IT-Based Switching Brings Francis Ford Coppola's New “Live Cinema” Project to Life

While there's been tremendous advances in broadcast technologies in recent years, the underlying bus matrix and M/E architecture of video switchers has remained much the same. As today's live production projects have grown more complex with greater numbers of smaller, increasingly portable cameras and more content-enhancement capabilities, the limits of traditional switchers have grown, requiring larger crews to ensure quality and reliability, and additional resources “bolted on” as needed for larger, more complex switchers. — A newer generation of production switchers delivers a software-defined approach. Fully scalable, distributed live production platforms brings the benefits of advanced IT technology and uses industry-standard hardware and optimized software. Its production-centric architecture combines three key technologies: GPU-based processing, IP interconnection over any distance, and modular resource and control provisioning. — While these next-generation switchers are ordinarily used within the broadcast environment, legendary writer/ director/producer Francis Ford Coppola selected DYVI (EVS' software-defined switcher) for his recent project, Distant Vision, a “live cinema” project that combines the immediacy of a live event with the sophisticated cinematic grammar of film. Live cinema utilizes feeds from cameras, instant replay servers and other sources, which director can switch live with advanced broadcast equipment. — DYVI was used to cut together feeds from Distant Vision's 40 cameras. Its 17 scenes each had their own distinct camera requirements, so each scene's inputs and sources were pre-set for each one in DYVI, dramatically reducing set-up times, simplifying the production, and ultimately enabling a new kind of moviemaking— performed live and viewed by audiences in real-time.

Published

2015-07

Content type

Original Research

Keywords

Live video switching, software-defined, IT architecture, Francis Ford Coppola, Distant Vision, live cinema

DOI

10.5594/M001737

ISBN

978-1-61482-958-4