80six video production team deployed Blackmagic’s ATEM 2 M/E Constellation 4K for Glass Animals’ tour, delivering views to giant LED screens from a fleet of URSA Broadcast G2s.
Independent video technology company 80six handled live production for the UK and European dates of the Glass Animals: Tour of Earth in October and November 2024. “The creative concept for the tour was already established, and our job was to bring this vision to life on stage through the LED screens, using our custom video solution,” said Jack James, co founder and director of 80six. “We worked closely with Cassius Creative, a production and lighting design studio from London, to align the vision.”
The core equipment set-up across the different stops of the tour included a fleet of Blackmagic Design URSA Broadcast G2 cameras, using SPMTE fibre chains to position the cameras around the stage and front of house (FOH). With this kind of fibre cabling, the AV signals or power could be carried to and from the cameras over a single cable, keeping the set-up simpler and more flexible for the screens, recording and so on. These G2s were accompanied by several PTZ cameras and Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K G2s for close up and low angle shots.
Connecting Sound and Vision
80six racks engineer Samuel Siegel said, “We paired the URSA Broadcasts with Canon UHD-DIGISUPER 90 and HD22 parfocal lenses, which were able to maintain focus while zooming in and out. With these lenses, the remote control functionality and comms integration of the URSAs made the whole installation easier to operate.”
The SMPTE fibre cabling connecting video signals, power and comms – such as their digital matrix or partyline system – to and from the cameras ran backstage to a portable production unit (PPU), which centred on the ATEM 2 M/E Constellation 4K live production switcher and an ATEM Camera Control Panel for remote camera shading. Blackmagic Videohub 40x40 12G router was used for signal management. The team configured multiple HyperDeck Studio 4K Pro broadcast decks for recording, using a Blackmagic MultiView 16 built into the PPU rack for video monitoring.
Live Director Ed Coleman was stationed FOH to get a better view of the LED screens from the audience's point of view. To locate the gallery here, they replicated the PPU workflow and added an ATEM 2 M/E Advanced Panel for control, using optical fibre and an Ethernet network to establish a secure connection back to the PPU.
Monitoring Custom Screen Effects
“Using the Constellation 2 M/E switcher was essential for our setup,” noted Samuel. “We used the first M/E for the iMac PC driving screens on the sides, primarily showing what was happening on stage. The second M/E was dedicated to the massive upstage screen, across the back of the stage, which our team had installed. It made a really spectacular addition.
“The switcher’s SuperSource feature was also incredibly helpful. For example, we could create custom SuperSource layouts and display them as a program window in the Multiviewer 16, which made it even more versatile.” With SuperSource on the ATEM switchers, an operator can overlay up to four video camera sources on top of another video source, and then use this layout as one of the multiviewer’s program windows, extending its capacity.
The ability to customise so much of the workflow allowed 80six to experiment with different stylistic ideas. “Ed wanted to create an onscreen dream-like effect for the supporting act Big Moon,” Samuel said. “So, we created a desaturated, misty effect using the ATEM’s chroma keyer, which was applied by feeding the program back into itself to replace the background, and controlled by assigning it to a single button.
“It wasn’t just about making the show look good, it was about creating an experience that pulled the audience in, from start to finish.” www.blackmagicdesign.com
