Formula 1, UEFA Champions League, Olympic Games, live shows of artists like Coldplay, Rolling Stones and Beyoncé, but also a festival like Tomorrowland. It is not a list of the most prestigious productions out there, but “just” a reference list of the Hilversum-based company Broadcast Rental, an international full-service rental company in the field of special cameras and wireless video connections, among other things. This season, the Hilversummers are again involved (on behalf of Ziggo Sport) in the registration of the matches played by PSV and Feyenoord in Eindhoven and Rotterdam in the UEFA Champions League.
Preparation
A day before the Feyenoord - Bayern Munich match we speak with operational director Frank Steenbeek at Broadcast Rental about the preparations for the meeting. This day Broadcast Rental is making the necessary preparations to be able to capture the match in the best possible way, among other things with the well-known MOVI-Ben Sony FX6 (operated by operator Ben de Graaf) and a Steadicam, operated by Lex Brouwer (The Crew). In Hilversum, a day before the contest, the bus is set up and all equipment is checked, of course. Everything breathes technology at Broadcast Rental.
Innovation
A few meters away, preparations are also already taking place for the job the company will do again at Formula 1. “There we've added a little trick to the technology rack we always use there,” explains Frank Steenbeek. “We've added LED lighting, which allows you to see what you're doing well even in the dark, without having to work with a light on your head at an evening race, for example. Just a little thing that makes the work easier, that's how we always try to be innovative.” Another example in that area is the new battery bought for use in Formula 1, Steenbeek explains. “That saves about 250 grams per battery. For the cameraman already a world of difference, but for us in terms of transport over an entire racing season of course much more. Technical and practical innovation, that's what it's all about.”
Upgrade MOVI-Ben
It was also about innovation when, more than ten years ago, Ben de Graaf made his now famous video with his MOVI (a ten-kilogram stabilization system for a camera) at the players' turnout for the Feyenoord - Ajax match. De Graaf moved among the players, showing things viewers had never seen before. Made possible by Broadcast Rental, of course. “Over the years we have done all kinds of things with that, we even jumped out of a helicopter with it,” says Steenbeek. “Now, after all these years, it was time for an upgrade. We wanted, also for application at UEFA Champions League matches, to make the MOVI-Ben setup even better with a more advanced setup, based on a new camera and full HDR. Then a whole process starts, in which, among other things, you have to start determining on the basis of which camera that should then be done.”
Sony FX6
The choice finally fell on the Sony FX6. “A lightweight camera, very good quality and easy to integrate into the operations of the regular parties we work with,” explains Steenbeek. “That only brought with it a challenge: we had to start developing a system that would allow us to control the camera in terms of color temperature, white balance and the like. Also, Ben needed to know when his shot is on air - as Sony had not developed this functionality for this camera - and with that we also needed to find a physically small Video transmitter that could send the HDR signal from the FX6. We then developed an idea and had the protocol written by Videosys, our regular partner when we do things like this. We wrote a language that allows the various elements to communicate with each other. It's really nothing more than a Bi-directional UHF transmitter and receiver. In the end, that all worked out.” The result is now that the Sony FX6 can be combined with a MOVI Rig, which means that cinematic shots can now be made, without sacrificing the control that larger, heavier and much less flexible regular camera systems offer.”
In addition to the aforementioned Sony FX6, the vision at Broadcast Rental is to be able to control as wide a pallet of cameras as possible via a wireless solution. Recent examples of this include the Black Magic Ursa G2. There are also several other camera brands we can control such as the Sony (Venice/PXW Z450/750/P50/FX9/P1/Burano), the ARRI Alexa mini LF, Alexa 35 and all other Arri cameras with the CAP protocol , the Grass Valley (LDX150/LDX 86N/Compact), Dreamship and Protone mini cameras. In this way, Broadcast Rental can control the entire camera market in all segments.
Unburdening
After a period of testing and making minor adjustments, there was finally the set-up as it is now used at UEFA Champions League matches. “Ziggo Sport already knew us from Formula 1 and they know they can really pick up an innovative project with us. Based on what they saw with us now, they were keen to apply this to the Champions League as well,” Steenbeek said. So too tomorrow, at the match between Feyenoord and Bayern Munich, where Broadcast Rental will provide a total package, he further explains. “I always find it an added value anyway if we are not just a supplier, but really have a worry-free function. That way we have all the elements under control ourselves and our customer, Ziggo Sport in this case, doesn't have to think about anything in this area. So tomorrow we will also supply a Steadicam and a wireless view monitor for the interviewer on the field. Then I literally supply the whole package: a cameraman, a focus puller, a camera and a lens. And so those two people bring a rig for the Steadicam. And in addition, then Ben de Graaf comes with his rig and his focus puller. Moreover, we make sure that all the connections are there and that the wireless sets work perfectly. All the technology is with us, they don't have to think about anything.”
Anticipate
Tomorrow, between thirty and forty different broadcasters will be present in Rotterdam, Steenbeek estimates. “The stakes are high, so it's also important to come prepared, with good gear, the right people and reliable equipment.” Ziggo Sport knows that Broadcast Rental is fine with that, and for the Hilversummers themselves, the time when a project like the UEFA Champions League caused too much excitement is probably over. Steenbeek: “But I like it when the people who are going to carry it out still feel a bit of tension. They can still feel a bit of sweat on their upper lip; that keeps them on their toes. There are always things you have to watch out for. In a way, wireless connections remain somewhat vulnerable. If we want to capture the arrival of the Bayern Munich players' bus tomorrow, but the bus driver doesn't know exactly where to stand and blocks the line of sight that we have there with our receiving antennas, you'll be spotted. You will have to keep anticipating things like that on location, as well as the reflections you have to deal with in such a large building with a lot of glass, iron and concrete.”
Preparing
The match against Bayern Munich starts at 9 p.m. for Feyenoord, and the Broadcast Rental people will be present at De Kuip about five to six hours before that. “Then we park the bus, the power goes on and we connect the cables that have been laid down,” Steenbeek explains. “Then we will prepare the sets for Ben and the Steadicam, which will already be tested extensively here today. Ben de Graaf will be there first, they often let him run some images beforehand, for example in the dressing room or on the square in front of the stadium. Half an hour after that, the Steadicam will arrive. That's a reasonable “fixed set-up. Less complex than the MOVI and more a matter of just hooking up the equipment and go. Our broadcast engineer on location is Jens van der Vleuten, who has learned the trade very well over the years. You name it, the guy is in his early 20s, but you can put this right in his hands. That also suits the way we work. We offer people opportunities and see quickly enough who takes them up and fulfills them in the right way. Jens is a very good example of that.”
Test
Once all the gear is running, a test with the facility operator takes place on site. Does the tally work? Do the shading and intercom do what they are supposed to do? “And after that there is a full technical check,” Steenbeek said. “After that, it's basically waiting for the match to start, but of course we are already taking footage at the arrival of player buses and the like. That can all be played out live, but can also be recorded to use later in the broadcast. Just whatever they want.”
Teletubbie
After the match, a wireless viewing monitor developed by Broadcast Rental itself will also be deployed. During the post-match discussions on the field, images can be viewed on it. This used to be done with a wired screen, but the Hilversummers have come up with a solution where someone hangs a wireless screen on his belly and can literally do anything with it. “We jokingly called that screen the Teletubbie and it turns out to be a hit,” Steenbeek explains. “Hugely lightweight and therefore super practical. You can easily have a chat in the goal area on the field, while still being able to show all kinds of images back to the guests. A small effort, with a big result. We make sure that somewhere on the field we get the video signal of what they want to see. We put that in the transmitter and so it can be used all over the field. It really adds value to content that way, you make a show more beautiful with it and that's exactly what we want.”
Mission accomplished
Once the final contribution is made, Broadcast Rental's gear is on the bus an hour later and the team is ready to leave. The cameras loaded, the antenna positions cleared. When technically everything has checked out and Feyenoord has miraculously won 3-0 against Bayern Munich, we can say: mission accomplished, again!
Side Note: Only in the Netherlands
The way UEFA Champions League matches are recorded in the Netherlands is special. UEFA actually applies the same strict rules everywhere, also opting for a more or less fixed camera plan everywhere. “Normally this is then filled in with two Steadicams, but we, together with our partners, introduced MOVI-Ben and received permission to use it,” Frank Steenbeek explains. “Before that, of course, we had to jump through all kinds of hoops and observe the rules, but in the end we got it done. That is great to see and in the end you really see it reflected in the way we are able to visualize things here in the Netherlands.