing crew that makes the production shine.

A crew member watches multiple monitors as the broadcast goes live

And it’s true: from the initial ideation to the busy backstage production room, putting on a Grand Final is an extraordinary group effort. While it may be busy and very often hectic, based upon the laughing, camaraderie, and occasional whipped cream-covered cake to the face, it’s an incredibly fun experience, too.

Celebrating a job well done: the cast and crew from the ROG Grand Final

 

By Kimberly Koenig