PTZ cameras from Panasonic were used last night in the first ever concert to be live streamed from the legendary Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in London. Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis’ show was broadcast in high definition to a worldwide audience on the internet.
With a capacity of just 220, and almost all shows a complete sell-out, Ronnie Scott’s has turned to technology to help take the Ronnie’s experience beyond the walls of the club. Simon Cooke, the club’s managing director, explained; “We are keen to give those who can’t make the journey into London’s Soho, people too far away or simply those who can’t get a ticket the opportunity to enjoy the Ronnie Scott’s magic for themselves and we are delighted that an artist of Wynton’s stature, arguably the most influential jazz musician of the last 40 years, has agreed to feature in our very first broadcast from the club.”
The live stream used a state-of-the art multi camera AV set-up alongside a broadcast and recording studio installed in the Frith Street venue. The broadcast was shot using discreetly positioned Panasonic AW-HE120 integrated remote video cameras and at least one AG-HPX250 P2 HD handheld camcorder (the same used by the BBC for HD recording). Meanwhile the club’s AV team mixed the audiovisual stream live, broadcasting in-the-moment vivid high-definition images onto screens and into homes across the globe. This sophisticated multi-camera set-up – said to be one of the best in the world for a club of this size – allows low-light filming of multiple positions, giving viewers a genuine impression of being in the live audience and a real feeling for the intimate atmosphere of the club – all without detracting from the experience of those present at the show.
Tickets for Wynton Marsalis’ three-night (six-show) run from Monday 22 July sold out in a matter of hours, primarily to club members; the great untapped demand made this an ideal time to launch the new venture.
Ronnie Scott’s is one of the oldest and most famous jazz clubs in the world having been opened by Ronnie Scott and Pete King in October 1959. In the 53 years it has been attracting jazz enthusiasts in London, it has featured a huge gamut of jazz legends from Ella Fitzgerald to Miles Davis.
