Blackmagic Design has announced that its broadcast camera (URSA Broadcast) and its remote camera control unit (ATEM Camera Control Panel) has been used on the Grandslam tour, bringing Simple Minds and the Pretenders to 14 major venues throughout the UK.
Event specialist, LHG Live, has produced and promoted the entire tour for the two globally renowned bands, and is utilising a live solution that relies on Blackmagic Design for acquisition and IMAG relay which it developed with support from reseller CVP.
Three URSA Broadcast cameras, equipped with Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converters and a range of Canon B4 lenses are front of house; one as wide angle and two pit units to capture the headline acts. The B4 mount allows the event specialist to use existing lenses and provides more flexibility when hiring in lenses.
“The depth of colour and image quality are fantastic not to mention the many other benefits of the Blackmagic URSA Broadcast with tally, talkback and camera control all available via both the new camera control hardware and ATEM software,” comments Jacques Batchelor, LHG Live.
Adding: “The portability and durable design were also a huge consideration for us as we use these cameras on stage, on and off tripods. Therefore we wanted to make sure we had a flexible and compact solution that allows our operators to be creative.”
The ATEM Camera Control hardware has been designed with both function and ease of use in mind, according to Batchelor. “It makes color correction and iris control a dream, and has turned the URSA Broadcast into a feature packed live solution with an easy to use and recognisable workflow.”
Routing for the flyaway kit is delivered through a Smart Videohub 20×20, with an ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K switcher handling all the camera feeds, together with prerecorded adverts and VTs between sets, and the live mix is cut on an ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel. The unit also features a pair of Teranex AV standards converters, which means the production team can provide live feeds in the right format regardless of the display tech at a venue or if an artist wants to incorporate an additional source at short notice.
“The URSA Broadcast camera chain works out to be significantly cheaper than the alternatives, with incredible image quality and comparable features,” concludes Batchelor. “By choosing the Blackmagic route we have been able to develop a live solution with broadcast quality cameras and features for a fraction of the cost, seeing a swifter return on our investment.”
