Professional Video Solutions for Filming Live Events
Introduction: Advantages of filming live events
Video is the best and most efficient way to record a live event. It allows businesses and organisations to instantly engage their customers and audiences either on-site through image magnification (IMAG) such as larger projectors or remotely via video live streaming. With recent global events, video live streaming has become even more critical to connect with your customers, congregation or client base on a day-to-day basis.
But what about the beginners among us? For some of us, video will seem like a daunting task. There is a lot that goes into a professional-looking live video production, but a great place to start is always with the equipment you are using.
At Protel, we believe video solutions should be tailored to your requirements and budget. There are many different options out there, but in today’s blog, we will be going over the basics of different video setups for IMAG and live streaming.
Types of Video Solutions for Live Events
When it comes to video, there are a variety of brands out there catering to all kinds of equipment from DataVideo to Blackmagic Design. Different brands cater for different types of solutions but generally will offer a wide range of products to keep you in their product ecosystem. It is always possible to mix and match products across brands, so you get the absolute best solution for your requirements. That is where we come in.
In terms of physical setups, you will first be looking at whether you need equipment for a permanent installation at a venue or equipment that is travel friendly for going from job to job (Flyaway). But let’s go over some basic options to consider first.
Single Camera Setup for Live Events
If you are wanting to get started with video or the event only requires a single camera shot, then you may only need a single camera setup to cover your event. Even in this case, it is always a good idea to invest in a camera that will be compatible with a larger system as you grow your video solution. A single-camera setup could be a remotely controlled PTZ camera, or an operated camera depending on your setup.
Datavideo has a range of PTZ cameras for example, that allows you to live stream directly from a single fixed position PTZ camera and control the camera remotely via a web browser or on a tablet via an app. This would be a great starting solution as these cameras integrate into a whole ecosystem of products that allow you to increase your production capabilities.
If opting for an operated camera, camcorders are your best bet for live events. Most professional camcorders from brands like Sony, Panasonic & Canon will come with a variety of handy features for the operator to adjust the shot. The advantage here is the camera operator can pan, tilt and zoom to keep the shot engaging whilst recording and directing it onto in-camera media for later use.
Multi-camera Setup for Live Events
If you have a production that requires anywhere from 2 to 10 camera angles, the first piece of equipment you will need after your cameras is a Switcher. A switcher is a device that allows you to change between different camera shots. There are many switchers on the market today the also offer streaming and recorder features too!
The same question applies and is even more important for a multi camera setup. Will you be using PTZ remotely controlled cameras or operated camcorders. Generally, if you are a small team of one to two you will be best served by the PTZ route. However, if you have a larger team of three plus you may want camera operators communicating over radio headsets to time your shots to perfection.
How far you take your production is really up to you. In a multi camera situation, think of your switcher as the “hub” for your video. Generally you will have one person called the shots from the switcher. The vision mixer, or technical director (TD) in the United States, switches between video sources—such as camera shots and video inserts. They also maintain colour and contrast balance between the studio cameras. A vision mixer (Video Switcher) is, confusingly, also the name of the equipment the technical director operates.
Your video switcher can send your video signal out to different places to do different jobs. Some handy pieces of equipment to know are as follows:
Switchers (Vision Mixers) - A video switcher is also known as a production switcher or video mixer. Although the main functionality of the device is for selecting between the sources of audio or video, it's sometimes used in mixing video, setting compositions, and adding footage, graphics or special effects on a secondary source.
Monitors – Monitors come in all shapes and sizes and have different uses in live video. Your main monitor will be plugged into your preview out on your switcher so that you can view all of your video/audio sources. Certain monitors can also be rack-mounted and are usually used to view your live stream and recording to make sure everything is working correctly.
Recorders – A video recorder is for recording your production to a storage device. A lot of recorders are rack-mountable and record to different storage media like SD cards and hard drives.
Encoders - Simply put an encoder translates the signal from your camera to a format that can be streamed live to the internet. This is necessary as the normal output format of your camera's video contains far too much data to create a stream that can be uploaded to the internet.
How much will it all cost?
Video production comes in all shapes and sizes. Many people have the misconception that multi camera productions require hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, in today’s market this is simply not the case. At Protel we sell affordable video solutions to cover a range of budget requirements and production sizes. You may be surprised at the prices of products like PTZ cameras, camcorders and even switchers on the market today. Cost is no longer a barrier in get started with live video production.
If you are looking to get started with a live video system either for a permanent install, or a flyaway portable solution make sure to get in touch today with one of our sales specialists. We can assist you by presenting some of the industry brand leaders on the market today that you may not have considered.
Author: Joel Garman – Video Sales Specialist - Wellington