Event Rigging Series: Part 6 — Building a Permanent Multi-Camera Broadcast Installation

Exploring the use of Blackmagic Design gear for live events has been off my radar for some time, as I’ve been heavily focused on the lighting side of things. Now, I’m diving deep into the infrastructure required for a permanent, multi-camera video installation.

The goal is to create a straightforward, highly reliable setup that is versatile enough to handle multiple feeds simultaneously. We need dual feeds to screens or projectors—one positioned at the stage's rear for digital backdrops and another for a live image magnification (iMag) feed sent to side screens, streaming platforms, and local recorders.

Additionally, the system must accommodate video playback, external presentation inputs (like laptops at a podium), and provide a clean, automated feed for the dressing room monitors backstage. Let's dive in.

The Cameras

I'll be looking at two distinct camera styles, each serving a unique production function across the venue:

• Stationary Cameras: Ideal for locked-off shots such as a wide master view from the front of house (FOH), a reverse perspective from the stage's rear facing the audience, or an overhead angle focused on a performer (like a drummer).
• Mobile Cameras: Utilizing dollies, tracks, or jibs to provide dynamic, tracking footage and versatile framing options during a live performance.

Fixed Cameras: The Discreet Observers

For our stationary positions, I’ve chosen the incredibly discreet Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K G2 coupled with the Panasonic LUMIX G X Vario PZ 45-175mm f/4.0-5.6 lens.

With just two SDI cables, you can achieve wonders: one cable sends out the uncompressed live feed from the camera, while the second return cable lets you take complete remote charge of it. This setup grants full command over focus, iris, zoom, internal colour correction, the Tally display, and even allows you to start or stop Blackmagic RAW recording on external USB-C drives at will.

A Quick Mini-Rant: Unfortunately, Blackmagic has still not transitioned their Micro Four Thirds (MFT) based cameras to an active EF mount. According to my research, merely 3 to 4 lenses natively support the electronic Power Zoom feature via the MFT mount, in stark contrast to the vast array of EF lenses that offer this capability natively.

Despite the lens limitations, the Micro Studio Camera 4K G2 packs massive broadcast-quality capabilities into a tiny frame. Its Four-Thirds sensor delivers 13 stops of dynamic range and exceptional low-light performance, ensuring Ultra HD image quality under dramatic theatrical lighting. It features 12G-SDI Micro BNC connectors for 10-bit uncompressed video up to 2160p60.

The Glass: The Panasonic Lumix 45-175mm lens offers a moderate telephoto range (equivalent to 90-350mm on a 35mm camera). It features an internal rocker switch for power zoom, which is highly advantageous for video because of its perfectly smooth, motorized zooming action. Crucially, the front element of the lens does not extend or rotate, making it ideal for tight custom enclosures or polarizing filters.

Rigging to the Truss: I've devised a simple, clean solution for mounting these fixed units to our lighting truss: using a heavy-duty truss clamp with an attached TV spigot, converted to a standard 1/4-inch thread for the camera base. This method allows the camera to be rock-solid during a show but easily detached for maintenance when required.

Mobile Cameras: Dynamic Movement

With the fixed cameras locked down, it's time to focus on the mobile units. For these positions, I'm opting for the Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K Pro G2.

These units are specifically tailored for high-end SDI and IP switchers. They feature professional 12G-SDI and integrated 10G Ethernet connections. The 10G Ethernet link completely simplifies our cabling infrastructure, running video, program return, camera control, talkback, tally, and power down a single, highly cost-effective copper line using a SMPTE-style workflow.

• Low-Light Mastery: The camera's gain ranges from -12dB (100 ISO) up to +36dB (25,600 ISO), ensuring exceptional low-light performance with minimal grain—perfect for moody, poorly lit event spaces.
• Physical Architecture: Constructed from carbon-fibre-reinforced polycarbonate, the body is lightweight but rugged. Every external connection is logically placed on the tripod-handle side to prevent cable entanglement for headphone-wearing operators.
• The Viewfinder: It boasts a massive, bright 7-inch touchscreen viewfinder with a folding sunshade. Physical knobs handle LCD brightness, contrast, and focus peaking, while the touchscreen allows the operator to quickly adjust parameters like colour temperature and audio levels.

We will equip these mobile units with the exact same Panasonic Lumix 45-175mm Power Zoom lenses used on our fixed cameras. This ensures a perfectly uniform visual profile and color match across the entire broadcast.

Camera Movement Infrastructure

Because these units need to glide dynamically around the venue, we will employ two distinct ground-level mobility setups alongside an advanced aerial system.

1. The Dolly Setup

A dolly transforms a standard stationary tripod into an agile, tracking platform. For the base tripod setup, I've chosen the Manfrotto MVK502AM-1 Tripod System paired with the Nitrotech 608 fluid video head.

The Nitrotech 608 head features a continuous counterbalance system that allows precise, weightless control over the camera and accessories weighing up to 8kg. Driven by a unique fluid drag technology, it guarantees completely smooth pan and tilt movements without a hint of judder. The head mounts via a 75mm half-ball onto the aluminium twin-leg tripod, which features sturdy leg locks and a stable ground spreader.

We are combining this system with the heavy-duty Manfrotto 114MV Cine/Video Dolly. Each of its large wheels is equipped with an independent, foot-operated brake to lock the rig safely into position once a tracking shot is established. When the show is over, the entire dolly folds down neatly and compactly for storage.

2. The Jib Setup

Rigging a camera on a crane or a jib allows for sweeping overhead perspectives and massive 360-degree panoramic tracking shots. For this, we are deploying the Hague K18-PH200 CamCrane Camera Jib.

This crane can support camera setups up to 4kg and offers a maximum physical lift height of 7 metres. It comes equipped with the PH200 Pro Pan & Tilt Power Head, which utilizes two custom-geared motors controlled via a remote joystick box with variable speed adjustment.

Because monitoring a camera's built-in screen from 7 metres away or at the top of a sweeping arc is completely impossible, we are installing a Blackmagic Video Assist 7-inch 12G HDR monitor down at the operator’s control station. This monitor boasts an ultra-bright, 2500-nit panel that supports custom 3D LUTs, professional waveform scopes, and advanced focus peaking tools, ensuring the operator always has a crystal-clear look at their framing and exposure.

Processing & Signal Distribution

Once the video signals leave the cameras, we need to convert, route, and manage them cleanly back in the control room.

Control Room Infrastructure

To manage the heavy lifting of our video signals, we are using standard 10G copper networking to keep costs down while maintaining massive bandwidth:

• Blackmagic Studio Converter: For our mobile studio cameras, this unit breaks out all video, audio, talkback, and return signals in the control room, while simultaneously pushing power back down the Ethernet line to the camera.
• Blackmagic 2110 IP Mini BiDirect 12G: For our fixed cameras (which output SDI), this compact converter bridges their traditional 12G-SDI feeds onto our modern SMPTE-2110 IP video network, while providing an integrated 5-pin XLR talkback headset connection for local techs.
• Blackmagic 2110 IP Presentation Converter: Placed directly at the speaker's podium on stage, this device handles computer inputs. A single USB-C connection charges the presenter's laptop while safely capturing their presentation video, routing it cleanly back to the switcher via 10G Ethernet.
• Blackmagic 2110 IP Converter 8x12G SFP: This 1RU master converter acts as our central bridge, accepting up to 8 independent, bidirectional channels of SMPTE-2110 IP video and outputting standard 12G-SDI directly into our main switcher hardware.

Recording, Playback, and Live Graphics

To streamline the post-production workflow, we are excluding physical media from the cameras entirely. All recording is handled centrally in the control room using a network-attached workflow.

We are capturing our isolated camera feeds and the final master program mix using HyperDeck Studio 4K Pro broadcast decks. These decks record high-quality H.264, H.265, or Apple ProRes files cleanly onto local SSDs. Thanks to a recent firmware update, these decks can now record directly over the network to centralized storage.

For our central storage array, the Blackmagic Cloud Store Max 24TB is the ideal solution. This 1RU all-flash storage system utilizes a 12-card RAID 0 memory core accessible via high-speed 10G and 100G Ethernet links. By recording all camera feeds directly into a single unified network folder, our post-production editing team can connect instantly and start cutting the show together without waiting for local cards to be retrieved or transferred.

For live graphics, lower-thirds, and title screens, we are feeding the system using a dedicated graphics computer connected to a UltraStudio 4K Mini. This box interfaces via Thunderbolt 3 to provide broadcast-grade, 10-bit fill and key signals directly into the switcher's keyers.

Signal Out: Monitoring & Venue Deliverables

Managing the inputs is only half the battle; we need to distribute tailored feeds to various zones across the venue.

1. Control Room Monitoring

Depending on the physical footprint of our control space, we have a few monitoring paths:

• The Compact Route: Displaying everything inside the standard switcher multi-view.
• The Dedicated Route: Utilizing a Blackmagic MultiView 4 to pool four independent 6G/12G-SDI sources onto a single high-resolution display, freeing up valuable real estate on our master monitors.
• The Ultra HD Monitor: For critical monitoring, the SmartView 4K G3 stands out as an exceptional choice. It is a 1RU broadcast monitor featuring native 12G-SDI and SMPTE-2110 IP video inputs, built-in 3D LUTs, focus peaking, and precise framing guides.

2. LED Walls, Projectors, and iMag Screens

Getting video to the rear stage projection surfaces or the side image magnification (iMag) screens is highly straightforward. We will allocate a completely independent Auxiliary Output from our switcher for each target display device.

This separation allows us to route a static, creative background graphic to the stage's rear LED wall while simultaneously routing a clean, graphic-free camera feed of the performers directly to the side iMag screens. If the display hardware doesn't accept native SDI, a simple Teranex Mini SDI-to-HDMI micro-converter completes the link at the display side.

Keeping the performers informed of the stage status is critical. Here are three distinct methods to handle backstage monitoring depending on the venue's infrastructure:

4. Global Live Streaming

To broadcast the event globally, we are routing our final program mix into a Blackmagic Web Presenter 4K.

This dedicated hardware streaming engine handles direct-to-platform encoding for YouTube Live, Facebook, or Twitch over a secure Ethernet link. It features automatic mobile data failover if a 4G/5G phone is attached via USB, ensuring the stream never drops due to a local internet outage. It also features a dedicated technical monitoring output, giving the stream tech a real-time view of video levels, audio meters, and data-rate trend graphs.

The Core: Switching and Control

The absolute cornerstone governing this entire ecosystem is our master production switcher: the ATEM 4 M/E Constellation 4K.

This live production switcher features 40 standards-converted 12G-SDI inputs and 24 independent 12G-SDI auxiliary outputs. It packs 16 advanced chroma keyers, 4 independent Ultra HD multi-views, 2 SuperSource routing processors, and an integrated 156-channel Fairlight audio mixer. We will utilize the built-in MADI interface to bridge our stage audio directly into the system, ensuring pristine, synchronized sound for our recorders and web streams.

The Physical Control Surfaces: While computer control is handy, a fast-paced live environment demands physical tactile surfaces. We are deploying two dedicated control panels:

1. ATEM 2 M/E Advanced Panel 40: This massive surface features two physical M/E rows with 40 individual input buttons, independent select buses, and customizable digital LCD labels, allowing our technical director to fly through complex camera cuts and transition cues seamlessly.
2. ATEM Camera Control Panel: This dedicated shading station allows a single video engineer to independently manipulate up to four cameras simultaneously. It provides instant access to iris, shutter speed, white balance, master gain, and precise RGB color balancing across the entire camera array without needing to interrupt the operators on the floor.

Final Thoughts

While a permanent installation like this requires a significant initial engineering investment, leveraging an integrated SDI and 2110 IP workflow creates an incredibly powerful, future-proof production backbone.

What are your thoughts on this architecture? Would you route the dressing room feeds differently, or do you prefer the RF modulation approach for simplicity? Let me know your thoughts in the comments or reply to the social post that brought you here!