Putting on a super show: Lamborghini World Finals 2023 rely on EMG Italy
The Lamborghini World Finals is an annual unmissable event organised by the Italian supercar manufacturer that brings together owners and fans of the brand.
Now in its tenth year, the event provides a unique opportunity to experience the latest supercars designed and crafted in Sant’Agata Bolognese, and offers a chance to meet other enthusiasts while learning about Lamborghini’s history and culture. The record-breaking 2023 edition took place at Vallelunga, Italy on 17-18 November 2023, welcoming over 10,000 spectators during the weekend, who watched more than 90 registered cars take part in 12 races.
“We have devoted our attention to this production since 2016,” says Antoine Bulos, executive producer of EMG Italy. “Personally, I handle everything related to production, including event design for Lamborghini Squadra Corse [Automobili Lamborghini’s motorsport department]. With this prestigious client, we go beyond television, addressing crucial aspects such as editorial content, advertising placement along the track, international and national distribution of the feed, and the implementation of integrations for on-site broadcasters.”
Worldwide races
EMG Italy once again handled the entire television production, a decision that was based on results from a vote carried out after each race by professionals closely involved with the production. The evaluation covers various aspects, including team collaboration, image quality, smoothness and adherence to timing, and guarantees of worker safety – crucial in productions at racing circuits.
The Lamborghini World Finals mark the end of the 2023 Super Trofeo Europe, Asia and North America season. These preceding races are organised locally and regionally worldwide. They are open to all Lamborghini owners, regardless of their experience or the type of supercar they own. Winners from local and regional races qualify for the Lamborghini World Finals.
“After 30 years of experience as a project manager in television production, transitioning from major Superbike and MotoGP events, the Lamborghini racing department team trusts my work and EMG Italy’s production,” Bulos continues. “In practice, we provide them with a complete package, overseeing the entire project from graphics to timing, managing relationships between various sectors, and supervising everything that goes on air.
“The client wants autonomy when it comes to which cars to install onboard cameras on, and we handle the installation of equipment. Another client choice is the graphic templates provided by their graphic department.”
For the Vallelunga World Finals, the Nova 126 mobile unit with a configuration similar to other high-end motorsport productions was called into action. Filming was carried out using 15 Sony HDC-4300 cameras with long lenses, plus five miniaturised cameras mounted onboard the cars.
On-track cameras and fibres
In addition to the onboard cameras managed via remote switching systems, three other cameras are connected via RF, with 12 cameras positioned on gantries around the circuit. Two of the RF-connected cameras are dedicated to pit reporters and interviews in English and Spanish, while the third captures the start, exciting moments of the race, and the audience’s enthusiasm.
The technical equipment also includes a high-speed super motion camera at 6X and one at 3X for replays.
Antoine Bulos, executive producer, EMG Italy
“Unlike other sports like soccer, basketball and volleyball, there is more meticulous technical work in motorsports circuits: the preparation is much more challenging for several reasons, and one of the main ones is the need to lay a very long optical fibre structure covering the entire circuit for the numerous cameras, up to 13km (in the past, it even reached 20km),” Bulos explains.
“Other than two cameras near the control room, all the other devices are connected with intermediate hubs and specific conversion devices with dual power and UPS for electrical continuity guarantees. The entire fibre system is the result of careful planning that considers safety and optimisation.”
Preparation
The races run from Friday to Sunday afternoon, however preparation begins the Monday before; on Tuesday, the riggers’ do all the cabling, Wednesday involves setting up the cameras, Thursday is set aside for internal technical tests and those with the director, before the broadcast starts on Friday.
The technical/editorial workflow also includes an external drone supplied by Robe di Droni, a company that has long collaborated with EMG on various projects: this addition was necessary to capture the large number of vehicles and the circuit’s layout by flying over the asphalt.
EMG Italy handles not only the entire progressive HD production but also the broadcast of images worldwide through an SRT system for high-quality video streaming.
“After gaining experience last year with this type of live streaming for the first time, Sky Italia, the broadcaster that aired these races in Italy, was convinced of the quality and reliability of this distribution method,” Bulos says. “It is based on high-quality encoders remotely managed by a NOC wired from the public network in a whitelist. The servers, located in the Netherlands, receive the signals and rebroadcast them worldwide, including a dedicated channel on YouTube and on Sky Germany, in addition to other global rightsholders.”
Streaming on SRT and the crew
The full HD signal is conveyed by a dedicated Vodafone internet connection, through a 100MB upload network capable of transporting a very high-quality signal to the NOC. International English commentary and Sky’s national customisation are done on-site at the circuit to overcome the latency issue.
The EMG Italy crew for Lamborghini is international, with Italian technical and artistic staff, and Spanish personnel, including an EVS operator, video mixer and renowned director Eduard Porta.
The Lamborghini Finals team consists of about 20 people, including technical co-ordinator Moreno Roncon, an expert in motorsport television production.