Florida-based Video Village Miami provides on-set video assist for local commercials and music videos. Frank Collins established the outfit in 2019 after a 20-year career in sound mixing when he was inspired to add video management to his skillset and adapt to changes brought on by 2020. Today, it’s his job to know who needs to see the image that the camera is shooting and where they need to view it, which is often in the video village. To do this, he leverages a well-equipped cart sourced by Nebtek in Utah that includes the hardware and software needed to log, capture, playback, edit, and process video inputs and outputs, as well as a few monitors.
Each project follows a similar workflow, with the main variable being the number of cameras used. Collins typically receives the client video feed from transmitters on the camera using a wireless transmission system. The signal then goes from the camera to the wireless receivers. From there, he cables back to his system in the video village. The signal is then sent through an AJA KUMO 1616-12G router and AJA KUMO Control Panel to an AJA Io 4K Plus, and output to the computer running QTAKE. The feed is then spit back out to an output device.
“AJA Io 4K Plus just works; it’s recommended by QTAKE and does what it says it’s going to do,” Collins shared. “The reliability is there, and it also works well with the QOD output hardware.”
Across jobs, Collins ensures all parties on- and off-set are viewing the same image, helping to create a streamlined feedback loop to keep productions running smoothly. That insight is especially crucial to the video village, where creative stakeholders must be able to see and collaborate over the shots and actions taking place on set on their own monitor, separate from the director’s display.
In some cases, Collins will also stream out to remote collaborators, and if a project shoots using a green screen, he may add overlays to help inform the creative process. When production calls for playback, he immediately starts from the point where they called action, so time isn’t wasted sorting through footage. For playback, Collins typically records a 1920×1080 proxy file and plays it back; however, he built his system with Io 4K Plus to be able to support two 4K systems if the need arises.
“When I bought my cart, mobility and reliability were top of mind, which is why I love that Io 4K Plus is compact; I have two of them and they fit nicely into my rack,” Collins noted about the setup. “Reliability was also a consideration because my gear needs to be stable in many different temperature environments, from outside on the beach to the Everglades, in a cold studio, etc. Florida is extremely humid and can affect electronics, plus the cart I use has to be durable because it gets banged around during transport. All of our equipment is subjected to many elements, but it needs to hold up; for one of the last projects I worked on, the special effects team made it rain. I only use quality products that can withstand those elements and demands, and my AJA Io 4K Plus, KUMO, and KUMO Control Panel continue to run uninterrupted, even with everything they’re put through.”
As technology continues to rapidly advance and gear becomes smaller, Collins is considering adding another cart to his arsenal. “If I’m able to invest in a second one, I’d like to build it out myself slowly and source the parts from Nebtek. Sometimes jobs overlap or a rental system might be needed locally, so it would be good to have a backup. I could also use it for training, and possibly create one that’s lighter, smaller and a little more mobile.”
About AJA Io 4K Plus
Io 4K Plus is the cutting-edge of capture and output hardware available over Thunderbolt 3, offering a full set of professional video and audio connectivity with support for the latest 4K/UltraHD devices, High Frame Rate (HFR), High Dynamic Range (HDR) and deep color workflows. The power of Thunderbolt 3 enables Io 4K Plus to handle a wide range of formats from SD to HD, UltraHD and full 4K with frame rates up to 60p over both 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 with single cable simplicity, plus HDR support over both HDMI and SDI for HDR for emerging HDR workflow.
About AJA KUMO Routers
AJA KUMO routers provide a convenient, dense routing solution in a lightweight, compact form factor for use in facilities, OB trucks, post suites, and more. Available in multiple connector densities, and in 3G-SDI and 12G-SDI options, KUMO is easy to update, configure, and control with optional Control Panels for quick physical access to source and destination routing, with convenient USB ports for IP configuration, plus all models offer integrated web browser access over the built-in Ethernet connection. KUMO 1616-12G and KUMO 3232-12G routers enable 4K and UltraHD routing on a single BNC for rates up to 12G.