Keep It Simple: Building a Video Conference Studio Part Two

Last week, we broke down some of the major obstacles we faced creating a high-end video conferencing studio for a client who operates on a global scale. In this part, we will look at some of the more technical, and video related challenges we faced and how our experience with corporate video production and broadcast studio integration helped us overcome them.

Shot Selection:

The initial plan was to build a single-person studio, but that grew to a three-person space, so we needed a straightforward way for an executive to select the camera’s pan, tilt, and zoom functions.

For the camera, we utilized the new Sony FR7 robotic camera which used the Sony FX6 4K camera as its imaging engine along with several Sony power zooms. Since our camera would be about 10 feet from talent, the 28 – 135mm zoom worked great for both wide and close-up shots.

But the Sony PTZ controller is a full-featured panel, making it much more complicated than we wanted for a non-technical user. To simplify this, we used AMX control and brought in a partner that had worked on similar camera control systems. Simple user interface pages were developed so that a meeting participant had 3 shot selections: single person, two or three people. We could frame up the shots on either “hidden pages” or via Sony’s Web App. These were then saved for the user, allowing simple shot selection. The Sony Web App also allowed our end client to control camera parameters from anywhere that is on the enterprise network.

Lighting Control and Room Limitations:

The studio space was a smaller room, 10’ wide by 17’ long. The room had two side-by-side 5’ wide, floor-to-ceiling windows, so that the center mullion would appear to originate from the head of the center participant, not a good look. We solved this problem by angling our talent desk and camera so that the mullion would be safely separated from any of the talent’s heads! And the outdoor background added to the dynamics of the shot. A real-world green environment reinforced the company’s message.

Next, we had to solve the problem of the bright windows. As we couldn’t drown our talent with overpoweringly bright lights and cause them to wear sunglasses, we had to specify a semi-permanent window shading material that would darken our background within the range of our lighting and talent comfort. Here too, we partnered with a firm that had worked with us on a previous windowed studio to provide and install the proper material.

The AMX controller was programmed with presets so executives could change the lighting for both “Bright” and “Cloudy” days, ensuring they looked great on camera no matter the outdoor weather.

Audio Pickup and Reinforcement:

For audio pickup and far side amplification, we utilized Shure’s full-featured and time-tested family of microphones, audio processors, and speakers. For the flush-mounted table mic, we used the Shure 4-foot long MXA 710 microphones; the processor is the Shure IntelliMix P300; and the Shure MXA 920 is the ceiling mount speaker.

The MXA 710 Linear Array contains multiple microphones which allow for targeted coverage and the rejection of unwanted sounds, like from the adjoining print and supply room!

The IntelliMix P300 Processor and DSP provided an echo-free environment and, with its included “Designer” software, the ability to tailor the sound sent to remote listeners and the volume and quality of the return audio heard by our participant.

All the Shure audio devices, including the PoE-powered speaker, utilized Dante for ease of set-up, programming, and commissioning.

So how did this story end?

The studio works well! Our client and the end users are happy, and the room gets daily use. Microsoft Teams calls look and sound like they originated from a studio with controlled audio, lighting and set. And the executives are successfully operating the equipment without AV assistance.

We are pleased with the outcome and proud of our work on this project.

Production Craft, Inc. is a video production company based in Chicago, serving markets worldwide.

We are proud to be a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) certified by the State of Illinois Business Enterprise Program (BEP) and the National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC).