Cinematic AMIRA Multicam rocks The Who

When one of the world’s most influential bands gives a benefit concert in one of the most beloved venues in Britain, people want to experience it. This was the case when The Who played to a full house at Royal Albert Hall in London this past spring. Long ranked among the greatest live acts in rock history, The Who revived their classic rock opera "Tommy," along with other timeless hits during the concert. Their show marked the 100th performance sponsored by the Teenage Cancer Trust at the Hall. With this annual fundraiser, Teenage Cancer Trust raises millions to provide specialist care to young people with cancer.

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The Who played to a sold out Royal Albert Hall

Aspiring to achieve a cinematic look for The Who’s legendary performance, Teenage Cancer Trust, EP-PIC Films & Creative, Eagle Rock Entertainment, together with Procam Projects, relied on the premium quality of ARRI AMIRA cameras to capture the experience. Emer Patten, Executive Producer at EP-PIC Films & Creative, explains: “The main reason that we used the ARRI AMIRA and ALEXA Mini is that I love the ALEXA family of cameras and a proper 35 mm aesthetic. Back in the day, we used to shoot on film all the time, and the evolution of digital film cameras has finally caught up with the aspirations of producers and directors, so I now try to specify the ALEXA and AMIRA for all of my productions.” On October 13, Eagle Rock Entertainment released "The Who: Tommy – Live at Royal Albert Hall" on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Video.

In what turned out to be the largest multi-camera utilization of ARRI cameras in the UK to date, six ARRI AMIRAs, two ALEXA Minis, and four Sony A7S II were employed for the event. All the ARRI cameras were able to be racked through a centralized engineering portable production unit gallery. By combining the Procam Projects’ Ereca CamRacer with AMIRA and ALEXA Mini cameras in Multicam mode, the engineering team could match the cameras using standard Sony Remote Control Panels (RCPs) in a familiar live broadcast workflow with an industry-standard SMPTE Hybrid fiber. Offering a simple and flexible interface, AMIRA Multicam can be used with virtually any transmission system providing the same production benefits regardless of which system is used. It allows the image parameters of multiple AMIRA cameras to be remote controlled using conventional Sony RCP.

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AMIRA Multicam being set up before the show

Available for all AMIRA models, the Multicam mode makes the exceptional image quality of ARRI’s ALEV 3 sensor available to an even wider range of productions in the broadcast sphere. It can take the cinematic look of AMIRA’s unrivalled dynamic range, natural colorimetry, and the large format’s shallow depth of field into the fast- paced world of live multi-camera productions. “That same look is the reason so many cinematographers around the world choose to use ARRI cameras,” said Andy Hayford, Business Development Manager at ARRI.

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AMIRA Multicam offers a simple and flexible interface

Increasing demand for high quality imagery with Multicam mode has been noticeable in the wider broadcast market and AMIRA cameras are often called upon to capture monumental events. AMIRA Multicam shoots to date have included major US comedy shows, Broadway stage productions, fashion shoots, TV talent shows, corporate events, and, of course, concerts.

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AMIRA Multicam in action

Another standout event of 2017 for the AMIRA Multicam, was the World Club Dome in Frankfurt, Germany. Promoted as the “biggest club worldwide,” this electronic dance music festival brought together more than 160,000 visitors and 200 international DJs on 20 separate stages. Six AMIRAs and three ALEXA Minis were employed to capture footage for the event spaces and 20 Facebook livestreams. All in all, World Club Dome reached around three million viewers.