Entertainment Technology News

021 Television, one of Britain's leading outside broadcast production companies, has selected Camera Corps Q-Ball all-weather robotic cameras to provide video coverage, for Sky Arts, of Antony Gormley's 'One & Other' project from the Fourth Plinth in the north-west quarter of London's Trafalgar Square. Every hour, 24 hours a day, for a consecutive 100 days, individual volunteers are making the plinth their own. Participants are chosen at random and can do anything legal they choose on the plinth. A total of 2,400 people are expected to participate between up to October 14. Applications will be accepted until September 1 when the last volunteer group is chosen.

The Q-Ball cameras are being used by 021 Television to accumulate content for the production of regular one-hour reports on the event. These reports are being hosted by Clive Anderson and transmitted to UK television viewers on Sky Arts 1 HD at 7 pm each Friday. An HD feed is also being downconverted to deliver 24/7 video coverage of the event for its entire duration, streamed via the Sky Arts website: www.oneandother.co.uk.

"Being ready for all kinds of weather is essential in any open-air operation, particularly when you are required to deliver a long-duration live feed," explains Gravity Media Group's Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Moorhouse. "Camera Corps' Q-Ball robotic heads received a thorough soak-testing, quite literally, during our recent work in Costa Rica for 'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here'. That included daytime and infra-red-illuminated night operation in torrential rain and practically off-the-scale humidity. Q-Ball is nearer to being a sealed unit than any other camera we ever used which has obvious advantages when all the usual varieties of insect look on exterior cameras as a potential residence. We are confident that the Q-Balls will withstand whatever the British climate inflicts on them. Picture quality has proved very good and the downconverted webstreams are stunning. Although each performer is isolated about 4 metres above ground, the ability to switch between several cameras and to adjust parameters such as zoom, pan and tilt, gives SkyArts production staff plenty of creative flexibility."

"The Q-Ball's spherical housing is highly resistant to moisture and much less visually intrusive than an ordinary robotic camera," adds Camera Corps' Director of Operations, Matt Frost. "Two high-gloss chrome-finished Q-Balls with rain-protection covers are mounted above the Fourth Plinth plus an additional camera on the roof of 021 Television's production room. Day One was a typical mid-summer London mix of bright sun and intermittent rain blown in on quite strong gusting wind; the performers must have been grateful for the safety net placed round the plinth. The 100-day non-stop session is the longest of its kind we have ever been asked to supply robotic minicam equipment for but we have every confidence that the Q-Balls will meet the challenge."

Camera Corps' Q-Ball is a full dual-mode robotic colour camera with high-precision pan and tilt, 10:1 zoom optics and infra-red night-vision capability, all housed in a highly robust 115 mm diameter sphere machined from solid aluminium. Pan and tilt can be operated at any speed from 4 seconds to 20 minutes per revolution through an unlimited number of turns. Integral high-precision low-noise motors allow the camera to be repositioned smoothly during live shooting rather than merely between shots. Designed to allow rapid exterior or interior rigging and de-rigging, the Q-Ball weighs 1.3 kg including mounting shaft and can be operated at any angle. The integral camera incorporates a 1/3 inch 2 megapixel 16:9 CMOS sensor delivering 1080i/720p HD or 625/525 SD, both at 50 or 59.94 Hz and in 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio. Signal-to-noise ratio is >50 dB. Focus can be controlled manually or automatically. The Q-Ball is fully compatible with Camera Corps' range of pan/tilt and CCU controllers. Its interface delivers up to four channels of audio embedded into the SDI feed. It operates from 9 to 18 V DC power supply. The camera heads are available pre-painted to match any required colour scheme, including jungle camouflage.

021 Television is at the forefront of outside broadcast operations in the UK and Europe. Based in Birmingham with a satellite office in London, the company is ideally situated to reach locations throughout Britain with speed and efficiency. 021 has a comprehensive range of trucks and equipment including a large complement of HD and SD kit. 021 Television serves terrestrial and satellite networks as well as independent production companies and overseas broadcasters.

Camera Corps specialises in providing high-volume support services for reality television programmes as well as very large-scale sports events. The company has achieved a pre-eminent reputation for its ability to acquire exciting and unusual television content from exceptionally challenging environments. Its ever-growing arsenal includes high-level cranes, HD and SD motorised tracking cameras, underwater cameras, bullseye-mounted archery target cameras and fire-proofed high-temperature cameras. The Camera Corps team expands during large-scale events from 10 full-time staff based at Shepperton Studios to as many as 200 specialists, including highly-skilled rock climbers able to establish camera positions in almost any location.

Camera Corps is exhibiting with Polecam on stand 10.C49 at IBC 2009, Amsterdam.

www.cameracorps.co.uk