Teradek TV Streamlines Commercial Workflow for DIT Christian Saure
Christian Saure became one of Germany’s first digital imaging technicians in the early
2000s, long before the DIT became the key crew position it is today. Largely self-taught, Saure has spent years refining his approach to finding the best technology solutions for a
wide range of production styles.
Saure’s prolific television and commercial work has
taken him from comfortable full-service studios to
the icy summits of Europe’s Alps. While preparing
for a high-stakes Mercedes Electric Vito
commercial in Vienna, Saure researched remote-viewing solutions that could streamline the intense nine-day shoot. “This was a very, very tight schedule with two units shooting at once, but only one DIT,” Saure reflects. “How would we best solve for that?”
On-set and remote viewing has become critical for commercial production workflow in a
post-COVID world. It is rare for all client and agency representatives to be physically
present on location, and while a less-crowded video village offers some logistical
advantages, remote decision makers still need to review reliable camera feeds for
approvals.
Shooting in the Austrian Alps with multiple company moves per day necessitates a light and highly flexible camera package.
Shooting in the Austrian Alps with multiple company moves per day necessitates a light and highly flexible camera package.
Saure’s challenging commercial shoot demanded a viewing solution that could handle lightning-fast two-unit moves to multiple locations every day.
With this unique workflow in mind, he selected Teradek TV over his previous controlled playback solution which was optimized more for controlled sets rather than extreme shooting locations.
Once Saure’s proposal to use Teradek TV was given the go-ahead, it was time for a test
drive. “[When] I am on a car commercial like this, shooting up in the Alps, I often have to
rely on less equipment and less time to set up my gear. You seldom have time to build a
complex setup. You exit your car, and everything has to function right away, in that
moment,” he explains.
Arriving on location, Saure relied on a pared-down DIT package that allowed him to quickly attach the Bolt receiver to his cart or a C-Stand, add the encoder, a router, and establish a network connection. “It doesn't add additional setup time. Teradek TV is a plug-and-play feature.”
“It doesn't add additional
setup time.
Teradek TV is a
plug-and-play feature.”
“It doesn't add additional
setup time.
Teradek TV is a
plug-and-play feature.”
“It doesn't add additional
setup time.
Teradek TV is a
plug-and-play feature.”
“It doesn't add additional
setup time.
Teradek TV is a
plug-and-play feature.”
Chris, Saure
Chris, Saure
DIT
DIT
congruent viewing. “After the first setup, at least on a commercial, the devices on set and
the client iPads are ready to go. You give the iPads to the clients, they open the app, and
that’s it.”
Teradek TV offers secure, scalable, managed
access for real-time viewing and playback.
During project setup, the administrator can create groups with different permissions for
live-viewing, group messaging, playback, and download of capture clips. Teradek TV’s
intuitive interface and nearly limitless ways to customize access, giving clients and agency
representatives unique permissions. This allowed Saure to keep all creative stakeholders in the loop during the demanding two-unit Mercedes Electric Vito shoot.
Saure also praises Teradek TV’s built-in chat functions, noting that other remote-viewing
setups require users to switch back and forth between their preferred messaging platform
and the camera feeds. It even allows private chat threads separating clients from
production personnel. Some productions ask to put the stream through Zoom or Teams, creating viewing bottlenecks and less-reliable image quality, but "With Teradek TV, we
could give anybody a monitor or an iPad to start viewing right away. It worked very well and helped the equipment footprint stay very, very tiny.”
Teradek TV is a highly secure one-app solution that works seamlessly with personal
devices like laptops or tablets. “Here in Germany or in Austria, there is seldom a preference to what viewing platform we use. But after our shoot, the production manager asked to use Teradek TV again on the next car commercial because it was so handy.”
Saure did just that, bringing Teradek TV to multiple productions for some of the world’s
highest-profile brands. It’s been quite a journey since that first test run in the Alps.
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