Live streams production

The real heart of the entire system is the image and sound mixer. Since Blackmagic Design launched new products from the Atem Mini series in 2019, the market has gained a completely new segment, previously reserved exclusively for high-budget productions. Whereas, when in 2021 the world saw the Atem Mini Extreme models, including Supersource functions and two USB and HDMI outputs, the possibilities have become so great, that with the appropriate quality of other equipment, experience of the crew and proper preparation for the transmission, their quality can be comparable to TV!

I mentioned above, that the transmission can be carried out with the use of up to eight cameras, everything of course depends on the budget and real needs. At Kaktus.studio we work with two own Sony a7sIII and Sony A7IV cameras, which guarantee the same picture and allow to obtain beautiful and natural colors with the S-Cinetone profile. If more equipment is necessary, we use a rental company. In addition, we have Manfrotto video tripods, thanks to which the movement of the camera is smooth and pleasing to the eye.

It is said that the viewer’s tolerance level is much higher with the image than with the sound, and therefore we try to care for it to the highest degree. So, we have at our disposal, first of all, Sennheiser wireless systems with lavalier microphones, which are standard on many TV and radio stations. The next ones are Sennheiser and Rode directional microphones, as well as a Zoom H6 sound recorder. In addition, which I did not mention, the Atem Mini Extreme itself allows you to use functions such as the Equalizer with low and high pass filter, Expander or Limiter. All this means that the sound accompanying the image will be clear and pleasant to the ear, whereas the program hosts  unrestricted by the space when moving around on the set.

Another important element is the lighting on the set. We have at our disposal two Fomei lamps with a power of 210W each, together with softboxes with a diameter of 120 cm, and a smaller Aputure Amaran lamp with a power of 60W, also with a softbox. These lamps provide very uniform lighting in terms of color reproduction and have a variable color temperature, which allows them to adapt to the existing conditions on the set. In addition, if necessary, we use the lamps of a friendly manufacturer – Glare One.

To ensure the event’s success later, together with the client, we prepare a detailed scenario of all the activities on the air. We also make an appointment in advance to check the possibilities of setting cameras and lighting the scene, or test the quality of the Internet connection.

The offer of Kaktus.studio also includes the possibility of ordering the appropriate graphic design, including video clips for the start and end of the broadcast, matching the colors and logotype used by the client.

On the day of the broadcast we check in at the site at least a few hours earlier to calmly prepare for the event, assembling equipment, cables, etc. (and especially later disassembling) is by far the least liked part of the whole process. Then we go on the air, and the experience and prepared action plan allow us to work without unpleasant surprises. And when the broadcast comes to an end, the happy faces of the participants say one thing: we got it!

Finally, after the end of the broadcast, clients often share the record on social media, which can be previously corrected in the studio, as well as possibly supplemented with additional elements, such as subtitles for the deaf viewers or translations.

In the future live streams we would like to use the possibilities offered by the equipment even more creatively, e.g. to create a virtual studio using the so-called green screens. Although we all wish that the pandemic would not come back to us, the changes that have taken place seem to be irreversible and probably many events in the future will be carried out in two ways, both for guests gathered on site and for those in front of TV screens, monitors, tablets or smartphones.