Chapter 1
What is Remote Production?
Why live? Live events are the core of TV. They are the one thing TV can do that no other medium can match. There are things movies can do better. There are things radio can do better. But no other medium can bring you a visual report of an event as it’s happening. TV makes everyone part of history.
Tony Verna, Director, five Super Bowls and 12 Kentucky Derbies
Remote or outside broadcast (OB) production can be defined as a multi-camera production occurring outside of a studio context. Remotes come in all sizes and types. A small remote may consist of a two-camera production operating out of a small production Mini Cooper automobile or a closet. A big remote may include 20 or more cameras including a helicopter shot and point-of-view (POV) specialty cameras (see Figure 1.1).
The Remote
The remote broadcast environment challenges you personally and professionally in every which way; mentally, physically, technically, creatively, and in more ways than can be imagined.
Peteris Saltans, Audio Broadcast Engineer and Mixer
The key to a quality production is to assemble a team that can predict what is going to happen and where it is going to happen. It is important to choose a crew that knows their job and can work well together. The crew must understand how the event will unfold and how best to apply their television-related skills. Key to those predictive skills is the ability to plan for contingencies in case something goes wrong.
The more familiar the crew is with the event, the better they can cover it. Understanding the intricacies of the event allows the director and talent to clearly communicate what is happening on the field of play, allows the audio people to know how to set microphones for the event, and gives the camera operators the ability to predict how they should be moving their cameras. Some people are specialists who work only at specific types of events. For instance, a producer may specialize in figure skating events.
Figure 1.1
Remote production locations add variables that usually do not exist in the studio, such as weather, lighting, and audio.
Today, many events are covered by live remotes. Live events grab the viewers’ attention and help them feel as though they are witnessing history as it happens. The crew is also impacted by a live event. With no way to edit their work, there is a palpable need to get it right the first time. The result is a heightened sense of teamwork and concern for quality. Without adequate preparation, “live” can kill the broadcast production.
Live-to-Tape
Live-to-tape (while it is still called “live-to-tape,” videotape as a recording medium is quickly being phased out) usually refers to recording the event and then editing it for the final version compared. Even live-to-tape remote productions can take different forms. Most remote productions utilize a mobile production unit outfitted with live switching gear, video recorders, graphics, and space for the crew. However, some sport productions can be covered with multiple electronic news gathering (ENG) cameras. In this case, the entire production must be edited in postproduction. While live switching is faster, it requires an expensive remote unit, more equipment, longer setup time, and more crew members. Multiple ENG cameras require a postproduction facility and take more time in the postproduction process, but in the end are generally less expensive.
Remote versus Studio Production
While the studio can provide the director with the most control over the situation, the advantage to a remote production is the ability to capture the event as it is happening. Producers involved in the event from the beginning may be able to help select the event location so that the best visual background for the event is obtained. If the production is not far away, at times it can even be less expensive to shoot in the field than in a studio setting.
In the studio, you have the ultimate control over sound, lighting, electrical power, and weather, but in the field they can become your biggest problems. If there is not enough light or electric power, you need to provide it. If the public address system or other unwanted sounds interfere with your audio, you need to change your microphone positions. If the weather gets bad, the event may get cancelled.
As mentioned earlier, your crew must be chosen carefully. However, on a remote, the production may be somewhat dependent on people that you do not have any control over, who do not necessarily understand the television production process. This could include personnel such as police and venue management and technical personnel. It becomes essential that the production crew cultivate good relationships with these people in order to facilitate the access that is required.
The mobile unit’s size may also cause some issues on a remote production location. These could include traffic blockage and parking spaces for the truck. Another associated issue is that parking spaces may not be available for the crew near the mobile unit. Parking space near the truck may also be required for a portable generator that provides power or even backup power.
If the production is occurring far from the home base, management has to be concerned with providing food, lodging, and transportation for the crew, which can add considerable expense to the production costs.
Often, location permits are required for a crew to shoot in remote locations. Obtaining those permits can be a time-consuming process.
When the advantages of a remote production outweigh the disadvantages, then you hit the road, with crew and equipment in tow.