Remote or outside broadcast (OB) production can be defined as a multi-camera production occurring outside of a studio context. Remotes come in all sizes. A small remote may consist of a two-camera production operating out of a small production mini-van. A big remote production ensemble may include 20 or more cameras and other remote production equipment.

Today, remote production is increasingly used to help deliver more content, to more screens, across more devices; and it is proving a key challenge for modern video producers and broadcasters.

The case for remote production is compelling. Remote production reduces our carbon footprint, it maximizes utilization of existing studio equipment at the home location, it keeps quality high and keeps costs low; and the staff can work in a well-established and familiar production environment that’s close to home; especially in a pandemic restrictive period.

Video producers are finding that with careful planning and with the use of the right type of equipment and technology apps such as Vimeo, Frame.io and Wipster, can maintain quality levels while at the same time save money.

Advantages of Remote Production

Remote production cuts travel budgets save on shipping and equipment, and gives more time to staff when production collaboration is made with technologies like ‘BeBop Links. It maximizes a producer’s investment in existing studio architecture increases content across a variety of delivery methods and allows video producers to be more creative with content.

For example, Bebop Links are secure shareable URL links that enable you to ingest content in real-time while editing your content in the cloud. BeBop Links give you the ability to send or receive secure URLs to collaborate with your team or anyone else, anywhere in the world. With it, it is possible to receive media content and edit or add visual effects or graphics in real-time and distribute to partners you authorize to download.

But such things come at a cost and the challenges that video producers haven’t had to deal with before prior to the stay-at-home order as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Latency is absolutely key to any live sports production – the main consideration being the talent hearing what they need to hear to do their job properly. They need to hear a combination of things: mainly instructional talkback information from the production team plus the programme into which they are contributing – a mix-minus themselves. They must be able to talk to one another team member which involves bi-directional audio traffic.”

When audio engineers mix live TV content, they combine local content at the base where the production occurs, such as video from servers, audio play-ins and studio content; with a number of outside sources.

This remote production team must be able to hear the programme into which they’re contributing. To achieve this, video producers use a mix-minus feed for every outside source. Some ground-based staff also need specific programme mixes that include their own voices, for example, when Presentation is stationed in a noisy environment such as amid an enthusiastic and vocal crowd.

Remote production is useful for so many events such as corporate events and conventions, town halls, experiential events, Live Sporting Events, Live Series and Specials, entertainment shows, etc.

With countries around the world either already facing or preparing for ‘second waves’ of COVID-19, it seems certain that a heightened level of remote production and remote working will continue for the foreseeable future. As one videographer observes, while cost-savings and efficiency might have been the initial drivers of these approaches, “now it’s also about the safety and wellbeing of production staff.”