Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Survivor' Finale Conquers COVID-19 Challenge With Help of Tech

04/08/2020

CBS' Survivor proved to be far from immune to the unexpected changes COVID-19 thrust upon the television industry, an ironic twist for a show with competitors who struggle mightily to win Immunity Challenges that assure a degree of safety.

But just as with Survivor contestants, the show's producers tapped into their ability to improvise and persevere as they met production challenges created by the pandemic for the Survivor: Winners at War season finale in May.

Rather than a two-hour finale in front of studio audience, the show announced in mid-April that it would respect social distancing norms and produce the show during which host Jeff Probst would award its biggest-ever prize of $2 million remotely, thereby protecting the host, contestants and crew from exposure to the virus.

Because of the circumstances, this finale event had to be done using the least number of people, all working separately, safely from their homes, says John Heard, co-producer and post producer of the show. With that said, trust, teamwork and the ability to experiment and try new things were the cornerstone of the project.

THE PLAN & PREPKnowing in-person production was out, the producers of Survivor began investigating their options for remote production. It didn't take long to identify two issues that had to be addressed, says Heard.

The first, how do we keep the high image quality our audience is used to for our show, he asked. And second, how can we interact with the camera systems remotely?

While several different options for small cameras that could be sent to Probst's house and the homes of the finalists were available, most could only be controlled from a dedicated control room, he says.

This is where [Sony's] XDCAM air excelled, says Heard. It has a web-based interface that could let us control certain functions of the camera and confirm that we had a working image.

The XDCAM air service transports content from cameras to the cloud where it can be logged and shared by production teams. In the case of CBS Survivor, the team selected Sony's PXW-Z280 4K 3-CMOS camera three shipped to Probst for use on the improvised set he assembled in his garage and one each sent to the show's three finalists for use in their homes.

The idea was to be able to have the production team send out pre-configured cameras to the talent who don't necessarily know how to operate any of the cameras, says Martin Lindsay, media product manager at Sony Electronics, who worked with the producers on the project.

With Wi-Fi connectivity and an RJ45 jack, the Sony PXW-Z280 would be easy to control via XDCAM air. The production team was able to remotely control the cameras in terms of some basic feature sets, such as zoom, focus and iris control, so they could set up the shots before the production started, says Lindsay.

Positioned appropriately on tripods at the remote direction of the production crew, the cameras were locked down for the show. During initial show planning, pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras were briefly considered. But as the creative moved forward, we realized that camera movement wasn't what we wanted or needed, says Heard. Since the feedback had a slight delay, camera movement introduced an uncertainty that we didn't desire.

The producers chose cloud-based video communications app Zoom for the interviews Probst was to conduct with finalists during the show. However, both sides of the interviews were recorded separately by the cameras onto local media, says Lindsay.

Host Jeff Probst studies plans for the Survivor set he would set up in his garage. (Image credit: CBS)The team based its post-production workflow on Sony's Ci cloud platform. Footage from the cameras would be transported via the XDCAM air service to Ci where it would be prepared for editing. However, long before the shoot it was necessary to test the internet connections of Probst and the finalists to determine whether they had adequate bandwidth for high-res file transport from the PXW-Z280 cameras.

We were fortunate that our final three contestants all had either fiber or gigabit internet speeds, so the transfer speeds from their homes were sufficient, recalls Heard.

For Jeff, we did run into some internet bandwidth issues. But this is where the Sony XAVC codec came in handy. For Jeff's cameras, we could use the lower bitrate of XAVC-L 35 to minimize the file size without having to sacrifice the quality of the image. That proved to be a massive timesaver for us on the file transfer front.

MAKING IT HAPPENIn preparation for the shoot, the team pushed metadata, such as location description, to each camera via XDCAM air that would then be used as the show was recorded. This ensured media files would have human-readable descriptive file names as they were being saved to Sony Ci, says Ali Amoli, director of Intelligent Media Services at Sony Electronics.

With all preparations complete and all accommodations made to enable the remote workflow, shooting began. As the cameras recorded Probst and the finalists, the production team could view proxy media via the XDCAM air connection to ensure they were getting what they needed.

They could actually play media back from the remote cameras and have the cameras push that out to the cloud where they would have the ability to see production material before they actually executed a high-res transfer, says Lindsay.

The setup gave the production team a real mixture of great visibility and great functionality, making it possible to ensure the best use of the content, says Michael Potts of Ci Media Cloud Service at Sony Electronics.

When the shoot was completed, Probst and the finalists were instructed to leave their cameras powered up and connected to their home networks for transfer of high-res footage to Sony Ci. As soo
LINK: https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/survivor-finale-conquers-covid-19-ch...
See more stories from tvtechnology

Most recent headlines

04/08/2024

Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....

03/06/2024

Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...

28/04/2024

Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with URSA Broadcast G2

Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...

19/04/2024

Thank You for visiting us at NAB 2024!

Thank You for visiting us at NAB 2024! Thank you for joining us at the ToolsOnAir booth during NAB Show 2024! We were delighted to showcase our latest inno...

19/04/2024

Stress Positions Mines Health Anxieties for Comedy

PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 18: (L-R) John Early and Theda Hammel attend the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Stress Positions premiere at Library Center Theatre on ...

19/04/2024

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, the Filmmakers Behind Sugarcane

By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...

19/04/2024

Mexico City Watchlist: 7 Documentaries About Working in CDMX

Pictured: Midnight Family By Stephanie Ornelas A great way to get to know a city as culturally unique and rich as Mexico City is to listen to the stories tol...

19/04/2024

SNS Dominates NAB Show 2024 With Triple Win For MOD

St. Louis, MO - April 18, 2024 - Studio Network Solutions (SNS) announced today that MOD won three prestigious industry awards at NAB Show 2024 held this week i...

19/04/2024

How Spotify Approaches Safety With Sarah Hoyle, Global Head of Trust and Safety

Spotify's mission is to unlock the potential of human creativity by giving a million artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the ...

19/04/2024

Spotify and Taylor Swift Create a One-of-a-Kind Library To Celebrate THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT'

It's a beautiful day to be a Swiftie. Today, Taylor Swift dropped her 11th s...

19/04/2024

L3Harris Announces Quarterly Dividend

MELBOURNE, Fla., April 19, 2024 - The Board of Directors of L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.16 per common share, payab...

19/04/2024

Intel Lays Out 8K Production, AI Tech Plans for Paris Olympics

PARIS Intel has announced that its plans for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 will include using artificial intelligence technology powered by Intel ...

19/04/2024

Tech Advances Boost Adoption of 8K Production

LAS VEGAS Technologists working on all aspects of the 8K media production chain offered an optimistic update at the 2024 NAB Show on the state of 8K in video pr...

19/04/2024

OpenDrives New Software-Defined Platform Atlas Wins 2024 NAB Show Product of the Year Award

OpenDrives New Software-Defined Platform Atlas Wins 2024 NAB Show Product of the...

19/04/2024

Grass Valley Showcases Next-Generation T3 Series 4K/HD Digital Recording and Playback for Venues and Stadiums

Grass Valley Showcases Next-Generation T3 Series 4K/HD Digital Recording and Pla...

19/04/2024

NiTRo's M-CUBE Studio Levels Up Esports Productions with AJA Gear

NiTRo's M-CUBE Studio Levels Up Esports Productions with AJA Gear Brie Clayton April 19, 2024 0 Comments Esports' rapid rise to popularity can...

19/04/2024

Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 19

Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 19 Brie Clayton April 19, 2024 0 Comments Major update adds new DaVinci Neural Engine AI tools, new color ...

19/04/2024

Sony Considering Bid to Acquire Paramount

Sony Pictures Entertainment is reportedly in talks with Apollo Global Management to make a bid to acquire Paramount which itself is currently discussing a merge...

19/04/2024

How 1185 Films created the VFX on new horror, All You Need Is Death

Simon Wilkinson, head of VFX at 1185 films, talks about the technology behind the newly-released horror By Matthew Corrigan Published: April 19, 2024 Simo...

19/04/2024

Could Sony be preparing a bid for Channel 5's parent company?

The global electronics company is said to be considering joining forces with investment firm Apollo Management to bid for Paramount Global By Jenny Priestley ...

19/04/2024

EBU report highlights contribution of free-to-air sport broadcasting

The report broke the economic footprint of EBU member sports broadcasting into three main areas By Matthew Corrigan Published: April 19, 2024 The report b...

19/04/2024

CBS Stations Launches CBS News California Investigates' Segments

CBS Stations has launched CBS News California Investigates , with Julie Watts named regional CBS California correspondent. She will uncover and raise awarenes...

19/04/2024

MediaCo Acquires Estrella Media's Spanish-Language Network, Content Assets

MediaCo Holding, which owns radio stations WQHT (Hot 97) and WBLS in New York, said it acquired Estrella Media's Spanish-language video, audio and digital c...

19/04/2024

Season 5 of The Witcher' Will Be Final One

Netflix has ordered season five of fantasy drama The Witcher, which will be the final season. Production has recently begun on season four, and the two remainin...

19/04/2024

DirecTV Stream To Carry Eight More The CW Affiliates

DirecTV Stream said it added eight more The CW affiliates to its lineup on Thursday....

19/04/2024

CBS Orders More Elsbeth'

CBS has renewed Elsbeth for the 2024-2025 season. The drama, with Carrie Preston in the lead role, debuted February 29....

19/04/2024

With Bears on the Clock. NBCU Local Chicago Plans Extensive NFL Draft Coverage

With the Bears picking first, NBCUniversal Local's properties in Chicago plan extensive coverage of the NFL draft next week....

19/04/2024

Comcast Launches NOW

PHILADELPHIA As government subsidies for broadband services come to an end, Comcast has launched NOW, a new product portfolio of lower-cost Internet, mobile and...

19/04/2024

DirecTV Stream Adds CW Affiliates

DirecTV Stream has added more local CW stations for its streaming customers in Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Hartford-New Haven Conn., Phoenix, San ...

19/04/2024

MediaCo Acquires Estrella Media's Content and Digital Operations

NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES MediaCo Holding Inc. has announced that it has acquired all of Estrella Media's network, content, digital, and commercial operations....

19/04/2024

Adobe Launches New Adobe Express Mobile App with Firefly AI

SAN JOSE, Calif. Adobe has announced that the all-new Adobe Express mobile app is available to all users, bringing features powered by Adobe Firefly generative ...

19/04/2024

Netflix Adds 9.3M Subs in Q1

LOS GATOS, Calif. Netflix reported another blockbuster quarter by adding 9.33 million new subscribers in Q1, 2024 as global paid memberships hit 269.6 million, ...

19/04/2024

The Current State of the Industry and the Future Impact of AI

The Current State of the Industry and the Future Impact of AI Hillary Lewis April 18, 2024 0 Comments The Entertainment Industry: How did we get here ...

19/04/2024

After Effects Tutorial Text Blur Reveal

After Effects Tutorial Text Blur Reveal Andy Ford April 18, 2024 0 Comments Here's a way to do a quick blur reveal for your text layer. Start by...

19/04/2024

Hollyland Mars M1 Enhanced Wireless Transmitter / Receiver

Hollyland Mars M1 Enhanced Wireless Transmitter / Receiver Colin Smith April 18, 2024 0 Comments This tutorial shows the new wireless transmitter rece...

19/04/2024

Resolve Fusion: Writing Expressions with Lua

Resolve Fusion: Writing Expressions with Lua Simon Ubsdell April 18, 2024 0 Comments The answer to the very frequently-asked question: what is the pro...

19/04/2024

B+C,' Next TV' Announce Winners of Best of Show Awards at NAB Show

B+C and Next TV have announced the winners of Best of Show Awards for the 2024 NAB Show. The awards were judged by a panel of industry experts at the convention...

19/04/2024

Cate Blanchett Narrates Nature Series on Netflix

Cate Blanchett narrates the Netflix series Our Living World, which premieres April 17. The four-part series looks at the extraordinary creatures around the glob...

19/04/2024

For All Mankind' Spinoff Is in the Works at Apple TV Plus

Apple TV Plus has a spinoff of For All Mankind in the works. It is called Star City and details the cosmonauts, engineers and intelligence officers working behi...

19/04/2024

Jacquie Walker, Longtime Buffalo Anchor, Stepping Down From Desk

Jacquie Walker, longtime anchor at WIVB Buffalo, will step down from the anchor desk. She has spent over 40 years at WIVB and her last day as an anchor is May 2...

19/04/2024

Bob Hearts Abishola' To Make Syndicated Debut This Fall

Bob Hearts Abishola will premiere in broadcast syndication this fall on such station groups as Nexstar Media Group, Sinclair, Hearst Television, Tegna, E.W. Scr...

19/04/2024

Live With Kelly and Mark' Celebrates One-Year Anniversary

Live With Kelly and Mark remains TV's top entertainment talk show as Kelly Ripa and her co-host and husband Mark Consuelo celebrate their one-year anniversa...

19/04/2024

Sean McLaughlin Named VP of News at Graham Media Group

Sean McLaughlin has been named VP of news for Graham Media Group. He had been senior VP of local news at E.W. Scripps. He will will be responsible for developi...

19/04/2024

Netflix Shares First Peek at Long-Awaited One Hundred Years of Solitude'

Netflix has shared the first trailer from One Hundred Years of Solitude, a series based on the esteemed novel by Gabriel Garc a M rquez. The streamer is on boar...

19/04/2024

NAB 2024 Draws 61,000+ Attendees With More Than Half Attending the Show for the First Time

NAB 2024 Draws 61,000+ Attendees With More Than Half Attending the Show for the ...

19/04/2024

Rohde & Schwarz and VIAVI support European OTIC in Berlin for O-RAN conformance certification

Rohde & Schwarz and VIAVI support European OTIC in Berlin for O-RAN conformance ...

19/04/2024

Riedel launches Bolero Connect for seamless integration with PunQtum

Wuppertal April 19, 2024 Riedel launches Bolero Connect for seamless integration with PunQtum A pioneer in the field of digital intercom, Riedel has recently ...