COVID-19 causes full-service A/V company to shift focus from staged events to online video
Telestream, a global leader in file-based media workflow orchestration, media streaming and delivery technologies, today announced that its Wirecast Pro solution is at the center of Emergency Production, LLC’s (EPAV) reinvented business model for the COVID-19 era. EPAV, which specializes in staging large-scale, AV-driven special events, was hit hard by the Coronavirus pandemic and many of the video-rich stage events it was contracted to produce had either been cancelled or postponed amid health concerns over large indoor gatherings. EPAV adapted to the challenge by producing and delivering engaging, broadcast-quality web video conferences, panel discussions, and other large-scale presentations for high-profile clients with Telestream’s Wirecast Pro live video streaming solution.
The Cranston, RI-based EPAV, which produced events for corporations, conferences, trade shows, concerts, and high-level training, had long used the Wirecast Pro streaming production software for occasional encoding and streaming. The company is now relying on Wirecast Pro even more for its ability to offer such features as switching multiple remote cameras; mixing digital audio; adding lower third uppers and creating split-screens and picture-in-picture boxes, to bring live video of presenters at remote locations into Wirecast.
“Preserving the excitement of a spectacular stage event within the online-only environment requires a completely new workflow,” said Chris Hubbard, founder and owner of Emergency Production. “Wirecast Pro is packed with professional features and capabilities that enable a tight, dynamic presentation consisting of exceptional video, audio, and graphics. When the show must go on, Wirecast Pro has proven to be capable and reliable from start to finish.”
In pivoting from major venue productions to online presentations, the biggest technical and logistical challenges stem from the need to produce a fairly complex, multilayered video program remotely, while directing on-camera sources at multiple locations. Presenters and EPAV crew, adhering to social distancing protocols, are either in their own respective homes, offices and studios or at safe distances from each other in conference rooms. However, with this new “virtual” web production model, it’s far more difficult to ensure quality control since it’s not possible to visit each presenter’s remote location and doublecheck that their video production setup is good to go. And given the logistical complexity of managing a broadcast-quality video conference involving multiple sites and sources, the streaming production platform itself needs to be ready and able to deliver a rock-solid, cohesive show.
With its robust streaming capabilities, integrated production feature set, and compelling price/performance, Wirecast Pro allows intricate video shows to be built up in layers, and even sub-layers, filled with a mix of video, audio, graphics, text, music and video clips. When speakers come on to share their expertise, it allows them to underscore their talks with PowerPoint slides or share computer screens. Presenters typically appear one after another, but they may also appear together as panelists. Wirecast’s built-in Rendezvous conferencing management system helps organize the remote production, acting almost as a greenroom. It allows people in remote locations to click on an email or text link and have their webcam or video camera instantly become a video production source available to Wirecast.
“We do a lot of things well here but sitting still is not one of them,” added Hubbard. “If there’s a way to keep contributing our video production and event management expertise, then we’re happy to be of service. With its Rendezvous conferencing and wide array of production tools, Wirecast Pro is a great solution that lets us produce and stream video conferences that convey our clients’ messaging in impactful, visually dynamic, graphics-rich online presentations and makes it possible for us to keep our business going.”
Download the complete Emergency Productions case study here: https://www.telestream.net/pdfs/customer-case-studies/cas-Emergency-Production.pdf