Videe overcomes logistical challenges to bring Venice Regata Storica to a global audience
All pictures: Daniel Pezzani
Venice is always a fascinating city; but when it comes to the annual Regata Storica, the atmosphere becomes even more dreamlike both for the tourists and the many locals who crowd the banks of the Grand Canal from the early hours of the morning to see the spectacle.
Taking place since the mid 13th century, the historical regatta is the main event in the annual Voga alla Veneta rowing calendar and there’s reason to consider it the beating heart of the city’s history and traditions. The sport has actually been practised in the Venetian lagoon for thousands of years and today it is particularly well-known for being a spectacular historical water pageant. Tens of colourful historical crafts with costumed crews, boats and gondolas of the Venetian rowing associations take part in the day, recalling the 16th century, the glorious era when Venice was a maritime republic.
The parade fills the day with a party atmosphere, but it’s when the competitive race starts that the event reaches its climax and the action attracts a global TV audience.
For the 2024 edition, held on 1 September, four categories competed successively, each on a different kind of craft, be it twin-or-six oared, along the 7km course. Athletes ranged from children up to 14 years old, to adults (men and women) and students, and the meeting attracts great attention on Italian national TV. Indeed, since its very first transmission in the 1950s, RAI has been broadcasting the Regata Storica live.
For years Videe has been the solution provider for this extraordinary event, collaborating with VELA, the organising body of major events taking place in Venice, to secure the live broadcast on RAI 2.
‘Our collaboration with VELA has successfully grown over the years and resulted in a mutually satisfactory relationship. The VELA team is a really precious ally; they perfectly know how complicated a TV broadcast production in Venice could be and are always keen to offer their onsite multifunctional support easing our job, thus complying with live production’s timing needs,” commented Flavia Pilotto, sales manager, Videe.
Nicola Catullo, event manager and executive producer, VELA, declared: “The multi-year cooperation with Videe in broadcasting Regata Storica and other prestigious city events allowed us to refine the coordinated implementation of an already complex activity in such a singular and delicate context, reaching appreciable productional and technical levels. We are certain that thanks to the professionalism and versatility of Videe we will be able to achieve excellent results in the near future.”
Riding a gondola or its oared boat sports variations is a demanding art. Strength is not enough to deal with the race; team synergy and a careful weight distribution aboard the boat are essential conditions to perform well. Realising a live broadcast combining sport and entertainment is also a demanding art requiring experience, passion and a special commitment to the audience.
The twin-oared Gondolini regatta is the final and most awaited race, starting around 6.15pm, in a really thrilling environment towards the sunset. These lighter gondolas move rapidly along the course under a push of up to 55 strokes per minute.
Videe’s creative camera operators succeeded in catching each fascinating detail, from the water movements under the oar pressure to the competitive gestures and efforts of the athletes, dramatically conveying all the emotions of the race, which reached an average audience share of 5.17% equalling 505,000 average viewers.
Considering its unique location, the biggest challenge when working in Venice is logistics management. Even more so when time for set up is limited.
“The technical production of the Regata Storica is quite challenging, particularly as far as the logistics is concerned. Venice’s narrow and crowded alleys and calli and the ban on vehicular traffic mean all equipment must be moved by water with barges and then brought to their destination. Organisation here is certainly all and Videe stands out for that on an international level. Everything should be carefully thought and managed in the pre-production phase in order to prevent – and eventually overcome – any technical and organisational risks that may occur. Thanks to valuable experience gained over the years, our team boasts a deep knowledge of all the city’s constraints which turned out to be key,” declared Arianna Censani, production manager, Videe.
To cover the event, AV shooting positions were set up along the whole course. Videe’s technical provision included cable cameras, RF cameras and a jimmy jib. The company was also responsible for the flash interview, the commentary position and live studio for RAI 2. All signals and live graphics were managed in the HD8 truck that found its spot in front of Ca’ Foscari University.
“The camera positioning in some historical buildings’ balconies overlooking the Canal Grande, on a boat and a drone proved key in catching different POV which actually emphasised the spectacular nature of the race. We used LTE field units to connect all the cameras and opted for in-cloud signal management in order to get the highest reliability of the whole system. Our choice was definitely successful,” declared Gino Campagna, R&D and technical dept. coordinator, Videe.
“Our experience in TV productions in Venice is rich and multifaceted. For many years we’ve been the solution provider to challenging and captivating live broadcasts such as the historical Regatta but also the Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics and Venice Boat Show. We have developed a really remarkable expertise. Our partners know they can fully rely on our flexibility and responsiveness as well as on our creative technical solutions, whatever the situation and the time constraints,” concluded Giulia Mercuri, sales coordinator, Videe.