ARRI’s new Fiber Remote Option for the ALEXA camera has been integrated into OB coverage of a Coldplay concert at the Stade de France in Paris. The footage forms part of a film entitled Coldplay Live 2012, which will be screened in cinemas worldwide tomorrow night before its DVD release on 19 November. The ALEXA Fiber Remote Option is a version of the ALEXA camera that has been adapted specifically for broadcast-style, multi-camera productions. Using a certified system that includes CopperHead from Telecast Fiber Systems, ALEXA and ALEXA Plus models can be connected through a SMPTE 311M fibre connection and remote controlled for live painting of the image. In May 2012 freelance cameraman Nathaniel Hill was hired as a supervisor by JADigital and began discussing ways to incorporate high-quality images into Coldplay Live 2012 with director Paul Dugdale. “Paul and I discussed the advantages and disadvantages of having mixed formats on the shoot,” said Hill. “For a long time I have wanted to find a better way of integrating everything the beautiful 35 mm chip cameras have to offer into the broadcast of music events and TV recordings, but found my options limited to having to involve these cameras as a completely separate entity to the main OB shoot.” Four ALEXA cameras were put to use on the shoot, working alongside 17 other HD cameras as part of an OB setup. Three of the ALEXAs were equipped with the Fiber Remote Option and were positioned to the front of the stage for a master wide shot, behind the band for tracking reverse shots, and in the pit to stage-left for close-ups of the band; a fourth ALEXA was operated wirelessly on a Steadicam for roaming shots on stage. Hill continued: “Slow motion was important on this project and we were able to record 50 fps Log C in the camera, while Paul could watch a 25 fps Rec 709 image in the OB truck, giving him yet more options in the edit. The ARRI system allowed the vision engineer in the truck to have control of iris, colour balance, blacks, gamma, shutter, knee, gain and detail. This all helped to achieve the desired look of the concert on site and to match the ALEXA image and setup with the Sony broadcast cameras.”www.arri.com
