When Big Picture entered a partnership with South West Solutions and Ikonix to offer the most technologically advanced and connected virtual event space in Australia, the industry was anticipating something truly spectacular. The result is a new live event studio facility in Sydney featuring Brompton Tessera processing.
The live event studio was the first one to open in Australia, offering a professional soundproof studio with full backstage facilities, global broadcast-grade fibre connectivity and industry-leading production technology, not to mention “our knowledge of the Australian market for the live event, corporate theatre and music sectors, as well as the support of our studio partners,” says Josh Moffat, Business Development at Big Picture.
The main studio set showcases a 40 sq m ROE Visual Black Onyx 2.8mm LED screen, made up of 243 panels in its largest configuration, built in a concave curve. Dual ROE Carbon 3mm LED screens are used for presenter feedback, showing visuals like remote audiences and presenter notes, all connected by Barco E2 control system and disguise GX2C media servers.
The secondary set features an XR stage offering complete virtual set customisation with Panasonic 4k PTZ cameras, with total tracking integration to the disguise servers and presenter interaction in real-time.
“We chose Brompton for both our main and secondary sets, with four Tessera SX40 4K LED processors and 10 Tessera XD 10G data distribution units running in the main studio, with the XR stage using Tekken 3.9mm LED screens running off Brompton Tessera S4 processors,” explained Moffat.
Brompton’s superior calibration technique, solid reliability and proven track record of delivering complex workflows all played a part in the team’s decision to use the company’s products on such a high-scale virtual production.
“We have been using Brompton processing for years,” added Moffat. “Their colour control and depth of image manipulation coupled with advanced remote control makes the company the perfect LED processing solution for this workflow. We have also found pre-sets very useful and the OSCA seam correction feature is incredible!”
Big Picture’s partner Ikonix could not agree more. “Ikonix and Big Picture have worked collaboratively on a number of projects over the years,” said Zachary Burton, Director at Ikonix. “2020 has created new opportunities in the virtual market and, as we have strengths in content design and technical integration, our relationship has grown even stronger. Ikonix’s team of animators and programmers create virtual environments and program the integration from real world hardware into the virtual space. We know we can always trust our content will be delivered at a high standard with products like Brompton processing delivering the end result. It has been a great learning experience and we look forward to more exciting opportunities in the future.”
Following the announcement of its premium virtual event space, the Big Picture team has been receiving high praise from their customers on presenting yet another innovative solution for companies looking to move events and performances into the online realm.
“We have been seeing a lot of interest in our virtual facility, with anything from corporate presentations to musical performances, and we have some really exciting projects developing in the coming months,” Moffat concluded. “Being a live events company, the spirit and the excitement of a live show run through our veins. We have put all our knowledge, as well as the expertise of our partners, into creating a virtual environment of the highest quality that will preserve the live experience in its closest form. Brompton has been our loyal partner throughout the entire journey, always delivering stunning and exceptionally realistic looking visual playback.”