Project: Custom Multimedia Studio
Completion: February 2020
The Project
To start the process, a meeting was set up with the client - Indooroopilly SHS Deputy Principal, Derek Weeks - to establish the overall goal for the project.
His goals were to construct a fully featured multimedia studio where students can be taught industry standard skills and workflows such as special effects and green-screen work, along with the ability to live stream school productions.
Derek and his team of teachers had limited tech knowledge coming into this project but were guided through the process by Lemac National Business Development Manager, Wayne Newton who managed the project from conception through to completion. Following this initial meeting, Wayne set about designing a bespoke system to suit Indooroopilly SHS's requirements.
"Indooroopilly State High School was thrilled to work in partnership with Lemac who came on board to facilitate, advise and install all aspects of the studio and control room. The school recognised that Lemac have a reputation for delivering quality products and paying attention to the needs of the client. From the outset, Lemac placed the students’ learning experience at the forefront of design decisions and provided appropriate equipment to suit the curriculum." - Tammy Gilmore - (Head of Department - the Arts)
Installation Process
Studio
There is no ‘one size fits all’ option when it comes to building a studio. The team at Lemac carefully assess the needs of the client and tailor the equipment and physical layout of the space accordingly.
For this project, a 9 meter long chroma key wall and cyc was installed along with a custom lighting grid. Lemac supplied all the plaster and grid pipe for the install and then worked with the builders and plasterers to make sure the installation ran smoothly.
The studio is lit up by the latest SWIT 60w and 90w Bi-Colour SMD panels all controlled over DMX from the control room.
"Our other request was for a large green screen wall which would enable our students to experience live chromakeying and developing special effects in post-production. Lemac were able to advise appropriately not only on the scale of the screen but also on the fine details of the space including density of the curtaining and the position and quantity of lighting needed to completely control the environment appropriately." - Tammy Gilmore - (Head of Department - the Arts)
Cameras
The studio cameras are Blackmagic Design Ursa Broadcast cameras with Fiber backs and Studio Viewfinders with the latest Fujinon 4K lens and controllers mounted on them.
The benefits of connecting these cameras over fiber is that through one cable you can power the camera and all of its accessories as well as having comms, tally and return video from the CCU.
"The school required cameras that could withstand practical use by many students, while still being future proofed. Wayne and Lemac were able to source and put together a studio package featuring three Blackmagic URSA Broadcast cameras feeding back to a dedicated editing suite that was suitable for the space and could be updated successfully into the future. " - Tammy Gilmore - (Head of Department - the Arts)
Control Room
In the control room the switching is done with a Blackmagic ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K which switches between all the cameras and VTR’s as well as handling chroma keying, Titles, Graphics, Stingers and more.
Camera control, the recording VTR’s and the lighting desk are all laid out for ease of use by the operators. Comms from the control room to the cameras and the floor manager are handled by a 4 channel Clearcoms system. An On Air light outside the studio is triggered by this system when recording begins.
"Not to be outdone by the cameras, green screen, and lighting rig, equal attention needed to be given to the controls. Lemac again were able to detail the layout of this space, to include usability and functionality for our students. This space allowed for teaching and learning to occur as ample room was given to conduct lessons. The control room provides complete control of the lighting, cameras, sound and vision switching. A communications array between the camera operators, floor manager and the vision-switching desk allowed for live productions to be seamlessly webcast while being entirely operated by the students of Indooroopilly State High School. The equipment itself required ease of use, and functionality as it was to be accessed by many students who study Film, Television and New Media, and those students that come into the studio from other learning areas." - Tammy Gilmore - (Head of Department - the Arts)
Construction
Often the client gets more functionality than they expect once they see how everything fits together.
Lemac managed the full construction process, right from the beginning with the project managers, architects, engineers, builders, and installers as well as offering training and ongoing support post installation. The Indooroopilly teachers mentioned that they were extremely satisfied with the full process, including the efficiency of setting up the full studio within a week after all the building works were completed.
Client Satisfaction
Indooroopilly SHS already had an established relationship with Wayne as they had purchased video equipment from him in the past. Wayne’s reputation also preceded him as he has designed and built many studios in QLD.
All stakeholders were very happy with the outcome of the project and mentioned that one of the best features of this studio was the simplicity of the system, allowing students with little to no technical experience to be up and running within minutes.
Principal Derek Weeks and the team at Indooroopilly also especially appreciated how Wayne was able to take full control of the design and construction phases, attending many meetings with the builders. The result was a new facility that was custom-built to the right spec and will serve the school long into the future, even as technology continues to evolve.
"From the initial design and planning of the space through to the construction, installation and setup of the equipment, Lemac have met all timelines and have been efficient in their management of the project.
Customer service, technical advice, consultation and support: here, the personal attention to detail and prompt responses to any question or enquiry, was quickly addressed by Wayne. Wayne was able to really get to know our school, its student body, their needs, and the needs of the teaching staff.
Indro couldn’t be happier with the outcome of their new studio." - Tammy Gilmore - (Head of Department - the Arts)
Contact Us
The Lemac team is your team, in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane
While this was a large project, Lemac has the ability to custom create and support a studio for any business to suit both their budget and needs.
Whether it’s a full studio build and install, a redesign of your existing facility or anything in between, Lemac can guide you through the process, from start to finish.
Contact us today to find out how we can help.
Wayne Newton
Lemac National Business Development Manager
wnewton@lemac.com.au