KitPlus | Articles

7 must sees at IBC 2015

by Beth Zarkhosh Issue 105 - September 2015 IBC, the annual broadcasting event that brings professionals in the media industry together has been running since 1967. Each year brings new excitement and innovation to the event held in Amsterdam. Originally aimed at purely the technical broadcasting industry, IBC (International Broadcast Convention) a...

Submitted by Beth Zarkhosh

Published 01 October 2015

Lessons Learnt - Webcasting live to the web

by Larry Jordan Issue 105 - September 2015 When I first started in this industry, more than 40 years ago, live television broadcasts were plentiful and popular. In fact, I got my start as a director in live television. However, the only way to create a live broadcast was with lots of equipment, large crews and plenty of money. Today, the paradigm h...

Submitted by Larry Jordan#

Published 01 October 2015

No broadcast without flawless communication

Issue 105 - September 2015 Reliable and fail-safe communications for the broadcast of live events are more important than ever. On site, broadcasters only have one chance to grab the perfect image for the viewer with time being a crucial factor. The larger the event, the more viewers it reaches and the higher the risk that something could go wrong....

Submitted by KitPlus

Published 01 October 2015

Three days to launch a TV station

by Neil Hutchins Issue 104 - August 2015 We go on-air in less than 100 hours is an alarming statement when the studio and control room in question contain no technical equipment whatsoever. But this was the situation that we faced upon arrival at the new Local TV channel in Manchester for the first time as we began to unload the van late on a Thurs...

Submitted by Neil Hutchins#

Published 01 September 2015

The Lobster - achieving a textural grain

Issue 104 - August 2015 Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos is about to debut his first English language feature with The Lobster, which will be in UK cinemas on the 15th of October. We speak to DaVinci Resolve colorist and long time collaborator Tony Ford about the meticulous approach to color grading this dystopian love story. Featuring an impressiv...

Submitted by KitPlus

Published 01 September 2015

4k storm chasing

by Alister Chapman Issue 103 - July 2015 15 years ago I got my first big Broadcast Commission. It was to produce a 1 hour special on Tornado Chasing vacations. Yes, people pay to go on storm chasing holidays. In 1999 this was a new thing, today its a booming business. Ive always been fascinated by natural extremes and filming tornadoes seemed like...

Submitted by Alister Champman

Published 01 August 2015

Cautionary notes from GTC Member number 001

by Dick Hibberd Issue 101 - May 2015 Recently I was invited to be on the panel of judges charged with selecting the winners of the 2014 \'Bill Vinten GTC University Awards\'. This was just the second year of this excellent scheme and, if the submissions from universities increase annually pro rata, then we will soon have a major logistics problem i...

Submitted by Dick Hibberd

Published 01 June 2015

NAB 2015 Highlights

by Beth Zarkhosh Issue 101 - May 2015 For those of us lucky enough to visit this year\'s annual NAB Show in Las Vegas, we know how amazing and mesmerising it was, but for those who didn\'t get the chance to make it, then here\'s a lowdown on what we thought was the highlights of the biggest post production and broadcast conventions in town!Las Vega...

Submitted by Beth Zarkhosh

Published 01 June 2015

Moving voiceovers into the 21st century

by Leigh Emmerson Issue 101 - May 2015 There was a time when the only way to get a voiceover for your production was by contacting a voiceover agent who would obligingly send over a CD or two full of voiceover sparkle and you and your client would choose one, schlep on down to a studio and pay a small fortune to sit on a swanky sofa and watch said...

Submitted by Leigh Emmerson

Published 01 June 2015

REDucation - Real world RED camera training

by Ben Sherriff Issue 101 - May 2015 Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th March saw the REDucation training workshop arrive in London at the Met Film School in Ealing Studios West London. I\'ve used a Red One but have yet to work on a shoot where I can get my hands dirty with the newer cameras they manufacture (Epic-X, Scarlet, Dragon and now Weapon). Whe...

Submitted by Ben Sherriff

Published 01 June 2015

Extreme equipment for the Film and TV industry

Issue 100 - April 2015 Big films require big shots and to get the action in camera, you need grip equipment and the latest camera support technology to make that vision a real possibility on set. Whether filming underwater or capturing high speed vehicle to vehicle action, Chapman Leonard UK have always looked to supply productions in the UK and Eu...

Submitted by KitPlus

Published 01 May 2015

DOPs discuss minicams, lenses, 4k and all

by Mel Noonan Issue 100 - April 2015 If anyone knows about the practical reality of using minicams and lenses it has to be the DOPs who are out there using them. We are now seeing minicams used in all areas of production, some with 1080p and 4K capability at prices you would not have believed possible a few years back. I spoke to some of the DOPs I...

Submitted by Mel Noonan

Published 01 May 2015

When the going gets tough

Issue 100 - April 2015 From the monsoonal rainforests of Papua New Guinea to the frozen Antarctic wastes , Peli cases perform in all conditions as Producer/Director and Cameraman, Alexis Girardet explains... Peli cases are renowned for their high quality, durability and dependability in extreme conditions. Offering watertight, dustproof and crushpr...

Submitted by KitPlus

Published 01 May 2015

Big rush with little fuss at new Birmingham broadcaster

by Neil Hutchins Issue 99 - March 2015 Big Centre TV is the latest of the new wave of UK Local TV stations, having launched on 28th February. But behind the calm and successful appearance was a frenzied period of activity, as Ofcom had only confirmed their licence just three months earlier. To get from nothing to on-air in such a short timescale wa...

Submitted by Neil Hutchins#

Published 01 April 2015

Visualising the future of digital media business

by Simen Frostad Issue 99 - March 2015 More and more, successful delivery of digital media services is all about data management. Data about how well the services are performing can come from many sources - from market research and customer satisfaction responses, from analysis of customer support and maintenance activity, and from monitoring syste...

Submitted by Simen Frostad

Published 01 April 2015