Camera Operator at the World Archery Championships, Gwanju
Two weeks in Gwangju, South Korea, for the 2025 World Archery Championships was a whirlwind. It was an honour to be part of the World Archery media team, in my case non-live film, capturing one of the pinnacle events of the season.
The event, which ran from September 5th to 12th, was, as expected, a stunning showcase of precision and mental fortitude. South Korea, the spiritual home of modern archery, delivered a phenomenal atmosphere, especially for their dominant Recurve team.
But this blog post isn't about the gold medal matches you saw live on Archery+. This is about the stories you didn't see, the work of filming the non-live aspects of a world-class event.
I added another string to my bow …… (sorry, I’m a father, so couldn’t resist the dad joke). Or rather another sport to the roster of ones that I have filmed. I was in Gwangju, South Korea for 2 weeks working for World Archery (through Dear Green Productions) covering both the World Archery Congress and the World Archery Championships themselves.
The Congress and the US Team Deep Dive
Our first week was dominated by the World Archery Congress, which culminated in the election of the new World Archery President, Greg Easton. The moment the results were known, we executed our planned interview with the President-elect, capturing the immediate post-election atmosphere, which was quickly posted as a standalone piece for World Archery media.
However, the real logistical challenge came later, for a completely separate project: a CBS Sports special on the US Archery Team. The US team had a significant showing, making the Recurve Men's Team Final against Korea (where they earned a silver medal). To get the depth of content this special required, we needed an in-depth interview with the President, an American, about the future of the sport and the US team’s position in it.
After a full, gruelling day of championship filming, we raced to the President's hotel. Our goal was to create a high-quality, intimate interview setup. In a true display of guerrilla filmmaking, we transformed his hotel room into a professional-looking 'Netflix-style' studio set in about ten minutes flat. We had to work with what we had: a Falconeyes panel for key light, an existing practical in the corner (which strobed because it was a basic LED - thank God for FlickerFree in post) and two hastily framed cameras. The late-night result was an exclusive, high-value interview that provides the necessary context for the US-focused feature.
The Upsets and the Long Lenses
The World Archery Championships themselves followed a relentless schedule: first the Compound division (Men's, Women's, and Teams), then the Olympic discipline of Recurve.
The competition was brutal, but for us, the drama peaked early in the Recurve events. We were there to capture the collective shock as both the World Number 1 and World Number 2 in Men's Recurve were eliminated early. These upsets are documentary gold. We captured the stunned silence of the crowd, the small, almost imperceptible shake of the archers' heads, and the quiet dignity of their exit. These moments are key to showing the human, high-pressure side of elite sport.
Lessons from the Line: The Tiny Gestures
Filming a 'still' sport like archery presents a unique challenge. Unlike football or tennis, the moments of peak action are incredibly fast, and the build-up is one of intense stillness. Our biggest learning curve was to watch for the moments that matter; the tiny gestures that convey massive internal pressure.
The Grip: The subtle tension in the knuckles just before release.
The Breathing: The slow, controlled diaphragmatic breathing, often filmed in a close-up profile shot.
The Post-Shot Reaction: The micro-expression when an archer knows they missed the X-ring by a millimetre.
To effectively capture this, we quickly developed a system of separate camera rigs, alternating between Ends:
The Gimbal Rig: Used for dynamic, smooth tracking shots as archers approach and leave the line, and for filming the crowd reactions.
The Long Lens Rig: Dedicated to sitting low, far back, and getting ultra-tight close-ups on the archers' faces, hands and the critical release.
By alternating rigs in between Ends (or group of targets) we ensured we got a broad spectrum of varied footage, from nervous moments backstage to the calm concentration of the critical shots, culminating in the release of emotion when a new world champion is crowned.
If you need your sport captured in immersive, emotive detail. as either a camera operator for your team or through full production services with my company Simmerdim, get in touch here.
