Chopin Institute Livestreams Recital Series with Blackmagic Design

posted:

02/07/2020

The Fryderyk Chopin Institute’s annual summer recital program has been translated into a series of livestream performances, filmed with URSA Broadcast cameras and streamed with a Blackmagic Design live production system

Since 1954, the Institute has hosted weekly outdoor concerts at a country park in Chopin’s birthplace, Zelazowa Wola, offering performances featuring the world’s most prominent classical musicians. Due to this year’s restrictions on live events, the decision was taken to bring the concerts online, with pianists performing in the park’s manor house and streamed via YouTube Live. Live production specialist, Transmisjelive has been responsible for the recitals’ live production for several years, and helped to make the move to an online production format. “As well as moving to an indoor and more intimate location, we also had to manage social distancing requirements,” explains Transmisjelive’s Artur Kuszel. “We reduced the number of personnel on site to a minimum, both for filming in the performance room and in the OB vehicle on site, kept all gear disinfected and made sure the room was well ventilated.”

In order to create variety in shot choices in a limited performance space, three URSA Broadcast cameras were equipped with Fujinon broadcast lenses, including a wide angle, and a Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K was positioned in the ceiling above the piano keys for close up shots. The team also prerecorded bird’s eye drone views of the park and mansion house for B-roll and backdrop shots.

“What made this workflow unique is the ability to send a live feedback signal to the URSA Broadcast cameras with an embedded PGM feed in picture in picture,” explains Artur. “This helped to communicate the shot list to the team on site and helped to achieve the diversity we wanted during the livestream, whilst keeping to the safety guidelines.”

To help reduce onsite personnel further, the program was mixed on the OB van’s ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K, with the main and backup signals sent securely to Transmisjelive’s studio via a Mobile Viewpoint Baselink, from where it was streamed out to YouTube and Facebook Live.

“The livestreams have been watched by thousands of classical music fans all over the world, and many have commented on the visual and acoustic experience that the series has delivered,” concludes Artur. “Although the pandemic has meant live events have had to change, the flexibility of Blackmagic Design’s cameras and live production equipment has allowed us to transpose our productions seamlessly from a big screen to an online delivery platform. The combination of 4K image quality and creative live production means that fans can still feel a part of the annual celebration of Chopin’s works.”