Filmscape Chicago Livestreams With JVC PTZ Cameras

CHICAGO —Filmscape is an educational, not-for-profit organization focused on helping residents in the Chicago metro and surrounding areas who want to pursue careers in film and television. With such a broad market in the Midwest, our goal is to grow and benefit the film and television community through engaging conferences that provide knowledge for working behind the scenes in the industry. We specialize in educational content covering all things production and film.

To livestream our Filmscape 2024 sessions in June to viewers at home through our YouTube channel, we utilized three JVC PTZ cameras–one KY-PZ510WU and two KY-PZ400NWUs, which were managed by the RM-LP100U camera controller.

Low Profile, High Quality
The three PTZ cameras were spread out on opposite parts of the room. The KY-PZ510 was used as the primary camera to zoom in on the individual speaker, while the two KY-PZ400 cameras were positioned on opposite sides of the stage for panel discussions. The low profile of the JVC PTZ cameras made it ideal for placing them in environments we might not have been able to with a traditional camera setup.

The compact construction of the cameras allowed us to mount one on a wall, put another on a large stand and suspend the third from the ceiling. This enabled us to bring our livestream to remote viewers and provide the necessary impact through a sharp, clean image with the best possible technology—which is what Filmscape is all about.

One thing we were fascinated by was JVC’s auto-tracking feature in the 510 Series cameras, which we utilized throughout our presentations. The speaker was able to walk around the stage and speak to attendees without having to worry about whether or not they were in the shot.

We found that the auto-tracking feature simplified the process for the film crew, as they did not have to manually track an individual speaker on stage—the tracking system on the camera efficiently followed the presenter. This provided a more-intimate connection that gave our livestream viewers a more in-person experience.

More Production Space
Having PTZs placed strategically around the room, out of the way of traffic, gave us a much larger space to work from. We no longer had to lose those seating positions for the cameras; we were actually able to add seats in this environment.

Our staff was also impressed with the fact that JVC cameras made it possible for the operator to connect to a computer and livestream directly to our YouTube channel. The information was also preserved for on demand viewing. The simplicity of the built-in technologies of the JVC cameras, such as the ability to connect over Ethernet and control them in multiple ways, is amazing to me. These features allowed the camera operators to perform at a higher level, and that’s important.

Creating a seamless livestream can become very complicated when you have more than 1,000 people around you while at the same time trying to run simple, efficient camera workflows with non-traditional camera placements. We are proud and honored to have the JVC PTZs to capture this event, and to join us in building our community (not only locally in Chicago, but across the Midwest); bringing film and television education right into homes. l

Gary Adcock is the executive director of Filmscape. His capabilities and knowledge keep him in demand as an industry consultant and reaffirm his passion and dedication to educating a new generation of artists, technicians, and filmmakers for trade associations like NAB and PERG. He has also participated in the semi-annual TV Tech Summit. He can be reached at gary@filmscapechicago.com .

More information is available at www.jvc.com/in/pro/professional-camcorders/ptz-cameras .