Working in the media requires creativity on the part of the people that create and write with programmes. The was the case even before the covid crisis, but social distancing has made our work even more challenging. Luckily, together with our clients we still manage to deliver successful productions. 

With covid putting a stop to live audiences, programme writers that rely on an audience are faced with practical and technical challenges. This often leads to wonderful results, like when Medialane continued the satirical news show ‘Even tot hier’ in an alternative set-up. Rather than welcoming 100 people into the studio, they used a large LED screen to allow them to be virtual viewers.

Our technicians monitored the audience. Is the connection working? Can people see everything? What does it look like? One hundred people playing from home: that was a new challenge that our team tackled with confidence. To make sure the real recordings went well, we asked many of our EMG colleagues to help with a test recording. It was a success! For this production, under direction of director Henk van Engen, we offered a 7 camera multicam solution with three camera operators. We also distributed the show to the channel via the Live Centre and sent individual ENG teams out to record the musical interludes in the Dutch celebrity’s home or in the studio. Audio is important for this show. In order to work at a safe distance, we delivered both the production van and an audio van (OB17) for the two HGT features. One employee for the music and one for the rest of the show.

Photo: Owen Schumacher