Live Shot from a Rose Parade Float

Based in Los Angeles, with offices in Burbank, Calif., and Las Vegas, Nev., Absolute Live Productions has been working with a New York-based social media agency to assist one of its clients in online marketing efforts.

As part of a live shot news gathering requirement by a client, ALP proposed an idea to live stream the famous Rose Parade in Pasadena from one of the floats. Due to limited space this would previously have been a challenge. There was no room for a tripod or even a handheld camera. However by using one of our low footprint, mount anywhere, remote controlled PTZ cameras from JVC, we had an excellent solution.

The JVC PTZ KY-PZ100 was installed toward the top of the float. CEO of Absolute, Dave Rosen, said the camera’s mounting bracket made it easy to pre-wire the float and then quickly attach the camera before the parade.

Dan Swerdlove, Director of Streaming Operations for Absolute Live Productions, was strapped to the float on a small chair. His lap desk included the JVC RM-LP100 remote camera controller and a seven-inch LCD monitor mounted to a short arm. The camera signal was looped to a TVU TVUPack TM8200 uplink backpack (stashed behind float foliage) for streaming along the busy parade route.

JVC PTZ robotic camera Rose Parade

Robotic PTZ Cameras savings for space and crew

‘The JVC camera allowed us to have more coverage and full control over our broadcast,’ Rosen said. ‘It allowed us to do a really beautiful wide shot where we could see the participants on the float, and we were able to zoom in past the float and see the people way off in the grandstands. We are extremely happy with the results.’

Absolute Live Productions purchased two KY-PZ100 cameras in December 2016, and used one for the first time at the Rose Parade. We are excited about the camera’s built-in streaming, and the camera’s accurate preset positions, which can be performed at a range of speeds, will help the company deliver professional results with minimal production crew.

‘A lot of our projects are three-camera shoots, and there is just not the budget to have three camera operators for the show,’ Rosen explained. ‘For us, there really is no better choice than the JVC PTZ to bring the high quality our clients demand at the price point they want.’

JVC KY-PZ100 Robotic IP PTZ Video Production Camera

Available in black and white housings, the KY-PZ100 features a 1/2.8-inch CMOS sensor and 30x optical zoom lens, and its f/1.6-4.7 maximum aperture delivers excellent low-light performance. When connected to a Wi-Fi adapter or LTE modem via USB or directly connected to a LAN, it streams up to 1080p/60 video at a variety of bit rates with two-channel audio and minimal latency. The KY-PZ100 also supports on-board HD recording at up to 50 Mbps to a MicroSDHC/SDXC media card, and recorded files can be uploaded to an external server.

ABOUT JVC PROFESSIONAL VIDEO

Headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey, JVC Professional Video is a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of JVCKENWOOD Corporation. The company is a leading manufacturer and distributor of broadcast and professional video equipment, as well as D-ILA front projection systems. For more information, visit JVC’s website at http://pro.jvc.com or call (800) 582’5825.