Multiple TV cam feeds into izzy

[goodboy]

Looking for advice and help please.

I've been asked to do a job but I've never worked with multiple TV cams going into Izzy. Is there an 'out' on the mixers that control the cams? So I'm only dealing with one feed leaving the tv/editor to choose what to show.

The overall objective is to build a stage in a carpark with a gauze at the front and a screen at the back. Two cars will be on the stage and the cars will have actors in them. The show is based on a car chase. The idea is to project the actors via 5 live feed cameras onto the front Gauze while simultaneously projecting roads on the Creative Screen (back screen) to give the illusion of the cars travelling.

Thanks in advance.

Joe

[Michel]

@goodboy

I guess most hardware mixers do have an out (that's the job they are made for), so I don't see any problems for the tv/editor to give you one cable (HDMI/SDI) and you will get what he selects to go out. What you need on your side is a capture device like the Ultra Studio Mini Recorder from Blackmagic (https://www.blackmagicdesign.c...).

Best Michel

[Kathmandale]

Without knowing specifically what kind of equipment your 'editor' is using it's hard to say. But, yes, most camera switching systems are based around a 'Program' and 'Preview' output where program is what you see right now and preview is what is lined up to cut to next. Most systems have multiple physical outputs of Program and others include this for Preview as well. A lot of them also have 'aux' outputs that can be configured to show the Program, Preview or any of the sources. If not you'll need to split the signal before ingesting it into your computer, but that is easy enough to do. You'll also need a suitable capture card in your computer.

Another thing to consider is if you really need to run the cameras through the computer. In the set-up you described I'm not sure if you need Isadora to actually do anything to the camera feeds. If you do want to apply geometry or effects etc to the camera feeds then fine. If you're literally showing the video as edited on the gauze it might be worth plugging the editors switching device straight into the projector; it will simplify things and reduce load on your computer leaving you more headroom for whatever you are doing on the rear screen and perhaps most importantly if the sound is live, it will reduce the latency between things happening on stage and things being on the screen. It's not such a problem if the audience can't hear the 'live' actors, just their amplified voices, but it can be in some set ups.

[goodboy]

@michel Thank you Michel, Kathmandale has a good point, if I'm not adding anything re izzy then there's no reason why they can't go direct to a projector leaving me to focus on the visuals on back screen.

[Kathmandale]

@goodboy

It might be a good idea, but you will obviously lose the flexibility that having the cameras through Izzy would offer you. You know, when the director goes ‘oh, I’d love to try this, can you do it?’ and you have to say no because the setup doesn’t allow it. It’s always that choice, flexibility vs simplicity.