--
A new Disney concert celebrating over two decades of stunning Broadway shows received its European premiere at the Royal Albert Hall in London in October. This one-night-only Disney's Broadway Hitsevent, featuring music from such award-winning scores as Aida, Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins, Tarzan, The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the rest of the Disney Theatrical catalog, marked the first time this show was seen in Europe.
The two-hour concert of Disney's Broadway Hitspremieres on Sky Arts Network today, December 21st,and is available to audiences throughout the United Kingdom as well as to worldwide subscribers of Sky Arts. Panasonic professional 4K cameras comprised of 13 VariCam LT 4K cinema cameras, two AK-HC3000 4K studio camera systems and five AW-UE70 4K integrated pan/tilt/zoom cameras captured the concert of musical hits that have delighted millions of children, parents and grandparents.
This broadcast version of the live European premiere on the world-famous Royal Albert Hall stage was hosted by West End star John Barrowman. The show featured the 75-piece BBC Concert Orchestra alongside a bevy of stars - including eight-time Academy Award-winningcomposer Alan Menken and members of Aladdin's West End cast - performing scores from an astonishing number of Disney successes.
The Panasonic 4K camera systems, delivered and configured by rental company VER London, were the centerpiece of an extensive equipment package, controlledvia a fly-pack built around Evertz routers, Kayenne switching and Riedel communications.
Jay Hatcher, Broadcast Video Director, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said, This event had so many elements-the world-class orchestra, the 80-person choir, West End and Broadway luminaries, glorious lighting, Alan Menken, the iconic venue-that it was daunting to say the least.
As the TV production designer and director, my objective was a cinematic look, a visually stunning product to match the magic of the music: I don't think we could have accomplished such spectacular results had Panasonic not jumped on board as our camera partner, he added. I was extremely pleased with the quality of the 4K cameras and how they performed, especially in
view of the amount of product involved, and the variety of shots and points-of-view that was required.
I venture to say that this camera arsenal made my vision of the concert come true. For every shot that I designed Panasonic and VER were able to deliver a solution for us.
During the week leading up to the concert, Hatcher's team was also shooting a behind-the-scenes documentary featuring the performers preparing for the live show. Panasonic and VER worked together to configure four of the VariCam LT packages for single-camera ENG field shooting.
With the objective of recording multiple viewing angles of the concert as well as capturing shots of the venue's historic Italianate architecture, one LT was placed on a 30' jib in the upper gallery, another on a second 30 jib in front of stage left. Two LTs were placed on risers on both sides of the floor, right and left. There was an LT on a Fisher dolly on the arena floor, looking across the audience onto the performance space. Another LT was placed in the second level Loggia Box on stage right. During the dress rehearsal, there was an LT on a dolly directly in front of the stage, and another on a Steadicam on stage to capture wraps.
John DeMaio, the concert's Director of Photography, explained that because the VariCam LT is so agile, the 4K camcorder was able to be utilized throughout the massive Royal Albert Hall. The 6-pound Super 35 sensor camera isideal for handheld, Steadicam, jib, crane, drone, gimbal and overall cinema verit work.
The two UC3000 studio cameras were placed at front of house shooting toward the stage. One was on a riser on the floor level. The other was placed in the second level Loggia Box. Of the 3-pound UE70 integrated PTZs, one was hung on the stage facing back toward the audience for the Alan Menken (at the piano) moment, another in the lighting grid pointing down, another stage left, one trained on the conductor, and the last on a back rail pointing out to capture a reverse shot of the orchestra or wide shot of the audience in front of house.
DeMaio said he made extensive use of the VariCam LT's signature innovation, dual native ISOs of 800/5000, with ISO5000 perfect for extreme low-lighting situations. The concert was gorgeously lit with a rich color palette a la Disney, but lights were kept down on the audience, which numbered close to 5,300, so as not to undercut the viewing experience, he said. I don't know of many cameras that could have pulled it off with such great success, capturing the effects of sumptuous lighting that changed from song to song, while at the same time not disturbing the audience. At ISO5000, the VariCam LT can capture stunning images from dark scenes that are unobtainablewithother cameras.
The DP said the concert was shot in 4K V-Log to create the broadcast version. Panasonic's team worked in advance to provide a LUT for the live switched show displayed on the large in-house IMAG screens, and we utilized that LUT in the early stages of post, he noted. In terms of color matching, we worked only slightly back from the LTs to the UC3000s and UE70s--overall color rendition was excellent.
Outboard recording from the UC3000s and UE70s was done in ProRes 4444 to AJA Ki Pro recorders. In addition to his DP responsibilities, DeMaio supervised post. Editing for the Sky Arts broadcast was done in Adobe Premiere Pro, and color correction in DaVinci Resolve. We'd shot an ungraded 4K master in V-Log, so we didn't realize the full effects until after the color correct, he said. Details jumped off the screen and brought the show to a whole diffe
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
-- 
