October 21, 2024
In an On Air exclusive, we produced All Time Low’s ‘Forever’ tour show in Maryland, U.S, from our HQ in the Netherlands, reaping the benefits as an innovative, cost-effective, and sustainable alternative to traditional in-person production.
Instead of requiring on-site equipment, personnel, and operations, remote production allows a live event in one location to be managed from in-house studios worldwide. But how does this work without the essentials ‘on the home ground’ exactly?
Here’s a closer look at how On Air tackles virtual event productions, the advantages of working remotely and strategies that ensure team and project success.
Partnering with Experts
To bring All Time Low’s concert stream to life, we teamed up with creative video agency NOMOBO for seamless and cinematic results. Their expertise in delivering exceptional, high-quality remote broadcasts from their state-of-the-art centralised production facility (boasting three control rooms, two audio studios, and multiple breakout rooms) allowed us to scale and manage this complex event from Amsterdam.
“NOMOBO delivers a cost-effective solution for recording concerts at the highest quality, offering Ultra HD, HDR and Atmos audio. With our innovative remote production workflows, we reduce the need for large on-site teams, utilising remote monitoring and direction to minimise environmental impact while maximising value. In partnership with On Air, we’re making it possible to capture live performances for a wider range of artists, bringing exceptional concert experiences to audiences around the world.” – Constantijn van Duren, Founder & CCO at NOMOBO
The Benefits
Remote production offers several advantages:
First, it’s cost-efficient, reducing the need for extensive travel, accommodation, and large on-site crews, saving up to 20% compared to traditional production methods. This approach makes it a more attractive and affordable option for producing events quickly without compromising quality.
Second, it’s sustainable, significantly reducing the carbon footprint by limiting the number of people and equipment on-site. For example, NOMOBO’s centralised approach leaves 40% of their team back in their studios, cutting down on travel-related emissions and environmental impact.
Last but not least, it’s quicker – a remote set-up reduces the prep time required for large-scale broadcasts by 50%! Instead, the process is streamlined, involving only on-screen talent (such as All Time Low), camera operators, an Engineer-In-Charge, and the key decision-makers. This means directors, operators, and engineers can control each camera from their studios, reducing downtime and increasing flexibility.
Essential Tools for High-Quality Production
Thanks to rapid advancements in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and other groundbreaking technologies, remote production solutions are often characterised by high quality, low latency, and scalability. On Air relies on two vital components to establish a smooth workflow:
Stable and high-speed internet connection – crucial for flawless video and audio feed transmission from the venue to our control room to ensure real-time synchronisation and high-quality output.
Low latency encoders and decoders to ensure zero delays when transmitting video and audio from the event site to our hub in the Netherlands, preserving the energetic feel of All Time Low’s concert.
Seamless Viewer Experience
Even the most well-planned productions can encounter technical issues, for example, there’s an outage or glitch at the event site (such as the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland). For an uninterrupted broadcast from start to finish, we use Amazon Web Service transcoders across multiple regions to ensure reliability and redundancy.
For peace of mind, On Air’s skilled technical crew work both production ends to troubleshoot and resolve problems quickly.
Storage and Security
During All Time Low’s concert filming in the U.S, master recordings were securely stored on-site, while multi-view footage and backups were kept remotely at NOMOBO’s facilities. Our commitment to data protection includes encrypted networks and file storage encryption, ensuring sensitive content remains secure and removing the risk of breaches!
Collaborative Efforts
Leveraging the power of NOMOBO’s centralised production capabilities, On Air’s commitment to innovation and cinematic standards, and All Time Low’s creative input to post-production, we delivered the live concert stream to millions of fans across the globe.
Here’s how the magic of ‘Forever: Live in Maryland’ unfolded: