Many firsts for ALEXA 35 Live

August has been an exciting month for the ALEXA 35 Live - Multicam System. Images from the system have been transmitted from a soccer game in an extensive test and the first camera chains have been delivered to the first customer, who has put the system to use on a first professional production. The response has been enthusiastic, thanks to the visibly better image quality, easy integration, and full set of features for live production. New orders keep coming in and a second batch of systems is being assembled, while all feedback is carefully analyzed for future product enhancements. 

First professional ALEXA 35 Live transmission

In a joint project, SKY Austria, TV Skyline, and ARRI have tested an ALEXA 35 Live - Multicam System during the opening game of the Austrian soccer league in early August. Host Broadcaster SKY Austria was pleased with the results and their post-game analysis commented on the “visibly better image quality in contrast to other live cameras” and “outstanding dynamic range and general product quality."

To test the system in as many positions as possible, the crew switched three times from a tripod position with a Fujinon Duvo HZK 25-1000 to handheld use with a Fujinon Cabrio ZK 19-90. Thanks to the clever mounting mechanism of the ARRI Large Lens Adapter LLA-1, the switch-over was easy and fast. SKY also gained interesting insights into rethinking the process of conventional camera operations.

First ALEXA 35 Live systems delivered

VA Hire, a camera rental company with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, and The HELM, a global provider of technical and operational solutions for television and event production, have joined forces in a groundbreaking strategic partnership, bringing together the pinnacle of cinematic camera and lens technology with world-class broadcast multi-camera workflows. They received their first delivery of 12 ALEXA 35 Live - Multicam Systems in early August, with another 12 on the way, after having been keenly interested in the system and in constant contact with ARRI.

Warren Day, CEO of VA Hire, explains, “The broadcast market has been wanting a truly cinematic option for a long time and there just hasn't been a really good option until now. We have had great success with the ALEXA 35 in the TVC, TV drama, and feature market ever since its release and we can now offer the ALEXA 35 Live in the broadcast space to deliver the same awesome capture quality. It's an exciting time and we're delighted to be partnering with Josh and his team over at The HELM to deliver this to the market both locally and internationally.”

Josh Moffat and Paul Barrett from The HELM have been tracking the development of the ALEXA 35 Live for a while. Says Moffat: "Our clients started asking for cinematic multi-camera solutions, and then last year we became aware of the direction ARRI was heading in. First, they showed us renderings and we discussed features with them, and then after seeing the system at NAB, we knew this product would be a winner and we immediately put in our order.”

First professional project with ALEXA 35 Live

Upon receiving and thoroughly testing the ALEXA 35 Live camera chains, VA Digital and The HELM immediately embarked on their first production. This was a two-day in-person and online coaching event presented by Josh Phegan, an internationally renowned speaker, trainer, and coach for high-performance real estate agents. Four ALEXA 35 Live systems were combined with Canon 50-1000, Canon 25-250, and Fuji 19-90 lenses for simultaneous live streaming and recording of the event.

The challenge presented by the client was this: Josh Phegan's company produces hundreds of hours of pre-recorded content all year, shot by a professional cinematographer. But their live event content wasn't to the same standards, and the footage looked cheap in comparison. Josh Moffat, Co-founder and CEO at The HELM, elaborates: “When we put forward the possibility of using the ALEXA 35 Live system, it was instant excitement. We had a clear problem to solve and a client that valued his image quality. Like in many events, the first opportunity our client had to truly sit back and look at the camera output was at the end of the first day of shooting. The response can only be described as emotional. They exclaimed: 'Look in the audience, there's no light there, but you would never know!', or marveled as 'The office in the next building, outside, through the glass wall, is properly exposed, how is that possible?', leading to the conclusion that 'We can never go back to traditional cameras!'"

Jack Crombie, Technical Producer at Endframe, who look after technical and content production for Josh Phegan, said that ARRI's “Game Show” look, which is one of a number of Multicam looks built into the camera, provided such a good image that he could forgo the usual postproduction for further online content sales, translating into a real money saver on top of the significant improvement in image quality.  

The crew from The HELM were equally enthusiastic. Paul Barrett, Co-founder and CTO at The HELM, notes that “The combination of the ALEXA 35 sensor, dynamic range, and color science is second to none. In short, the picture looks amazing! To be able to bring that into a broadcast friendly package and functionality is a game-changer. ARRI have been phenomenal in initial workflow testing and training our teams. They are extremely responsive to feedback and embracing our broadcast perspective. Looking to the future, the system also provides unparalleled image quality for HDR and Dolby Vision multi-camera workflows, which we will be exploring soon. I am very excited about further developing the cinematic broadcast market in the APAC region." After the success of this first project, VA Hire and The HELM are already busy planning further projects with the ALEXA 35 Live system.