ADP Events managed the technical production of a special TEDxGenova outdoor event, choosing two URSA Broadcast G2 cameras and two Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K G2s.
Italian production company ADP Events managed the technical production of a special event recently held by TEDxGenova. Called Terraformare, this event explored strategies to improve and maintain Earth's livability in spite of climate and social challenges, inspired by the artificial processes described in science fiction stories, designed to make an inhospitable planet more like our world.
ADP Events needed to handle the AV challenges of hosting the event outdoors for the first time, while still meeting TEDx's usual standards. "TEDx events are well known for their production quality, and we weren't prepared to cut corners," said Attilio Di Pietro, founder and technical director of ADP Events. "Our goal was to capture the full experience, down to the smallest detail.
The multicamera production involved five Blackmagic Design cameras. Employing SMPTE fibre chains, two URSA Broadcast G2 cameras rigged with B4 zoom lenses and Blackmagic Studio Viewfinders were deployed front of house and used to capture a mix of wide and close up shots.
Attilio said, "We opted for Blackmagic Design G2 cameras because we would be able to set up a content production workflow that met TEDx's AV standards. The dual output capabilities of the broadcast cameras and the ultra low latency of the SMPTE fibre setup were crucial for achieving a professional recording experience. The colour accuracy of its imaging system in low light was also very helpful in this environment." The dual media slots in the URSA Broadcast supports non stop recording. When a card is full, recording automatically moves onto the next card. Recording continues while the user replaces the full card.
Complementing the two broadcast cameras, two Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K G2 cameras were positioned at the stage's left and right corners, and a further unit was rigged overhead to capture elevated perspectives. "The compact micro studio cameras were especially handy, allowing us to place them where larger rigs couldn't fit and set up creative shots with our angles," said Attilio.
Each talk was recorded individually in 1080p25, as required for TEDx's archival standards. The talks were filmed live and later edited for uploading to the TEDx YouTube Channel.
The control gallery centred on a purpose-built portable production unit. Vision mixing was handled by an ATEM Constellation 8K live production switcher, controlled by an ATEM 2 M/E Advanced Panel. A Blackmagic Videohub 40x40 12G router gave them the flexibility to manage and distribute signals for both fibre connected and non fibre cameras.
"We had HD monitoring across multiple cameras with customizable layouts, allowing the director to focus on storytelling while our team handled technical details," Attilio said. The router has very flexible I/O functionality. Because any input can be connected to any output, including a single input to multiple outputs, monitors can be connected to view any source or sources.
ADP Events also installed HyperDeck Studio 4K Pro broadcast decks for separate ISO recordings from each camera feed, along with the line cut prepared for live streaming, which featured the on-set director’s choice of cameras. A HyperDeck Studio HD Mini served as a backup recorder for the program output. An ATEM Mini Extreme live production switcher was added to produce the real time multimedia elements, integrating PowerPoint projects and videos assets into the onsite display and live stream. www.blackmagicdesign.com
