Where Dreams Begin

This whole Brigidine video thing began last year when Andrew Beiers asked me to do live video of a  similar but smaller artistic evening at the school.

https://thomsoneu.blogspot.com/2018/08/one-night-only-show.html

This year things seemed to get going slow and I was getting worried because time was moving and I do not do much of this anymore.  I was concerned that the piazza is a much larger venue than the school hall plus no built in screen.

Anyway the school asked CPC for a quote for them to do the video however the price was greater than the budget could support so it was back to the Frank option.

Further discussions and CPC said that they would bring their LED screen and a camera.  This was good news to me although I have to confesss I was somwhat skeptical about the screen.  I was imagining a somewhat grainy low resolution thing but it was one thing taken care of.

In the mean time, I got onto various friends to see what I could borrow.  I was figuring the CPC camera would be SDI and by the time I converted it to analogue, the delay would render it annoying for closeups.  The plan was to use the borrowed cameras as close up hand held etc. etc.

A couple of weeks before the production we had a site meeting with the school, CPC and myself and at that meeting CPC indicated that they would be be able to provide their OB van and cameras.  Boy did I breathe a sigh of relief.

Now I was imagining a high-ace van and the aforementioned grainy screen so when I arrived to assist setup on Thursday I was blown away to see the screen being set-up.  Bright, high resolution and crystal clear.

Back of the screen

The cameras were 4k.  For the uninitiated this is really good high resolution.

In order to ensure no delay the video is transmitted as uncompressed digital video on optical fibre.  The two white bits are the fibres and there are also 4 electrical contacts.  Only two here.  I assume they are for power.

Patch panel on the OB van

The school organised 4 camera operators plust caitlin that I had organised.  We put the 4 girls as two teams of two to operate the two close up cameras on dollys. One as the operator and one as a cable puller.

Nat from CPC

The camera with Nat ad Caitlin is up there in the middle somewhere