EPIC on Live broadcast - surely not

[Giles Harvey]

I was asked if Epic can be turned around for a live broadcast...... i said well in principle yes.
So for ESPN in the UK i set about turning round 5k rushes for use in the live broadcast of the FA CUP final (football). I took along a mac pro with red rocket and connected it to the network within the edit for the OB. I then went off filming sending back rushes on several cards and then transcoded straight onto the OB shared storage, fed straight into an EVS and from there it was played out into the live broadcast with perhaps only 6-7 min from acquisition. I shot all the pre-match on my 17-50mm 4kHD then switched up to the 150-600mm 5KWS pitch side. With about 10min before the final whistle I broke the epic back down to the hand held set up and ran on the pitch shooting 4kHD.

By no means an easy feat especially as I operated out of the boot of my Merc estate and with no skilled DIT or assistant. Wouldn't want to repeat this in a hurry but got a massive buzz to see it going out on air as I ran off to capture more..... This is one special camera.

 

[Adam Palmer]

Dream job, watching Chelsea and shooting on RED!

 

[Alan Piper]

Another day at the office Giles?

 

[Giles Harvey]

It was quiet a day. Want to make a quick 5k cut for when I can get somewhere to view on a projector. All shot at 100-120 fps.

 

[Mike Tiffee]

What format did you transcode to and how exactly was it brought into the EVS? Was it output via an edit suite? Which OB was at the event?

 

[Giles Harvey]

I was shooting maximum frames rates and best RC. Typically 10/12-1. The footage was clipped up before transcode sent through to an editor who then made compilation bits or stand alone. The best turn around was one shot of a kid shouting which was on air in around 5min from shooting. The OB company had no idea what I was doing but i simply asked if I could network my workflow and they agreed. The editors timeline was pro-res422 so I set my transcodes to this.....

 

[Mike Tiffee]

Giles, any chance you'll be at The Open Championship?

 

[Giles Harvey]

If you know of anyone willing to pay me. Cant really justify going out there out of my own pocket. If you know anyone interested I can bring a similar set up to any broadcast. Anything else you want to know, let me know.

 

[Michael Brennan]

Giles good work, good thinking man. Just watched the match here in Oz.
Do you think Epic has a major role as a low cost high frame rate ie +200fps camera for live sports. Turn around time being the main issue, but with dedicated assistant what could the turnaround time be.. presumably locating the transcode kit next to the camera position?


Mike Brennan

 

[Giles Harvey]

I think there is a place for this kind of work flow. Many super slo-mo cameras at this event so I think 2K isnt much different once transcoded. I think 120fps 4/5k or wide screen ads something people aren't used to getting. There is so much footage (708gb) from yesterday that the client hasn't even realised what they have got. My car/transcode station was 30seconds from pitch side so turn around was very quick. If shooting under lights at a sporting event then you cannot go above 100fps due to strobing.
Te main obstacle in these environments is the lack of understanding in what you are producing.

Thanks for the feed back though.

 

[Phil Barthropp]

Great job Giles, I saw some of those shots go live and you could really see the difference.
But the back story, taking 5Kw/s and having it "on air" in minutes is an amazing feat, not one to be taken lightly.

I happen to know that Giles is leading a one man crusade to educate and change the mindset of these "huge" broadcasters when it comes to using the epic and the pictures it produces.
Not an easy task.
It's one thing to have time produce a film shot Raw in 5K, a completely different story to use this in a live scenario, turning world class pictures around in minutes.
120FPS at 5K W/S transcoded and out on air, integrating seamlessly with one of the biggest OB's of the season. Most of us have trouble doing that in days.

Giles, please post pictures of the 150-600mm Epic set-up and the 17-50mm hand held set-up, I think it's important for the forum to see how versatile this little camera is.....

Phil

 

[Giles Harvey]

Thanks Phil. Very kind. Hers's a piccie of the 150-600mm. Crazy lens capturing 5k 35mm sensor coverage.