Camera Corps’ Q-Ball part of Lennon Bus IBC visit
Q-Ball remotely controlled pan/tilt/zoom equipment from Camera Corps greeted visitors to the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus throughout IBC 2013. In continuous demonstration adjacent to the entrance, the Q-Ball gave visitors immediate experience of the high-efficiency ultra-modern systems deployed throughout the truck.
“The Lennon Bus is a great ambassador for the best in broadcast television and audio,” comments Shaun Glanville, business development director at Camera Corps. “The truck was the acknowledged gem of the entire IBC show, both as an example of a fully-equipped ultra-modern production studio and as a tool for educational outreach. Visitors were able to experience, discuss and operate the central elements of a very high-profile broadcast facility without the distraction and fatigue of trekking round a 14-hall trade exhibition.”
“Robotic cameras have become an integral part of studio and on-location production, allowing images to be captured from a large number of viewpoints, including close-ups of remote events as well as very high angles. Q-Ball is very much plug-and-play. It is easy to mount, easy to conceal, easy to link and easy to operate. The best way to discover that is quite simply to use it or talk to the many television producers who now find it as essential as we do in our own work for broadcast-industry clients.”
As well as being one of Europe’s highest-profile outreach projects, the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a unique vehicle designed and built by the Ketterer Truck Company, with studio integration provided by Sony Professional Solutions Europe. It incorporates two studio environments, robotic video cameras, switchable glass doors that change from clear to opaque for privacy, green-screen production capabilities, and an upper level deck for interviews, live and recorded music.
Like its sister vehicle in the US, the Lennon Bus is staffed by a crew of three producer/engineers. Its schedule encompasses stops at local schools, colleges and festivals, providing free tours and workshops in which young people produce original songs, audio recordings, broadcast quality music videos and live streamed events.