Multi-cam monitoring at a live event

[Micah Mcdowell]

Depends on what you mean by monitoring. Also depends on which cameras.

Are these three cameras being switched live, or just three cameras recording separately? Do you just need to see the output, or do you want control (like a camera control unit, often known as a CCU)?

[Mark Suszko]

There are wireless video transmitters you can hang off the back of a camera, so a director can watch remotely what three roving cameras are getting. Thru a wierless headset, he can tell the camera operators when they are missing something or both getting the same thing, and this is useful even when not live-switching but shooting for a multicam edit in post later. Trango systems is one supplier I know of, but there are now many others. Try supercircuits and Markertek, as well as B&H, for some ideas as to price/vs. performance. Relatively few systems, (all expensive) are good enough that you would want to try to live-switch the Rf feed. But for just monitoring, many can be made to work. Range vs. cost is the biggest issue.

[Ayodele Banjo]

Am not thinking about recording or switching, i am just looking for set that allows a director the ability to see what his camera men are doing. The data will cut as a multi-cam in post.

[Joel Servetz]

Are these cameras moving or stationary? My own experience with the lower cost rf transmitters from Supercircuits and others is that they are generally unreliable and easily interfered with. Only high-end transmitters will work reliably. What’s your budget for rentals? If the cameras are stationary, rent a video mixer with loop through monitor outs on each channel, hard-wired to each camera and use any inexpensive monitor on each channel just to see the image from each camera. If you can’t afford to rent a professional wired or wireless intercom system to talk to your camera operators, inexpensive FRS walkie talkies with headsets work just fine. Professional equipment is always better, but if you’re on a tight budget what I described above will work just fine.

Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com
http://www.rgbmediaservices.com

[Lee Hopper]

easiest way is to connect a cble to each camera, then connect to a 8 inch monitor, since you are running a cable I would also include a 2 way communication system so that the person directing can give direction to the camera men.
If I was going to all that trouble, I would hook up a mixer and a recorder to get a pre mix recording to start with