LIVE SPORTS COVERAGE/VIDEOGRAPHY
This is was my impetus for joining The Harbinger. There's something about sitting in the booth on a Friday night with students around you, analyzing the sport you love for local viewers and a few farther away.
Once I learned the 50 or so different wire names and cord functions — and how to work the complicated software — it became a passion to work on my own High School ESPN team for sporting events.
I've built connections with players and coaches, stockpiled tons of stats and taken away a new analytical style to watching sports that translates itself into life skills. By dedicating time to broadcast and sports research, my observational skills have been amplified and refined.
The following videos were all published for The Harbinger, not including broadcasts that were streamed but not recorded. It includes live broadcast productions (most of which I anchored and/or produced), episodes from the documentary series 'Faceoff: A Shawnee Mission East Lacrosse Story,' for which I worked closely with the creative team and the field videography that I've filmed and produced.
LIVE BROADCASTS
There's a distinct atmosphere in the booth every time — the smell of old and new plastic cases, the focus of the room, the deep breaths with the positioning of the mic and the thumbs-up from the producer.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The Harbinger live broadcast channel. My name is Ben Henschel alongside..."
Everything slips away, and the game becomes your world.
Check out some of my anchoring and production work on live broadcasts below.
FACEOFF: A SHAWNEE MISSION EAST LACROSSE STORY
Three weeks after I joined The Harbinger, I was approached to do voiceover work for its annual lacrosse documentary, 'Faceoff.' Then, I was asked to write. Then to produce.
And now — for the most recent set of episodes, Season 3 — I do voiceover work, scriptwriting, image design and aid in the production and promotion process for each episode.
Building a multi-year narrative is tough. It's all about finding ways for the stories to continually resonate with the viewer. Here's some of my work on 'Faceoff: A Shawnee Mission East Lacrosse Story.'
Faceoff: A Shawnee Mission East Lacrosse Story
Faceoff: A Shawnee Mission East Lacrosse Story
Face-Off S3: Episode 1 | Dynasty
Face-Off S3: Episode 2 | Memphis
Face-Off S3: Episode 3 | St. Louis
FIELD VIDEOGRAPHY
Although the majority of my videography work extends to live broadcasts and 'Faceoff,' I've also had experience with in-field events that can't be fully captured with a story or gallery, one portion of which was published.
This section includes the only published field videography I've completed to date — covering the Cedar Rapids, IA convergence of the 2020 Democratic candidates for president at the Democrats Hall of Fame Event. I was able to speak to candidates personally to gain background for a story/gallery/video compilation package I completed on some of the candidates on the Iowa Caucus Campaign Trail, which can be read here.
