The Rebel Fleet Envisions Powerful Video Assist, DIT, and Dailies Workflows with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton March 24, 2023
0 Comments
As high-resolution, high dynamic range (HDR) workflows have continued to evolve in recent years, innovative video assist, DIT, and dailies solutions offered by companies like The Rebel Fleet have become essential. Founded in 2015 in Auckland, New Zealand, The Rebel Fleet provides these services across New Zealand, Australia, and the Asia Pacific region and recently expanded its offering to include post production in New Zealand. Its clients span high-profile episodic, film, and commercial productions. Clients typically approach The Rebel Fleet for custom workflow solutions, often with a specific camera in mind. Its team then works closely with each client to develop a custom pipeline and deploys a host of AJA gear to envision solutions that align with their unique production environment, budget, crew sizes, DP and director visions, studio requirements, and more.
The kit behind the design
The Rebel Fleet team depends on gear like AJA KUMO 1616 and KUMO 3232 routers, the KUMO Control Panel, and AJA Mini-Converters to build on-set video assist and DIT workflows for clients. Company CEO Mike Urban shared, AJA KUMO routers and Mini-Converters are built so great and offer solid warranties, which are paramount in the fast-paced environments we work in. We need equipment we can trust, and the AJA kit gives us peace of mind.
QTAKE software is also central to The Rebel Fleet's video assist service offering. It integrates seamlessly with AJA KUMO routers through the KUMO's network interface. The team can quickly and easily establish predefined router settings, so if a client wants all the monitors to display playback or live footage, they can preconfigure it, load it up with their Stream Deck, and changes are reflected across the routers. According to Urban, this provides a massive advantage over making changes manually. He shared, Being able to bring all this control into the network ecosystem of the rig via KUMO gives our clients more free time to try out fancy ideas. I also love that KUMO routers run off 12-volt batteries.
When working with clients, The Rebel Fleet occasionally deploys a custom flypack affectionately dubbed the Danny Box after the team member who built it. Typically placed on set, it is housed in a Pelican Case and features two AJA HD SDI splitters, two camera inputs, and four camera outputs. According to Urban, the setup supports clients looking to distribute a feed to more monitors or extend a signal because the SDI BNC run is longer than 100M. He said, Knowing we've got reliable equipment from AJA inside the box that we can literally just drop on set and will work without fail is amazing.
Managing HDR on set and beyond
As HDR continues to play a more prominent role on set, The Rebel Fleet is deploying more HDR gear across projects, including the AJA FS-HDR and AJA HDR Image Analyzer. Paired with Colorfront, these tools help ensure its client's desired look stays consistent as footage moves from acquisition through dailies. HDR equipment costs remain a key hurdle to broader adoption of full HDR workflows, which is where tools like AJA FS-HDR have been great. We can easily convert between SDR and HDR and retain a high-quality image, Urban explained.
When The Rebel Fleet deploys monitors on set, the FS-HDR gives its team the confidence that they're displaying HDR correctly if they receive a log signal from the camera. Depending upon client needs, they can then route different paths to HDR or SDR. Compatibility with Pomfort Livegrade Pro also enables them to use the device as a dynamic LUT box. HDR Image Analyzer then allows Urban's team to monitor HDR on set with scopes that match what it's seeing in Colorfront. He added, With FS-HDR, we get one rack-mounted device that does everything we could possibly imagine. HDR Image Analyzer also allows us to look at the scopes when monitoring, which is huge for ensuring consistency in dailies.
Related COW News
March 20, 2023Hash Pixel Saves Time and Money in Production with AJA GearFounded in 2020, Hash Pixel develops and implements workflows for streaming and
March 14, 2023Coralbay.tv Delivers Hybrid Cloud Playout Solution with AJA BRIDGE NDI 3GCloud playout is quickly gaining favor among broadcasters and content providers, making
Building a workflow for HDR finishing on set
With on-set HDR finishing always a part of the plan forone of The Rebel Fleet's latest projects, the ability to easily switch between SDR and HDR in the dailies pipeline proved crucial. DPs and other stakeholders needed to know what the HDR looked like during high light or outdoor scenes with high dynamic range, and with every shot effectively a VFX shot, metadata was key. Starting from the cameras - ARRI ALEXA LF cameras with DNA and other smart lenses - The Rebel Fleet designed the workflow so all the metadata from the camera and the lens through the on-set pipeline could be easily read.
AJA FS-HDR could read all the metadata we brought into the DIT cart. We could then combine it with the notes and information the DIT created for whatever needed to be passed down to the pipeline and marry it with the information coming from QTAKE. We were then able to give the team on set the ability to add metadata directly to a live database for viewing on iPads and other devices, explained Urban.
All that information ultimately served dailies through Colorfront before making its way into editorial. This color-consistent pipeline meant that editorial could start working faster. The team worked in the same HDR color space (P3-D65) in post production that they'd monitored on set.
The Rebel Fleet CEO Mike Urban
I/O was another important consideration on the project, f
North America Stories
08/12/2025
Nielsen's robust data offering enables marketers to connect with their target audience more effectively and drive better results throughout Amazon's adv...
08/12/2025
LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK Paramount has launched a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery with an all-cash tender offer to acquire all of the outstandin...
08/12/2025
EMERYVILLE, Calif. Media and entertainment technology and services provider Advanced Systems Group has named Macky Beheshti as director, enterprise storage and ...
08/12/2025
DENVER MediaKind, a global provider of cloud-based video streaming technology announced today that it is acquiring the video business of Harmonic Inc. for appro...
08/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsen has announced that its Audience Segments from Nielsen Marketing Cloud (NMC) are now available across the Amazon Ads marketplace, including the ...
08/12/2025
Marshall Electronics showcases the CV355-27X-ND3 Optical Zoom NDI (NDI HX2, NDI HX3) Camera at ISE 2026 (Booth 4N900). Designed for users seeking high-quality ...
08/12/2025
Cinnafilm today announced the immediate availability of IPx LIVE and Tachyon LIVE, delivering broadcast-grade, real-time IP video transcoding and motion-compens...
08/12/2025
Following a successful 45th anniversary year in 2024, Hiltron reports increasing demand for its wide range of satellite communication equipment manufacturing, p...
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public commen...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the First Look for Land of Sin' - Premier...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
Coronal mass ejections caused by eruptions on the surface of the sun can have fa...
04/12/2025
Gracenote Content Connect enables media ecosystem to precisely align ad campaigns and programming based on rich content signals
NEW YORK - December 4, 2025 - N...
04/12/2025
Lightware, a global specialist in AV connectivity, is looking back on a year defined by new advancements, strong collaboration and continued growth. Across the ...
04/12/2025
Riedel Communications today announced a new partnership with Haivision, a leading global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and visual col...
The Rebel Fleet Envisions Powerful Video Assist, DIT, and Dailies Workflows with AJA Gear 
