Newsletter from 30/12/2015
Despite Hurdles, Drones Are Taking Off
Since there’s no uniform global or national approach to the legal use of drones the manufacturers and professional users are doing their darndest. The potential – for sales and especially applications - are outta ‘ sight:
- Agriculture/farming services/spraying
- Mapping/topography/geospatial
- First responder services – police, fire, medical
- Utilities – pipeline, powerline inspection
- Construction management/supervision
- Scientific research
- Package delivery (Yes Amazon Prime Air but DHL is already doing it.)
What do they all have – sorta’ in common?
Right! Video.
That’s probably why the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) spent more than $4M over the past two years lobbying to make it easier for filmmakers to use small drones for film-making.
And drone filmwork isn’t just for the big film, news people anymore.
Further below we are featuring three applications with Aerigon Drones.
MOBILE PRODUCTION
Six of the best- Prêmio Multishow relies on DiGiCo consoles
Multishow is part of GloboSat, the cable television arm of Globo TV, Brazil’s biggest television channel. Presented for the fourth year by singer Ivete Sangalo and actor Paulo Gustavo, Prêmio Multishow 2015 was enjoyed by a huge television audience. The live and broadcast audio was taken care of by São Paulo-based Epah! Estúdios, in collaboration with Globosat’s engineering department. The brief for Epah! Estúdios was complex and included providing the PA and monitors for the ceremony, which took place over three stages; broadcast mix in stereo and 5.1; 128 channel multitrack recording; ‘master room’ and all internal communications (directors to artists, bands, presenters, etc). Each of the outer stages hosted a full band, alternately backing more than 30 major Brazilian acts who performed on the centre stage, which was also the location of the awards presentations.
Kuwait Television's OB audio coverage evolves with Calrec Summa
Kuwait Television (KTV), Kuwait's official state-run television station and part of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information, is installing a Calrec Summa audio console in its newest and most advanced OB van. The Summa will give KTV the flexibility to cover a wider variety of programming and will be assigned to the broadcaster's most significant events. "We're always working on expanding capacity and raising our standards of television production and delivery," said Waleed Hamadah, TV broadcast engineer, TV Engineering Division, Ministry of Information. "This new OB van is the embodiment of that effort, and the Summa console is a perfect fit for our ambitious goals.
Triofilm TV Is First German Customer to Invest in Latest XT3 Live Production Server
A decade after becoming one of the first German broadcast facility companies to invest in EVS’ XT server range, Triofilm TV will be the first German customer to implement EVS’ XT3 live production server with its latest features, including 12 HD/SD live rec/play channels and 10GigE network capabilities. Marking a continuation of the long standing relationship between the two companies, Triofilm TV will incorporate the industry-leading live production servers alongside EVS’ MultiReview tool into its fleet of outside broadcast trucks. Triofilm TV will install three 6RU and two 4RU XT3 servers, which feature a 12 and eight HD/SD channel capacity, respectively.
Skehan Communications Augments Production Truck Capacity with Matrox
Skehan Communications provides multi-camera HD video production, webcasting, satellite uplinks and other unique services to broadcasters, Fortune 500 companies, professional associations and government agencies. Though based in the Washington-Baltimore region, their projects have taken them to many impressive locations from San Francisco to Boston. The company prefers to own its equipment and facilities so seldom relies on outside sources. Its eight-camera mobile production truck, named “Kiwi”, is readily adaptable to any kind of HD television production requirement, thanks in part to its multi-camera recording system based on the Matrox VS4 quad HD-SDI capture card and the VS4Recorder Pro software.
DRONE PRODUCTION
AERIGON UAV Used for Innovative Aerial Footage in We Are Blood
AERIGON empowered filmmaker Ty Evans to capture spectacular shots for the skateboarding feature film We Are Blood. With the precision and maneuverability of AERIGON, the camera was able to follow the skateboarding action and capture shots that would never have been possible before. By providing a versatile yet stable aerial platform for 5K and 6K digital cameras with pro cinema lenses, the AERIGON UAV is expanding the modern cinematographer’s toolset and the possibilities for visual storytelling. Directed by Evans and produced by Brain Farm and Mountain Dew Green Label Films, We Are Blood profiles professional skateboarder Paul Rodriquez and his wide circle of skateboarding comrades.
AERIGON Provides Aerial Cinematography for NHFU on Return of the Giant Killers
The Natural History Film Unit (NHFU), based in Botswana, relied on the AERIGON UAV to capture aerial images of predators and prey for BBC Natural World’s The Return of the Giant Killers – Africa’s Lion Kings. The result is ground-breaking 4K footage of lions as they track their buffalo prey in the wild and an incredible audience experience of nature. By providing the industry’s first professional airborne camera platform, AERIGON allows the filmmakers to capture overhead angles and perspectives with precision, efficiently and with minimal environmental impact. “The AERIGON is unique in that it’s the most stable system out there,” said Brad Bestelink, Director and Producer at NHFU. “We chose it because it was the first to reliably fly a 4K camera, which is our main acquisition format.”
AERIGON Delivers Stunning Aerial Footage for Taylor Swift Video, “Wildest Dreams”
The AERIGON™ aerial remote camera platform, outfitted with a RED Dragon camera, was used by the Natural History Film Unit (NHFU) to capture some of the sweeping overhead images for the latest Taylor Swift video, “Wildest Dreams”. Staged as a period piece film shoot on the African Savannah, the richly produced music video incorporates stunning aerial scenes of wildlife, thanks in part to the stability and lift capacity of AERIGON, which allows filmmakers to use the cameras and lenses they need for their shots, including full in-flight camera controls. “We used AERIGON to capture nature shots for the video,” said Brad Bestelink, Director and Producer at NHFU, based in Botswana. “We shot some great zebra and elephant material from the UAV over a two-day period.”
SPORT EVENTS
Canal+ Transforms Live Broadcast Coverage of WRC Tour de Corse
During the Tour de Corse race, Canal+ used multiple cameras with GPS trackers in cars and helicopters, and at the starting, mid-point, and arriving lines. The GPS tracking system situated on the cameras was provided by AMPVisual TV, a technology partner of Canal+ and Trimaran. Throughout the race, GPS positioning from each of the cars was emitted to the GeoRacing system. Utilizing Trimaran's solution, Canal+ instantly delivered detailed sports information and statistics, such as speed, timing (retiming for starts staggered), and ranking. By enabling viewers to better understand the progression of the live race, Canal+ increased their satisfaction with the coverage.
SGM Light for Singapore Skyline at Formula 1 Night Racing
Hexogon Solution Pte Ltd has been appointed to light up the city of Singapore during the 2015 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix Night Race since 2013. Until now doing so with conventional flood lights, this year they opted for the LED technology by SGM. Hexogon Solution Pte Ltd, formally known as Mozz Creation, dates back to 1997. The Singapore-based company has much experience within national and international events such as the digital projection for South East Asian Games Opening and Closing Ceremony, setting Guinness World Record for the greatest light output in a projected image. For their architectural illumination at the recent Formula 1 race in Singapore, Hexogon acquired 220 SGM P-5 wash lights, each consisting of 44 high power 10W RGBW LEDs.
Clear-Com Enables Clear Communication at the 11th African Games
Y and Co, the France-based rental company that specialises in audio solutions for events and broadcasts, supplied and installed an Eclipse HX Median digital matrix platform running version 8.5 software, and embedded with three MVX-A16-HX 16-port audio and data frame card, an IVC-32-HX IP interface frame card, and six CCI-22 two-wire partyline interfaces. V-Series V12LD and V24LD panels and the Agent-IC mobile app were provided to the production team for communication. The new stadium had a fibre-based network with switches that run all around the stadium for sound, lighting, intercom, and video connections. The Y and Co had to use this network to provide communication all around the stadium.
Ayrton MagicDot™-R Dazzles on NFL’s Sunday Night Football Opener on NBC
The iconic Sunday Night Football opening sequence is the official introduction to America’s prime time Sunday night programme and features Carrie Underwood for the third year running. Filmed in June on Stage 23 at Warner Brothers, Burbank, the Open was first broadcast nationwide on 13 September 2015, with weekly updates tailored to feature each Sunday’s rival teams. This year marked a style change - described as Nashville meets Hollywood – with the creation of a large virtual video backdrop and a new arrangement of the famous theme tune, Waiting All Day for Sunday Night, which Underwood performs in front of a live audience, amid real and projected appearances by top NFL players. Underwood’s performance takes place on a high-gloss, diamond-shaped stage against a black backdrop, which became a gigantic video screen through the magic of visual effects.
Robe for European Maccabi Games Opening Ceremony
Robe was the moving light brand of choice – with nearly 200 units - at the Opening Ceremony of the 2015 European Maccabi Games (EMG2015), Europe’s biggest Jewish sports event, staged at the Waldbühne amphitheatre in Berlin’s Olympic Park, and officially declared open by German President Joachim Gauk. A fabulous lighting scheme was designed by leading Israeli LD, Ronen Najar for the occasion, working for the combined Israeli and German production team. Ronen frequently specifies Robe for his work. He is prolific in both television and live events and known for his fresh and innovative approach to crafting light. He designed the last Maccabi Games OC in the Teddy Stadium Jerusalem in 2013 and has worked internationally on several high profile projects with the ceremonies’ director Ran Tzahor over the last decade.
SHOW EVENTS
Clay Paky lights Gianna Nannini's Hitalia.Rocks tour
Gianna Nannini's most recent, long-awaited HITALIA.ROCKS tour brought the star live to major sports arenas in Italy. This tour followed and celebrated the release of Gianna's latest album, HITALIA. The entire album is devoted to the most beautiful Italian popular music songs of the twentieth century, performed for the first time by Gianna Nannini with her unique, unmistakable voice. The lighting designer Carlo Pastore and Gianna met professionally for the first time in 2011, in a show where Patrick Woodroffe was in charge of setting up and directing the lighting design. That tour was entrusted to the care of Eneas Mackintosh, a big name in live events and founder of Lime Light. At the time Carlo Pastore was a programmer and Eneas's lighting assistant. During the second part of the tour, he was put in control of lighting desk operations and that was when he met Gianna Nannini.
Lighting the Bodyguard
The new Stage Entertainment Holland production of The Bodyguard has recently opened at the Beatrix Theatre in Utrecht, The Netherlands, to rave reviews, sold out houses and nightly standing ovations. The colourful, richly textured and highly entertaining performance has plenty of theatrical magic and intricate and spectacular lighting by Luc Peumans of creative practice, Painting with Light. Luc, well known across Benelux for his innovative lighting and visual designs for theatre, live music shows and television, has worked for the producers on several other projects including ‘Dream Girls’, however this is the first time he collaborated with director Carline Brouwer.
JBL and Crown Deliver Impactful Sound at Rock in Rio
In a demonstration of its unique ability to provide tour sound professionals with the most comprehensive array of complete system solutions, HARMAN Professional Solutions supplied leading tour sound provider, Gabisom Audio Equipment, with JBL VTX line arrays and Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers for this year’s epic Rock in Rio festival in Brazil. For 30 years, Rock in Rio has been synonymous with the world’s biggest musical artists. In turn, Gabisom Audio Equipment has been synonymous with Rock in Rio, providing audio systems for Rock in Rio festivals across the globe. Drawing more than a half-million fans over two weekends, Rock in Rio celebrated its 30th anniversary at the City of Rock, a specially built venue on the site where the Olympic Village will be located for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
PRODUCTS
'India's Got Talent' Connects With Fans Using Riedel's STX-200
Riedel Communications announced that the company's STX-200 solution for bringing Skype® connectivity into the professional broadcast environment has been deployed on the popular reality show "India's Got Talent" ("IGT"), broadcast on Hindi-language entertainment television channel ColorsTV. Making it easy to enrich the live broadcast with reliable, high-quality Skype contributions, whether from across the production facility or from across India, the STX-200 changes the way that the "IGT" fans, host, judges, and even the contestants can interact and engage. Whether using a desktop Skype client or a mobile device, fans are able to connect with the ColorsTV reality show via Skype-to-Skype calls, group video calls, and instant video messages. With the Skype ID "IGTonColors," viewers can connect with one another and send questions to the show's judges and presenters. These users also gain access to exclusive "IGT" contests, highlights from the show, bloopers, and exclusive interviews with show participants.
Genelec Now Offers Expanded Smart Active Monitoring™ (SAM™) Range
Genelec, the pioneer in active loudspeakers, is now offering 16 models in its Smart Active Monitoring™ (SAM™) range of products. From the Compact SAM 8320 - 8330 – 7350 Series, to the NEW flagship 1236 SAM system and accompanying individually calibrated RAM-XL Remote Amplifier Module, Genelec is now offering the most comprehensive range of professional automatic calibration monitors and subwoofers available, with models to fit the needs of any studio. Developed in direct response to the need for increased audio reproduction accuracy in acoustically challenging environments, Genelec developed its Smart Active Monitor (SAM) technology.
Lawo Networks with NINE
With a new purpose-built facility on the drawing board, Australian broadcaster NINE Network Australia aimed to speed up operational workflows while simultaneously creating more time for content production. The ambitious and demanding project was assigned to broadcast systems integration specialist Professional Audio & Television (PAT), with the brief to unite a diverse range of products under a centralized and manufacturer agnostic control plane. Key to PAT’s solution were Lawo digital audio and video processing tools, and the Virtual Studio Management (VSM) system. Providing facility-wide control over the new Adelaide facility, PAT supplied, configured and commissioned a large VSM system that connects all of the site’s broadcast systems. These include six Lawo V_pro8 8-channel video processor “toolkits“ for audio embedding and de-embedding, and video processing in the facility-wide workflow.
4K/8K ARISING
Aerial Cinematographers Rely on Fujinon Equipped Shotover Camera Systems
New Zealand-based company SHOTOVER prides itself on equipping its ultra-high performance stabilization camera systems for high velocity cinematography with top-of-the-line equipment. Designed for use in helicopters, ground vehicles and watercraft, the company’s F1 and K1 camera systems are made with an open architecture, giving operators a variety of camera and lens options. Many SHOTOVER customers rely primarily on the FUJINON lenses integrated within the systems, including the Premier PL mount 18-85mm zoom lens, PL mount 14.5-45mm zoom, PL 85-300mm Cabrio, 19-90mm Cabrio, 25-300mm Cabrio, and HA42x9.7 Premier Series ENG style lens for their high-end aerial productions.
Ikegami Produces World's First 8K Broadcast (OB) Vehicle
In March 2015, Ikegami introduced its SHK-810 fourth-generation 8K television camera that was developed in co-operation with Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK). This is about one tenth the size and weight of Ikegami's first generation 8K camera and offers significantly improved operability. The company's efforts to develop 8K broadcast production equipment have focused on achieving extremely high resolution combined with Ikegami's proven ability to deliver very wide dynamic image processing. Ikegami also has long experience in producing mobile television production trucks, having produced more than 800 OB vehicles. In Japan, the road map for 8K broadcasting announced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs & Communications specifies that trial broadcast transmissions will be conducted in 2016. Regular 8K broadcast services are planned to begin in 2018.
TRT4K broadcast the Fenerbahçe – Ajax match live with 4K technology
The first Ultra High Definition (4K) broadcast in Turkey that is available to the ultimate consumer was realized by TRT 4K – MEDIAPRO TURKEY-TURKSAT and SAMSUNG co-operation. 7 Ultra HD cameras were used during the production of UEFA Europa League A Group Fenerbahçe- Ajax match. The broadcast was transmitted by European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to Beinsport, BT Sports and Japanese NHK TV channels, and was also made available in UEFA headquarter. MEDIAPRO TURKEY pioneered an important broadcast with many technological advances in Turkey and Europe. 7 Ultra HD cameras, 4 EVS XT3, 72 channels video mixer and 4K broadcast compatible equipment were used in the production. The set up and the tests of the operation were done in 3 days. 25 Spanish team members and 15 local Mediapro Turkey team members took part in the production.