MILITARY CHANNEL CAPTURES BEST RANGER COMPETITION
Army News Service
April 22, 2006

FORT BENNING, GA While hundreds of spectators flocked to Fort Benning this weekend to get a first-hand look at the Best Ranger Competition, a veritable army of videographers made sure the event could be seen across America.

A production team filmed the entire 2006 Best Ranger Competition for a three-part series that will be aired on the Military Channel this summer.

"Since the Military Channel is 24 hours of military programming a day, what better to cover than what can be considered the Olympics of the Army?" said Bill Howard, executive producer for the Military Channel.

This is the second year that the Military Channel and its production crew, Hoff Productions, have covered the event. Howard says that the channel has upped the ante this year, filming the entire competition in high-definition. They also started working with the Ranger Training Brigade earlier to ensure maximum access.

"The Army has been great to work with this year," said Kate Pacheco, operations manager for Hoff Productions. "There was so much cooperation."

And there has been much to coordinate.

According to Michael Hoff, president and executive producer of Hoff Productions, there are nearly 40 people on the production staff including eight three-man camera crews and 15 support personnel. The large number of staff allows the production company to take shifts and ensure that the action can be captured day and night.

There is also the learning curve, since many on the production crew did not have a military background.

Last year's competition provided a steep learning curve, said Pacheco. However, about 80 percent of the crew they brought to the 2005 Best Ranger Competition returned to capture this year's event.

"I'm so excited to be back," Pacheco said. "I keep telling my family that these guys [the Best Ranger competitors] make $1 million athletes look like babies. And this is something they do for fun, not money. I am proud and humbled watching them."

"I have a much higher perception of the military since I have been able to work with them one-on-one," said Hoff. "The people here are extremely professional, extremely intelligent It's a privilege [to work with them]."

In addition to learning about the military as a whole, the Military Channel and the production crew have learned what it takes to be a Best Ranger.

Howard said that competitors need courage and stamina.

You need guts, Pacheco said.

"Some channels have movie stars and celebrities. We have real Soldiers, and these Rangers are the best of the best," said Howard.

The Best Ranger Competition mini-series will air on the Military Channel this summer at dates and times to be determined. Check your local listings for updated information about when the series will be broadcast.

Steven Field