TV Tokyo (Japan) broadcasts live from Barcelona with a Blackmagic Design workflow

Der Schwarze Magie Pocket Cinema Camera 6K and an ATEM Mini Extreme ISO mixer have been fundamental to the workflow that allowed TV Tokyo (Japan) to broadcast live from Barcelona.

Hosted by Hiroiki Ariyoshi, one of Japan’s most renowned presenters, the monthly program Ariyoshi no Sekai doji chukei recreates travel experiences in the time of Covid-19. Each episode focuses on images of a destination, while the host and guests enjoy a virtual tour with a local flavor. Carlos Larrondo, production specialist for LivestreamBCN, co-directed and produced the Barcelona tour with cameraman Roger La Puente, image consultant Sonia Solari and production manager Aya Nomura.

Needing a mobile system with Internet streaming capability, the production team focused their workflow on a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K unit and an ATEM Mini Pro Extreme ISO mixer. As Larrondo commented, “I knew the Pocket Cinema Camera would match the required broadcast standard for Japanese television while still giving us cinematic images that look great over a live stream connection.”

Director Idota managed the shoot from Japan, via Zoom, in order to communicate with the production team located in Barcelona. The cameraman walked through the city streets with the unit on a stabilizer attached to his belt. At the same time, Carlos followed the crew with an ATEM Mini Extreme ISO to ensure the transmission was flawless, relying on 4G mobile connection capabilities.

A challenging shoot

Larrondo recalls the shoot as a “varied and challenging” job, such as the escalators at the Diagonal Mar shopping mall, the panoramic ascent of the Diagonal hotel or the interview with gastronomic influencer María Cosbel, who tasted typical tapas at Casa Carmen.

The production team captured the footage in ProRes 422 1080p and relied on the Gen 5 Film to Extended Video conversion board to achieve a dimmed, low-contrast aesthetic: “With strong sunlight an issue for us during the shoot, the camera’s focus peaking was invaluable, ensuring we achieved sharp images with brilliant colors as we set about capturing the city’s lively spirit on an ordinary day.” The program mix was recorded to an SSD drive from the ATEM Mini Extreme ISO device as a DaVinci Resolve project because the broadcaster also needed to be able to use the files in other episodes of the show.

Larrondo is very pleased with the workflow provided by the Blackmagic-Design equipment: “In just two days, we were able to shoot, stream, and deliver the final master for a Japanese national travel show relying on nothing more than a camera, a switcher and an internet connection. The creative freedom Blackmagic Design workflows offer is unmatched.”