Newsletter from 30/05/2018
Light & Sound & Communication at the 2018 ESC Lisbon
The 2018 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), hosted at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal, saw a beautifully evocative, multi-dimensional, theatrical and camera pleasing lighting design created by award-winning lighting designer and Director of Photography (DOP) Jerry Appelt. A statement against the often flattening overuse of video in entertainment presentations, Appelt’s design was one of the biggest lighting set-ups in Eurovision history. Appelt employed over 2,000 lighting fixtures. With over 2000 fixtures using 300 universes and 150,000 channels, Eurovision is the biggest production in the world and demands the highest production levels.
- Ayrton adds architecture to Appelt’s Eurovision splendour
- All Aboard with Claypaky at Eurovision Song Contest 2018
- Light Initiative sparkles for SuRie at Eurovision 2018
- Riedel Support for the ESC in Lisbon
- ROBE: Large RoboSpot System is a Winner at Eurovision 2018
- Sennheiser Supplies Wireless Digital 6000 Microphones to ESC
- WIcreations: Getting High at Eurovision 2018
The multicamera directors from RTP were Paula Macedo and Pedro Miguel Martins and they worked alongside Troels Lund as senior multicamera director for the production and Chris Demeulemester from Videohouse overseeing the two HD OBtrucks.
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MOBILE PRODUCTION
NEP Sweden Rolls out EVS XT4K Servers in New UHD-1 OB
NEP Sweden, the country’s leading provider of outside broadcast and studio solutions and a division of NEP Europe, has selected XT4K ChannelMAX servers from EVS to drive the ingest, playout, slow motion replay and highlights production within its new UHD-1 OB. UHD-1 is NEP’s largest OB in Europe and features an integrated workflow of the latest UHD-4K, 1080p and HDR technologies. Later this summer, the XT4K servers will be upgraded to new XT-VIA servers as they start shipping.
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Triofilm TV Germany Invests in Grass Valley Live Broadcast Solution
Triofilm TV, a long-time Grass Valley customer, explicitly choose Grass Valley for the flexibility in the connectivity of the cameras as well as the affordability of the equipment. The LDX 86 HS 3X/1X camera is the perfect solution for live sports and entertainment productions, offering up to 3X speed operation in 1080i and 720p, with an additional 1X standard-speed "live" output for seamless integration with standard-speed cameras used in a production. Users also get extended color gamut supporting ITU-R BT.2020 and an optional software upgrade to enable 15 F-stops of high dynamic range (HDR) in single-speed operation. The LDX 86 HS is upgradable via GV-eLicenses on a 1-day, 7-day or perpetual basis to the next level of functionality within the camera range.
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Spain-based Tilt outfits its mobile production unit with a Calrec Artemis console
The Artemis Light, which is the company’s first Calrec console, replaced an older console inside the expandable 16-camera, 12-metre rigid truck. It was installed by Tilt and supplied by Calrec’s Spanish distributor COEL Audio Solutions. Jaume Bordoy, Manager at Tilt said he has always been aware of Calrec’s excellent reputation in the industry, with its consoles providing stellar sound quality and technically elegant and comprehensive functionality like multi-format audio and loudness management.
EVS and HBS Academy Host New Live Sports Broadcast Masterclasses
EVS and the Broadcast Academy of Host Broadcast Services (HBS) held two new masterclasses to encourage more women and students to consider careers in live sports broadcasting. The sessions were held at EVS’ headquarters in Liège in late April, and follow on from previous sessions that proved to be hugely popular at IBC2017. The sessions were first run to coincide with the announcement of a strategic educational partnership between EVS, the leading provider of live production technology, and HBS, host broadcaster of major events, including FIFA World Cups™.
SHOW EVENTS
Capturing Belgian Street Style in the Heart of Paris
With a wealth of experience producing live events for high-end fashion brands, Freecaster was the ideal fit for the Mosaert fashion show, which incorporated all aspects of the creative label’s aesthetic. The team also collaborated with Benuts, which was able to provide its experience in music video production. Freecaster’s CEO, Raymond Dulieu explains the show had been designed with extremely high creative and production requirements. “The catwalk sat right in the middle of the store’s atrium amongst its art deco style interior, with the escalators and backdrop designed to represent a production line for the models to move along,” he explains. Alongside this, the models had specially choreographed movements to a specially written track that Stromae had written for the catwalk show.”
The Switch Supports Royal Wedding
Saturday, May 19, marked a historic occasion as Britain’s Prince Harry and American Meghan Markle wed in a ceremony at St. George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle. By transmitting more than 200 hours of content over the course of the weekend, The Switch played an integral part in aiding global news and entertainment coverage of this historic event. In partnership with ITN Productions, a fully-manned stand-up position at Windsor Castle was accessible to customers of The Switch. From Windsor Castle, media could hand off live and replay feeds to The Switch, London, which were delivered to multiple distribution outlets across the United Kingdom, as well as internationally to the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia for both linear distribution and over-the-top platforms.
CPL Invests in New Projectors for Arcadia London Extravaganza
The vibrant two day alt.culture festival, music and performance extravaganza celebrated the 10th anniversary of the birth of the Arcadia concept, and was staged in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park … with the world’s largest and best loved Spider at the hub of the performance action. CPL has been involved with Arcadia since 2013 when the incredible 50 tonne Spider – the conceptual brainchild of Pip Rush and Bert Cole crafted from reimagined military hardware and other recycled industrial waste - first landed at Glastonbury festival. For the last few UK appearances of the amazing arachnid, CPL has been part of a dedicated production team delivering crisp, detailed projections onto both sides of the three giant legs, which are fundamental structural elements of this awesome 360 degree visual and sonic spectacle.
PRODUCTS
Return of a Legend: Neumann Launches Re-Issue of the Famous U 67 Tube Microphone
It was the microphone that defined the sound of the sixties: The U 67 tube microphone, introduced in 1960, was the quintessential studio workhorse throughout the formative years of modern music and has since acquired legendary status. And now, for the first time in decades, the iconic tube microphone is back in production and built to original specifications. The U 67 was the first microphone equipped with the famous K 67 capsule, which has since become associated with “the Neumann sound” and continues to be used in its successor, the U 87 A. No less important is the U 67’s masterful tube circuit, which features a clever pre-emphasis/de-emphasis scheme to minimize tube hiss.
Coach Capture: For Analysts. By Analysts.
Speed and accuracy are the hallmarks of Coach Capture, the latest addition to ChyronHego’s expanding Coaching Product Suite. It’s easy to automatically add clips to playlists and reorganize them on the fly for those instances where time is critical and pressure is high. Designed to suit the everyday needs of the sports video analyst, Coach Capture allows for both live and post-game video recording – all the way up to HD 1080p format – tagging, and telestration of game events. Seamless integration to the analytical workflow of the Coach Paint Product Suite is at the heart of Coach Capture. Log, navigate through events, and easily push clips between Coach Capture and Coach Paint.
Solotech Goes On The Road with Ultrix-FR5 from Ross Video
Montreal-based Solotech has been providing innovative AV solutions to a variety of different markets for 40 years, and the company boasts an impressive, if sometimes eclectic, client list that includes circuses, theatres, museums, corporate bodies, stadia, music arenas and the world’s top live musical artists. Hot on the heels of the announcement of the new Riverside Studios complex in London, UK, as the first customer for the innovative Ultrix-FR5, Ross is now pleased to announce Solotech as customer number two, even if the Canadian company has actually been road-testing the latest generation Ultrix for a little longer than publicly stated!
4K/8K ARISING
The First 4K Production in Poland: Speedway Grand Prix in Warsaw
Double world champion Tai Woffinden insisted “there’s a lot more to come from me” after racing to his second win in three years at Warsaw’s sold-out PGE Narodowy on Saturday. The Great Britain racer topped the BOLL Warsaw FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland podium ahead of home hero Maciej Janowski and last year’s winner Fredrik Lindgren, with Artem Laguta finishing fourth on his first SGP appearance since 2011. The Czech outside production company Reckord covered all the action with its 4k OB truck REC7 with 17 cameras of which 11 wereoperating in 4K. The SloMo replays and also the graphics were done in 4K. In the sold-out PGR Narodowny stadium Reckord also operated the onsite studio for Canal+ Now. A second studio was used to analyse the Speedway races.
TVN is Host Broadcaster for the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League final in Kyiv
The UEFA Champions League final – the biggest match in club football – is being contested between two of the stellar names in the world game: Real Madrid have lifted the trophy in each of the last two seasons and are looking to claim it for a record 13th time overall. Liverpool are eyeing a sixth final victory. Liverpool have already set a record for most goals in a campaign this season while Real Madrid fans have been reared on free-flowing attacking football, so nobody is anticipating a cagey affair. Before the football even begins, Dua Lipa, no less, will whet the appetite with a performance at the opening ceremony. And after the final whistle blows, there will be a trophy presentation and ticker-tape reception. And some selfies. Glitz and glamour all the way.
Gearhouse Broadcast boosts 4K and HDR rental capabilities
Gearhouse Broadcast, a supplier of technical facilities, crew and services used to capture the world’s most watched content, has significantly enhanced its 4K rental stock with the purchase of a large quantity of the industry’s most in-demand cameras and lenses. The investment includes 36 new Sony HDC-4300 4K/HD camera channels and a large quantity of 4K and HD studio/field and ENG lenses from both Canon and Fujinon. The deal enables Gearhouse Broadcast to meet the growing demand for 4K and HDR solutions as more and more productions look to capture content in UHD and with expanded colour precision. The new stock will be split between its rental businesses that cover the UK, US and Northern Europe, following the recent acquisition of German rental house Genesis Broadcast Services, which has since been rebranded as Gearhouse Broadcast Germany.
Broadcast Hire first in Europe to take delivery of Canon CJ45ex9.7B lenses
4K live production rental specialist ES Broadcast Hire has taken delivery of the first Canon CJ45ex9.7B 4K lenses in Europe – and the lenses will immediately be put into use at the forthcoming Monaco F1 Grand Prix, which takes place 24-27 May. The new arrivals form the first consignment in an order of 10 lenses, which were announced by Canon last Autumn. It sees ES Broadcast Hire expand even further its 4K hire inventory – already one of the largest in Europe – to almost 170 UHD lenses, as well as close to 200 4K camera channels, including 140 Sony HDC-4300 channels.