Amelia Rigsby and Neomai Maya Vatubua

Later this afternoon, the Fijian Drua will run out onto Churchill Park in Lautoka for a Super Rugby game against the Chiefs, broadcast live to television screens around the Pacific and beamed out to the world.

Behind the live footage and cameras capturing it are two women who work tirelessly behind the scenes to bring you the best action live on TV — operating the box lens cameras designed for sports broadcasting or live events, a job that often goes unnoticed.

Fijian Broadcasting Corporation TV producer, host and weekend camera operator Amelia Rigsby began her journey in the media industry 23 years ago, unaware that two decades later, she would become the first woman in the country to operate a box lens camera for Super Rugby in Fiji.

Ms Rigsby spent 14 years in radio before deciding to give television a go and auditioned for a presenter role.

Ms Rigsby recalls having to brush off other people’s doubts and comments questioning whether she was the right person for the job when she first expressed interest. Instead, she took it as a challenge to prove she could do it.

“I got the part that I wanted and transitioned to television in 2016 when I became the producer and host for Fiji’s only live breakfast show on Fiji television before I moved over to FBC,” she said.

When moving to FBC, she remembers telling her colleague Maikeli Sova that she really wanted to learn how things run behind the scenes.

When the opportunity arose, he pushed her into putting in a request to learn how to be a camera person and took her under his wing.

She added that much of what she learned early on was thanks to one person’s kindness, someone who believed in her and helped her understand the ins and outs of working behind the camera.

“When I first started learning how to use a camera, it was a box lens camera and it was during athletics meets … because of the sheer volume of games that we were covering, I think there was one time we worked 70 days straight because we’d shoot rugby games on Saturday, then we’d shoot football on Sundays. And we did that for two years,” she said.

“So by the time the Super Rugby games came around, Maya and I were ready. I mean, we were nervous because we wanted to do a great job and not let people down, but we were so excited and nervous to be doing it.

“So when it finally came to Super Rugby, it was like any other rugby game.”

Neomai “Maya” Vatubua started working the small cameras at the Skipper Cup, then the 7s. When the box lens came in, Ms Vatubua was put on it the week after Ms Rigsby.

“It was challenging at first, but big ups to the men that were in charge in the office who gave us the opportunity; they trusted me to actually do that, so that was really good because I was only operating the small cameras before,” Ms Vatubua said.

“Me and Amelia were the only girls doing it so we’d help each other out, and we’d always give each other advice, ‘Ok look, try and do this, make sure of the framing’ and the guys would also be like, ‘You guys are doing really good but try this’.”

“So yeah, I think the journey’s been really good from using the small Sony cameras up to the big box lens.”

Challenges and highlights

The demands of the job are not easy, requiring sharp focus and concentration while enduring long hours on the field.

Knowing how to deal with pressure and learning to let go when they’ve made mistakes or missed filming a try is crucial to their well-being.

Both women say their love of filming live sports and the energy from the crowd is a great feeling that keeps them going, and there’s nothing like being right there on the field.

“You know it’s one thing to be on the embankment or in the stands when you’re watching something, but being there on the ground is just different you know?” Ms Rigsby said.

“You see everything closely, you can smell the turf, you can feel the energy.”

Ms Vatubua agreed.

“It’s just the hype!” she laughed.

“From the spectators to the game, you just feel excited when you’re on the camera — just getting that feeling and everything, it motivates us to do our best.”

‘If you can’t see it, then be it’

Ms Rigsby and Ms Vatubua are once again part of the team currently setting up at Churchill Park in Lautoka where the Fijian Drua will host the Chiefs.

Both women will be preparing to bring the best coverage for spectators watching from the comfort of their homes.

Offering words of advice and encouragement for other young Pacific women who may like to follow in their footsteps or enter a field or career dominated by men, Ms Vatubua said: “Trust your gut and trust your instincts.”

“When I started this, I didn’t know rugby. I watched it but didn’t know it, but getting to keep covering it, I could see what was going to happen.”

“Believe in yourself. If there are obstacles or anything, work through it.”

“I read somewhere once that you can’t be what you can’t see, but with that being said if you can’t see it, then be it.”

“Go in there, do whatever it is you want to do, because you never know there might be somebody watching you and you might be the reason they go in after you.”

Fijian Drua will kick off against the Chiefs this afternoon at 2:30pm AEDT.

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