Filmnova partners with Grabyo to produce World Triathlon Para Series in the cloud
When the World Triathlon Para Series, which offers an inclusive global opportunity for athletes of all disabilities to perform at elite levels, returned to Leeds, UK, for the fifth time this month, Filmnova used Grabyo Producer to deliver in-depth and dynamic coverage to BBC Sport Online and other digital platforms.
Filmnova’s production crew consisted of just 10 people, who shot, edited and mixed the broadcast using a combination of four cameras with Mobile Viewpoint cellular bonded units linked to Grabyo.
Using Grabyo’s live production platform Grabyo Producer, Filmnova’s director mixed live feeds from each mobile camera, adding graphics and VOD assets from around the course. Being cut remotely and situated off site from the race venue, the equipment required was minimal and lightweight, mainly laptops with an internet connection along with additional tablets for viewing purposes on site.
To bring viewers as close to the race as possible, Filmnova needed to ensure it offered a variety of angles and perspectives on the race to replicate the live atmosphere.
Three Timeline cameras were free to move around the course, feeding race footage into Grabyo. The last camera followed the presenter, Rob Walker, who conducted interviews and hosted guests throughout the day.
Filmnova’s producer used Grabyo’s multiviewer to monitor each feed for quality and to decide when and where to switch, while the director operated Grabyo’s vision mixer, graphic tools and new audio mixer.
The production team had a total of six live microphones available at any one time. Three handhelds were linked back via the presenter camera, with the remaining three cameras sending back their natural sound utilising top mics. Audio was mixed using a dedicated interface within Grabyo Producer, enabling producers to precisely mix the gain, pan, fade and levels of audio in a browser tab, instead of an on-site mixing deck.
Graphics, supplied by Moov, were loaded into Grabyo Producer before the broadcast went live, allowing for the director to author graphics for the race in real-time.
The broadcast was multicast to the BBC Sport website and TriathlonLive.tv.
“Grabyo allowed us to have an incredible amount of flexibility throughout raceday,” said Alex Lightfoot, producer, FilmNova “Working with Grabyo Cloud-based products meant that we could simplify our workflows, keep our team small but still deliver a quality output for viewers.”
Filmnova’s broadcast team also used Grabyo’s live clipping service and cloud editing tools to create clips from the race and add to the live broadcast.
“We are proud to work with Filmova to deliver the World Triathlon Para Series in a new and innovative way,” said Gareth Capon, Grabyo CEO. “Supporting the Filmnova production crew to deliver a digital service that brings fans closer to the action, while simplifying workflows in the cloud, highlights the huge potential for cloud production at live events.”