When it comes to high-quality commercial productions, INDIRAP has an awesome track record with big-name clients around the world. Since 2010, the Chicago-based production company has worked with clients ranging from Kimpton Hotels to Virgin Atlantic to car manufacturer Acura and many more.
“We do a ton of corporate content, brand content, commercial work, industrial work, etc. Real estate, pharma tech, casinos. We work with all types of clients big and small to get them the kind of brand recognition they need and want,” says Founder and Executive Producer Julian Tillotson.
Working with predominantly corporate clients, Tillotson and his crew are constantly under the pressure of strict deadlines and executive client scrutiny. Since many companies demand content to be produced meticulously yet quickly, it’s up to them to create a commercial from scratch within just a few days. From laying the creative groundwork to acquisition to post-production editing, Tillotson’s group handles every aspect of video creation for their clients.
One of their favorite devices to use on set is Teradek’s Bolt 500 . The Bolt series transmits up to 1080p60 video from camera to monitor instantly on production sets for interested parties like DPs and First ACs to view what’s being captured on camera. The feeds are visually lossless, revealing every detail the camera’s sensor captures.
Seeing the shot in real time allows for greater continuity in a production team. Crewmembers can pull focus more accurately when there are no delays between camera and monitor. Framing shots are made easier when corrections can be made on the spot. Even lighting teams and script supervisors can view the monitor and make adjustments on the fly. Ultimately, zero-delay monitoring saves the production time, an invaluable asset when that time translates into big money.
On a recent shoot for Seneca Buffalo Casino, INDIRAP was tasked with producing a commercial piece in just a few days and without interfering with the casino’s daily business. That meant working around the casino’s customers and employees.
“We only had 5 hours to shoot a ton of content on the casino floor, so we had to make sure we weren’t wasting any time.”
The mission was to create a short commercial that would be played in loop on the casino’s 2 brand new Daktronics 20 ft. video walls on the casino floor as well as on the 2nd level. Having the casino display it on such a massive scale meant needing to capture every detail with utmost precision. Combined with a 5 hour time limit, the pressure was on for Tillotson to make every minute count.
Tillotson and his crew wasted no time getting to work. The shots were captured on their RED Epic Dragon 6K video camera with Sigma DG HSM Art 35mm, 50mm and 85mm lenses. Teradek’s Bolt 500 was connected via SDI to the RED Dragon and transmitted a visually lossless video feed to a Bolt receiver at their Video Village. The receiver displayed the video feed on an Atomos Ninja Flame monitor recorder so Tillotson and his team could view each shot in real-time.
Where Tillotson would have spent hours of extra time adjusting and reshooting, real-time monitoring allowed him to know which adjustments to make during the shot. Having wireless monitoring also helped the crew to move freely from scene to scene without having to plug in cables or wait for space to be cleared. In just 5 hours of shooting, they were able to shoot in 20 different locations within the casino.
“Our workflow was sped up because we have that extra assurance that we got the shot correctly. It also helped to keep the corporate staff at bay because they could see the shot too, which is super important because the worst thing you can do is shoot something the client doesn’t want.”
Whether you work on commercial or film projects, there’s always going to be pressure to finish a production sooner than later. Luckily, devices like Bolt help to improve filming efficiency on set and ensure projects are finished with great results. For INDIRAP, zero-delay monitoring is now an essential piece of every production and something they can rely on to improve their workflow wherever they go.