OT - Live switch and hire rats

DJPadre wrote on 12/27/2007, 5:19 AM
OK, well ive potentially got a contract lined up.. this is big for what i do, and to be honest, with the funds from this one contract, i'd never have to touch a wedding again. At the moment i do 50 weddings at no less than 2500, so that should give u an idea as to the funds were talking about..

BUT the big issue i face at this time is live switching. This is what is needed with this job... of which i no longer have this facility... havent done anythign live now for over 6yrs.... im that backwards.. lol

The majority of the work is to have 2 to 4 shooters out in the field with live streams coming to a central mixer like VT4 or Tricaster then fed live out to LED truck panels (like the ones you see at the football)

The truck panels are already established (the guy already owns 3) as are 2 existing DSR450's plus my 2 DVX100's and 2 A1 cams, plus another 2 smaller crash cams which we use for high risk shots..
Becuase of teh motion and movement reqired, the handycams will be perfectly sufficient without breaking anyoens backs..

Now, I can either buy the mixer, learn and operate it myself and hire a couple of shooters which is prefered

Second i can hire the switcher + operator and pray they dont fekk it up. I dont know anyone at this time, but i have afew contacts who might be interested. Farrs, if u know anyone, pls let me know... lol

The other option is to hire the editor and mixer and watch and learn how they use the gear while 2 to 4 of my shooters work the grounds.

This the the prefered one above all else as i wouldnt want to stuff anything up , but ideally, the idea is to keep costs as low as possible for the longterm.
The contract is a semi permanent gig with potntial for DVD productions and pressings.. the whole kit and kaboodle, so ongoing work will be there, if we can nail it to begin with..

So what we need is video transmitters and recivers for the cameras.
Preferable to use component, but im unsure how these transmitters work.

Range is also very important because the camera crews will be riding buggys across a showground about 250metres up to 300metres... depends on the venue

HD would be preferable, but not a necesity the priority is the live stream/mix so SD should be fine considering the low res of these truck panels. Thing is i still need a decent enough image to write to disc with (ie live record)

Next up is the live switcher... ive never used one aside from what Ive played with on Video Toast (VT4 now) I was impressed, but these are VERY costly, so my thoughts on hiring someone who already has one of these and knows how to use it would be the best option to begin with in case the deal falls through.. i dont want to fork out 10k on a switch box only to be told 5 jobs in that were not needed anymore...
But the thing is, there are 41 events, with a further 21 events using the screens alone... 62 events all up

So the second part is.. how much should i charge?
Should i charge a 2 cam package and then a 4 cam package? Or should i charge, 2 3 4 5 and 6 cam package? Ive got the cameras, so there are no hire rates aside from labour(camera ops) and the initial switcher

Thirdly.. transmitters..
Anyone know of good units which send a decent feed? I dont want it to break up but basically they ned to transmit to line of site by about 300 to 500 metres..

thoughts ideas? suggestions?



Comments

farss wrote on 12/27/2007, 5:49 AM
Yes I did quote a job like this last year. Got a price from a local, sorry don't have details at hand but drop me an email and I'll dig it out for you. I was amazed how cheap it was. That was 4 studio cams with talkback, in van CCUs etc, etc. Sure more per cam, just for the operator but a pittance. Was only for SD though.

Your big issue will be going wireless and for live events it's a nightmare:

1) I was offered a show special at NAB for a decent system, USD 45K and yes that was CHEAP. This gear is expensive. I've tried building my own but there's many traps. Also forget sticking the gear on prosummer cams, the units suck a lot of power and are pretty hefty.

2) The links use mpeg-2 to fit into the available bandwidth. Think minimum 6 frame delay, factor in a frame or two in the switcher (no genlock) and you can come out 8 to 10 frames behind real time. Big problem for live events. You therefore have to delay all ins to the switcher to match and heaven forbid that anyone can see the screens and the real action.

You're into very specialised fields, we've been looking at cheap HD-SDI switchers (around AUD $15K). You really need to dig deep into what you're buying into. Guy I work for worked for a company that fitted out OB vans, even getting the van right can be a challenge. It seems simple but there's many traps.

Bob.
DJPadre wrote on 12/27/2007, 6:15 AM
Thx for the insight Bob, i know one comapny that has a van and does all the esteodpfords but Bernie is still SD with composite.

See with the A1, having such a long zoom, we can prolly run cables off the centre field for about 100metres with boosters in between. I was shooting the event from 300metres away and they (and I) were blown away with what i got at that distance, so if we can run it cabled , then i definalte ywould.
They did mention that they had 2 of their own cameras and transmitters, but to be honest, with the figures he was throwing around, I wouldnt count on them.

I guess it depends on the event, but these transmiters are whats going to either make or break the deal. As for power, the shooters can use 12v batery packs if need be, unless they require a tap from an Anton Bauer or what have u...

Its been a while sine ive delved into this, which is why I want to make sur ei an appreoach this with a realistic service in mind. I dont wnat to promise then say later one that we cant do this or that...

As it stands, i knwo what were capable of, but for live event, its been a VERY long time