Obvious C Broadcasts Skiing World Cup with Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design cameras capture cinematic sports production amidst freezing temperatures.
Blackmagic Design today announced that TV sports specialist Obvious C broadcast the 2025 Stepup Stoneham FIS Freeski Slopestyle World Cup, relying on its mobile production unit powered by Blackmagic Design cameras, switchers and more. Despite negative temperatures, snow and wind, the Montreal based video production company delivered a seamless live broadcast and live stream to more than 21 countries.
“The Stoneham Slopestyle event was a FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation) competition, and we were the host broadcaster,” noted Obvious C Founder and Technology Producer Alexandre Casabon. “That meant we had to manage several critical aspects of the production, including handling camera coverage for the entire venue, producing the final broadcast with all necessary elements, integrating a host and a sports specialist for the qualification live stream, coordinating with the FIS director, starter, and graphics team, and more. We also had to create a separate custom feed for the judges, so it didn’t impact the creativity of the main program.”
“Since it was an outdoor winter event, there were no preexisting cable paths, we faced unpredictable weather, and we had to tackle last minute setups, long days, and constant changes. On top of that, it was the event’s first ever edition, so there were plenty of unknowns,” he added.
As a first step, the Obvious C team laid down fiber throughout the event site, establishing a few main fiber paths leading to distribution hubs, which then branched out to smaller hubs closer to the cameras, monitors and networking equipment. From these hubs, they ran a dedicated multi fiber cable to each device.
“Our cameras included eight manned URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2s, some paired with Video Assist 7” 12Gs, three fixed Micro Studio Camera 4K G2s for creative angles, since we needed the smallest footprint possible while still maintaining good quality, and two Studio Camera 4K Pros for general wide shots,” said Casabon. “We use cinema cameras and cinematic studio cameras in our broadcasts because of their depth of field and how well they work in low light, as well as the ability to use a wide variety of lenses, all of which creates a unique, cinematic look.”
All camera SDI feeds were converted to fiber using Obvious C’s custom 3D printed mounting kits. “We do a lot of 3D printing to make our setup as plug and play as possible,” explained Casabon. “All fiber connections led back to our mobile unit, where we had two ATEM Talkback Converter 4Ks and a lot of Mini Converter Optical Fiber 12Gs.”
The mobile unit also housed ATEM 4 M/E Constellation HD and ATEM 2 M/E Constellation HD live production switchers, Blackmagic Videohub 40×40 12G, Blackmagic Videohub 10×10 12G, Smart Videohub 40×40 and Smart Videohub CleanSwitch 12×12 routers, and HyperDeck Studio HD Pro and HyperDeck Studio HD Mini broadcast decks, which handled video and graphics playback and clean and dirty feed recordings, respectively. Satellite signal was handled by a Teranex AV to convert to 1080i 59.94.
“We were pleasantly surprised at how well the gear functioned despite very extreme weather conditions. We faced -22°F temperatures, snowstorms, and intense wind, yet not a single camera failed. We pushed the equipment to its limits, and it delivered,” said Casabon.
“We even helped the local organizing committee build structures just so we could set up our equipment properly. The first qualification day was rough, but by the second day, we had everything dialed in,” he continued. “Another challenge was the presence of industry veterans, people who have judged, organized, and worked on major events, including the Olympics. We knew they had high expectations, and in the end, they were beyond impressed with our work. Thanks to them, the event was also a huge success for the athletes and the Quebec community.”
“We’re in the process of building a bigger mobile unit that will support workflows like 4K and SMPTE 2110,” Casabon concluded. “However, we will always prioritize making high quality broadcasts accessible to give smaller events and productions the coverage they also deserve. That’s why Blackmagic Design is the backbone of our workflow: we can use our expertise and the technology to keep costs down while delivering professional productions.”
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