The Superbowl halftime show is a staple yearly event and can even at times overshadow the game itself. This year Superbowl LVI was held in the $5 billion SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA and hosted an estimated 70,240 people in person, not to mention those watching the game and performance from home. Altogether the show had roughly 100 million viewers. Across many critics and platforms, the halftime show was agreed to be an overwhelming success featuring west coast rapper Dr. Dre and collaborators Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and a surprise appearance by 50 Cent. To put on this type of production in a limited time frame requires a high level of accuracy and efficiency in getting the performers and set on and off the football field.  

Among the crew members working hard to make this show a success was Film & Electronic Arts Department production management student, Mario Arita. Mario is in his 3rd year in the department as a production management major and minoring in women’s, gender & sexuality studies.He found out about the “field team” position while he was attending the College and TV Summit networking event hosted by the CSU Entertainment Alliance (CSUEA). One of the professors from a fellow CSU campus had briefly mentioned the application process and Mario made a mental note to check out the application and submit it after the event. 

Display of SoFi Stadium halftime show setup, photo provided by Mario Arita

The “field team” position involved putting together the set used for the halftime show which consisted of several white buildings representing establishments in Compton and Los Angeles. The establishments highlighted included the club Eve After Dark where Dre worked as a DJ, Tam’s Burgers No. 21 alongside a sign for doughnuts at Dale’s in Compton, the Compton Courthouse and other easter eggs hidden within the overall set design paying homage to the south Los Angeles area.Mario’s position lasted over a three-week period where he and others participated in information sessions followed by rehearsals at the Santa Monica College parking lotbefore the back-to-back rehearsals at Sofi stadium the week prior to the event.   

The goal was to get the set on and off the field it about 4-6 minutes. During the rehearsals the crew worked on putting the set together and moving the pieces/carts around. There were 12 crew members per cart and a “cart leader” who signaled to the crew members to let them know what was needed. Mario and his fellow crew members had to learn the signals from the cart leaders who would call out actions such as turns, etc. They also had to practice getting the set out of the long tunnel at the stadium and had to stand by the cart at all times (including during the show) to make changes as needed called out by the cart leader. The rehearsals closer to the event itself involved the crew practicing getting the set on and off the field at the stadium while someone timed them and evaluated their level of efficiency.  

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Mario Arita on the field at SoFi Stadium during Superbowl LVI

For Mario this was an opportunity he will never forget and an experience that greatly added to his educational experience while pursuing his film degree at CSULB. Mario reflected back on this opportunityand said“I learned to not be closed off to different experiences and different routes in the industry, this really opened my eyes to live TV and the excitement of it all.” He also noted the importance of getting involved in activities outside of class to further build your skillset and exposure. Overall, one of his favorite things about working the halftime show other than experiencing the line up of artists live and in person was working with other fellow college students and professionals and a crew that had consisted of a diverse group of individuals; “It was cool that there was a lot of diversity and representation in the crew members as well as the talent performing in the show.” In the future Mario hopes to work on features, live TV, or potentially music videos with an overall goal to start an organization to help marginalized filmmakers get into the industry and share their stories and experiences with others.