Studios To Go

A Portable Production System Can Pack a Lot More Value Than Mere Flexibility

The often unpredictable production style of many of today’s reality TV shows, as well as the endless variety of corporate video and independent productions, all point to one thing: Agile systems that can go anywhere and produce anything are greatly in demand. And for many on a tight budget, these mobile production systems are the next best thing to a large and costly production truck.

These days, the technology and system configurations have gotten so good that you can now stage a full, multi-camera production, either live or in the studio, with results similar to those produced out of a traditional (and expensive) production studio. By renting a variety of gear (SD or HD) delivered in cases and set up quickly on site or by purchasing pre-configured "studio-in-a-box" systems that help avoid the hassles of setup and breakdown, you can go just about anywhere with your production.

Among the best sources for mobile production systems are the hundreds of rental houses throughout the country, which have supported remote video productions for many years by offering a multi-camera package complete with a production switcher, audio and lighting gear. The rationale for renting is that a production might be a one-day shoot, or it could be a monthly rental for a new episodic that is fighting to stay on the air. Renting is also a good option when budgets are limited and a DP wants to experiment with a new camera he or she might not otherwise be able to afford.

The Camera House, in Hollywood, offers the Grass Valley Viper FilmStream digital cinematography camera for rent (for about $6,000 per day; a typical 35mm film package rents for about $5,000/day); in tandem with an S.Two digital disk recorder and other equipment, giving filmmakers one of the most advanced options for capturing digital information and translating it into high-quality images and effects. The Viper, along with an in-house configuration of the S.Two digital film system by The Camera House itself, captures raw uncompressed data with a resolution equivalent to 2K resolution in film—the most common resolution found in major studio film releases.

Cash and Carry

Always do your research first. Tom Fletcher, vice president at rental house Fletcher Chicago, says it’s important to know the type of client you are serving and what their needs are before you come in to rent. His staff works with a wide variety of customers, from broadcasters and major sports producers, to corporate productions. Fletcher also sells mobile production systems. The advantage to renting equipment, he says, is that you can pick and choose the exact system you want, without making compromises.

The limit for a truly mobile system is four to six cameras, he says, because any system larger than that is harder to move around. A flyaway pack, designed to be shipped anywhere in the world, usually includes four cameras, a video production switcher, an audio mixer, microphones and some type of lighting. Of course, it also depends on the venue and application. There are many places where it is impractical to park a truck outside. In these cases, a smaller system, that can be set up inside, is the way to go. The price for these systems varies, depending on the equipment selected.

"In general, renting equipment packages for high-definition production is about 50 percent more expensive than an SD package," Fletcher says. "That’s because there aren’t a lot of HD cameras and switchers available, since most are on board the various mobile production trucks that produce live sporting and entertainment events. Sony’s D39 and D35 SD cameras remain a popular item for our mobile production packages, because it keeps the cost down, but customers can specify any camera model they’d like to use."

If you aren’t going live, that lightens the load considerably. "If your final product is not a live switched show, then people have the option to post it later, which makes a difference in the type of gear you rent," adds Fletcher. "Producing HD projects has become more affordable in the past year, but SD is still the dominant type of shooting going on today."

An Entire Truck in a Box?

LMG, Inc. made headlines this year by offering for rent a portable, multi-format "Truck-in-a-Box" mobile production system. Based in Orlando (with offices in Las Vegas and Phoenix, AZ), the rental facility provides audio, video, lighting, staging and presentation support for a wide range of clients. Its broadcast-quality portable system includes a Snell & Wilcox Kahuna switcher, Grass Valley WorldCam HD cameras, Marshall flat-panel monitors, Evertz multi-image display software and other equipment. Called the HD 1, LMG’s go-anywhere system can be taken out of the box and set up in a matter of minutes. The company has also just finished building a second HD truck-in-a-box system, which it values, like the first one, at about $1.5 million.

Traditional equipment manufacturers are also going portable and have developed products to meet the demand. Broadcast Pix offers its popular Studio2000 digital production system—a digital switcher, CG, still store and PC workstation for under $24,000—and Grass Valley markets a series of pre-configured (although not very portable) production "kits"—from its Presentation kit, for under $63,000, that features its CameraMan automated camera tracking system, up to a full-blown HD production kit. Available for about $370,000, the kit includes two LDK 6000 mk II WorldCam HD cameras, a Concerto router, a Kayak HD digital switcher, a Profile server with storage, as well as modular products and an Ethernet-based control system.

The most portable (and affordable) of them all, however, comes from Sony. The company’s Anycast Station—which, at about 15 pounds, is the size of an attaché case—has found a home with many small broadcasters and independent production companies. It lists for about $20,000.

The Anycast Station (AWS-G500) features a six-input, 4:2:2 video switcher, an audio mixer, a large LCD display and an optional streaming encoder and server. Signal support includes analog composite, S-video, SDI (optional), DV input and balanced audio as well as computer RGB inputs. The Anycast Station system lets you switch between live video and computer sources without the use of external line converters or degradation in picture quality. The built-in streaming encoder distributes video in real-time, in multiple formats, over the Internet or a local area network and the built-in audio mixer provides 48 kHz/24-bit processing, six stereo channel input mixing, six channel faders and one master fader.

Integrated Options

Rich Rubin is another big believer in integrated systems. He’s also convinced that most customers want an expert to configure systems for them. As president of Mobile Studios, Inc., a system integration and equipment sales company in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Rubin and his team configure and sell turnkey portable production systems because most folks don’t want the hassle of putting together their own systems. As an equipment sales company, Mobile Studios also offer Sony’s Anycast Station.

Mobile Studios’ standard MS7-DV system includes a 4-input Datavideo DV switcher (SE-800); Pentium 4 PC computer (120 GB hard drive); digital video recorder (distribution amplifier, Serious Magic DV Rack software); an audio mixer; one 17-inch monitor on top of four smaller Marshall flat-screen preview monitors and an uninterruptible power supply to keep the system running in case there’s a power failure. The configured console also comes with a fold-down side panel that can be used as an extra table for a separate piece of equipment, such as a character generator, teleprompter or source VTR. For customers who need it all, Mobile Studios can also provide cameras and other peripheral equipment, depending on the application.

Rubin says that with one of his company’s systems, a customer could do a four-camera shoot, or use three cameras and roll in a pre-taped segment from a VTR or digital disk recorder. The system can also be used for sending live video over the Internet; the necessary encoders and video streaming card can be added.

"You can’t roll a production truck from classroom to classroom, or boardroom to an office in a matter of minutes," Rubin says, adding that each system is custom built to spec. He’s also simplified the process for pros who want a standard configuration: For about $20,000, users can walk away with a system that includes gear most commonly used in a professional production.

Consoles on the Fly

At The Kennedy Space Center, in Cape Canaveral, FL, Duffin McGee works as a prime contractor to Boeing (under his company "Indyne"), where he uses the Mobile Studios MS7-DV system to produce videos about the international space station. These videos are shared with NASA personnel around country. He also uses it to document space shuttle launches. McGee says the system has been ideal for training videos and capturing executives in their office. He typically uses two JVC DYV-5000 cameras and sometimes a third Canon XL-1 with the system, which he says has saved his staff hours of time in production. "We don’t have to waste time digitizing footage into the computer’s hard drive," says McGee. "With the MV7-DV, we capture native DV directly into the computer and output it (via FireWire connection) to one of four edit systems-two Final Cut Pro and two Adobe Premiere—and edit on the fly."

McGee says the system’s price helps keep costs down, especially when he considers what the cost of renting or purchasing separate pieces of gear might be. Based on the regularity of his work, he thinks he’s paid for it in a little under a year. He also says that by opting for a pre-configured system, he’s eliminated a lot of the problems that come with setting up a traditional studio piece by piece.

Anywhere NLEs

Cameras and live switchers aren’t the only portable systems gaining traction. Desktop NLEs, rented or bought as single workstations or multi-seat SANs and shipped to any location, are one of the specialties of the DR Group, located in Culver City, CA. The company is one of the largest value-added-resellers of Apple Final Cut Pro. Lowell Kay, founder of the company in 1992, has seen his FCP business grow steadily in the past six years, as TV network producers and independent filmmakers increasingly don’t want the hassle and expense of owning their own systems. The company will ship systems anywhere in the world, from locations in Hawaii to motion picture studio backlots in Hollywood. "We usually go through an amortization of what the equipment costs and whether it makes sense to rent or buy," Kay says. The DR Group’s service contract is somewhat unique: The company also offers to monitor those FCP systems remotely and diagnose (and fix) problems from anywhere in the world, via Apple’s Remote Desktop application. The company’s portable systems, which can be packed in highly mobile flyaway kits, rent for approximately $900 to $2,500 per week, depending on system configuration. This can include multiple G5 computers, multiple NTSC (SD and HD) monitors, ingest and graphics stations and a fully functioning SAN, based on Apple’s Xsan technology. Recent rental clients include MTV Networks, Fox, The Grammy Awards, and Major League Baseball. Along with location-based rentals, the DR Group also offers post-production and digital intermediate services at their 12,500 sq. ft. facility, where people can come in to use FCP workstations, VTRs and other equipment on a piece-meal basis.

"We’ve created an environment where people can come in, use our equipment, by the hour, day or week," says the DR Group’s Kay. "We have technical support, but you bring in your editor, producer or director to do the work. A lot of people have Final Cut Pro on their desktop, but they don’t have the depth of knowledge to support it. That’s what we offer."