THE customer
Pike Media Lab is a versatile broadcast and production house based in Moscow, Russia. It provides services ranging from system integration and TV production to the creation of TV channels. When Pike Media landed a global project that required a broadcast studio in Sydney, Australia, they came to Gravity Media for help.
The project
Global Marketing Day 2019 is the first 24-hour online conference for marketers. The event featured over 50 key speakers and 150 industry marketing experts, engaging a virtual audience of innovative in-house marketeers, sharp-witted CMOs and bright creative minds.
Pike Media engaged the team at The Production Centre, Sydney – then branded Chief Entertainment ‒ to provide a studio production and connectivity solution for the Australian broadcast window, ahead of the event shifting to studios in London, New York and San Francisco. This involved creating a set and facilitating a six-hour, live downstream studio and TVU connectivity to Russia.
The approach
As the client was based in Russia, and with day and night timezone differences in Australia, Gravity Media deployed two account managers to ensure we could cater for the client’s every need, both in and out of normal business hours.
A senior production manager oversaw set creation, crewing, facilities and connectivity via TVU to the hub in Russia, whilst staying in constant communication with Pike Media to give confidence that all their needs and requirements were being met on the other side of the world in Australia.
The technical setup included a three-camera HD broadcast studio, on-screen graphics and content played back through EVS, and the six-hour broadcast feed being monitored by our onsite MCR. Production and technical communications between Moscow and Sydney was handled by our in-house IP systems.
Guests and talent made full use of The Production Centre’s modern green room and make-up facilities, as well as the private lounge area and a quiet workspaces.
THE outcome
Two Hosts, 12 keynote speakers from companies such as Google, Dell, Vodafone and Canon, with 24 industry marketing experts completed non-stop six-hour live studio production before handing over to London for the next leg. It was a very successful production that trended across all social media platforms.
The client was very happy with the outcome, stating: “The whole broadcast from Sydney looked very good and showed the world what real professionalism looked like.”
THE PROJECT
When more than one million people took to Paris streets following the horrendous 2015 Charlie Hebdo and supermarket attacks, television news crews scrambled to get live footage of the remarkable scenes of collective grief and unified defiance.
Those tuning in to the news at home were offered a rare opportunity to see positive action playing out on their screens following the senseless tragedy, which saw 17 people lose their lives.
A host of world leaders were present at the Je Suis Charlie Solidarity. French President Francois Hollande went as far as to tell gathered crowds, which included a host of world leaders, “Today, Paris is the capital of the world.”
French broadcaster M6 and the 24-hour television news channel BFM TV were among many different networks clamouring to secure a good position from which to cover the much-publicised march.
What they needed was quickly deployable, reliable RF ENG (Radio Frequency Electronic News Gathering) kits, the performance of which would not be affected by the very real threat of potential interference from other links, caused by the unusually high demand for spectrum space.
THE SERVICE
Gravity Media – then branded Gearhouse Broadcast – with its wealth of experience providing bespoke broadcast solutions for major televised events the world over, was able to utilise its specialist industry knowledge to provide RF ENG kits that could be counted on.
The flexible and robust links provided by Gravity Media meant M6 and BFM TV were able to provide viewers with real-time coverage of the monumental events taking place in some of Paris’ most recognised landmarks, like Place de la Nation and Place de la République.
OUR APPROACH
The RF ENG kits supplied by Gravity Media included dependable wireless cameras, intercoms and the best radio microphones. In the end, six cameras supplied by Gravity Media were in operation that day. Roving reporters were able to easily keep in touch with colleagues back in the studio as events unfolded, thanks to the N-1 in-ear monitors provided as part of the kit.
In addition, Gravity Media technicians made use of specialist skills to carefully manage allotted frequencies, adapting RF systems to ensure there was no interference from other links, which could have been a major problem for M6/BFM TV.
THE EXPERIENCE
Gravity Media is world renowned for being able to provide effective broadcast solutions for even the most complex of requirements. Specialists when it comes to the provision of high quality broadcast equipment, production facilities and project management support, Gravity Media has a wealth of experience working on large-scale high-profile live events. Innovation, expertise, industry knowledge and flexibility give Gravity Media the edge over its competition. The company has worked on everything from the Olympic and Commonwealth Games to all the major tennis tournaments and reality shows such as “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here” and “Britain’s Got Talent”.
THE CUSTOMER
Prominent Arab television network Al Jazeera is a state-funded broadcaster headquartered in Doha, Qatar. It is owned by the Al Jazeera Media Network, a major global news organisation which in turn, is owned by the government of Qatar. The network has 80 bureaus worldwide and broadcasts to 310 million households in more than 100 countries.
Initially launched as an Arabic news and current affairs satellite television channel in 1996, Al Jazeera was the first independent news channel in the Arab world. The network now offers television channels in multiple languages, including English.
THE PROJECT
Al Jazeera required an upgrade to the technical equipment housed in one of its control rooms, as existing equipment had become obsolete. Following a full tender process, the network selected leading broadcast solutions provider, Gravity Media – then branded Gearhouse Broadcast – to carry out the work.
THE APPROACH
Gravity Media’s Systems Integrations division drew on its vast experience in carrying out all manner of studio upgrades when approaching this project. Coupled with the unrivalled technical expertise of its team, an ability to innovate when devising solutions meant Gravity Media was able to quickly and efficiently carry out this upgrade, meeting all client objectives in a cost-effective manner.
The team worked hard to ensure the newly-configured equipment offered producers flexibility of use. Each piece of state-of-the-art kit was carefully selected from among the latest and best broadcast technologies available at the time. Only top-quality, reliable, cost effective solutions were employed throughout the entire upgrade process.
Gravity Media’s expert engineers replaced key items of production equipment in the control room, installing and integrating the following equipment Sony DVS-9000 vision mixer, Pixel Power graphics, 2x Miranda multi-viewer systems, 8x 52” Sony LCD panels, Midas audio mixing console and Miranda iControl monitoring system.
The team also needed to either modify or replace monitor stacks and desk furniture for Al Jazeera. Detailed planning and careful project management allowed the Gravity Media to complete this whilst not disrupting the busy schedule and requirements of what was a working studio.
THE CUSTOMER
Prominent Arab television network Al Jazeera is a state-funded broadcaster headquartered in Doha, Qatar. It is owned by the Al Jazeera Media Network, a major global news organisation which in turn, is owned by the government of Qatar.
The network has 80 bureaux worldwide and broadcasts to 310 million households in more than 100 countries. Initially launched as an Arabic news and current affairs satellite television channel in 1996, Al Jazeera was the first independent news channel in the Arab world. The network now offers television channels in multiple languages, including English.
THE PROJECT
The main Doha studio used for Al Jazeera’s popular 24-hour rolling news channel required renovations. A temporary solution of the highest quality was needed in order to continue screening the news. The Qatar-based network selected internationally renowned broadcast services specialist Gravity Media – then branded Gearhouse Broadcast – to design and install a fully operational temporary studio that would enable it to retain high production values.
Due to the continual output of the channel, the switchover from the main studio to the new temporary one had to be seamless with only minimal external technical support to ensure continuity was maintained.
THE APPROACH
Gravity Media had at the time of this project, already worked with Al Jazeera on a number of projects, including its Studio 2 upgrade and its coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Gravity Media offered a complete bespoke service, providing the design, equipment and crew for the new studio, as well as full on-site training for Al Jazeera’s production team.
Once the initial switchover had taken place, the next stage of the project involved upgrading the temporary studio to a fully HD operation
The new studio is equipped with seven Sony HDC-1500 camera channels, three EVS XT3 production servers, four EVS IPDirector production asset management systems, three Final Cut Pro edit suites and a Snell Sirius router.
A Thomson XtenDD35 production switcher was initially installed and then replaced with a Grass Valley Kayenne video production software platform as part of the subsequent HD upgrade. Within the studio, Gravity Media built and lit a full cyclorama green-screen studio to allow chroma keying so that the look of Al Jazeera’s regular studio could be recreated cost-effectively, maintaining the broadcaster’s easily recognisable branding
The team also needed to either modify or replace monitor stacks and desk furniture for Al Jazeera. Detailed planning and careful project management allowed the Gravity Media to complete this whilst not disrupting the busy schedule and requirements of what was a working studio.
THE OUTCOME
Gravity Media’s vast experience in studio builds helped it successfully deliver this project on time and to budget. The careful planning and unrivalled technical expertise of the Gravity Media engineers meant the work was carried out with no disruption to the channel’s output.
