Rock Star Hotel implements full 4K live streaming with Blackmagic
Published: ASIA
JAPAN: Built around three Blackmagic Studio Camera 4Ks, Rock Star Hotel in Osaka City has recently implemented a full 4K broadcast workflow to stream live events taking place inside the hotel. Designed around a rock and roll theme, the hotel also collaborates with up and coming visual artists to commission and release work and compilation albums with Italian-label Irma records.
The hotel is famous for throwing parties promoted by director Takuho Asanuma, who reportedly brings in top DJs and crowds. ‘We organised a big party at the Rock Star Hotel, using whole floors of the hotel,’ he explained. ‘As a challenging way to publicise the hotel, we live streamed the party. We received positive feedback so we decided to install a complete broadcast system enabling us to stream parties regularly, with superb quality.’
The complete installation included three Blackmagic Studio Camera 4Ks, in addition to an Atem Production Studio 4k, HyperDeck Studio Pro, Atem 1M/E Broadcast Panel, SmartView Duo, SmartView HD, UltraStudio Express, HD Link and Mini Converter. ‘Using Blackmagic gear exclusively, the equipment can be rackmounted beautifully and I don't have to worry about any compatibility issues, so it is much easier to set up,’ observed Mr Asanuma. ‘It is also more cost effective to build a system this way.
‘The great thing about the Studio Camera is its big monitor on the back,’ he continued. ‘It does not have many buttons to push, so it is simple to use. We think giving the audience the sense of presence at the party is more important than worrying about technical aspects like focus and exposure. I thought having a big monitor on the camera is more appropriate to capture such "live" feelings than cameras with a conventional viewfinder, because it is quicker and easier to adjust. ‘Also, we needed cameras that anyone could use. The Studio Camera 4K is professional quality, yet easy-to-use for non-professionals.
‘The Studio Camera 4Ks allowed me to control focus and gain remotely from the Atem,’ recalled Mr Asanuma. ‘It worked exactly as I wanted it to. When audio is sent to Atem, the analogue audio is converted to digital. When the audio is clipped in the digital range, it becomes distorted and we cannot let that happen. It was a musical event so there was a variety of music, both quiet and loud. To keep the level comfortable for the audience I used Camera Control, adjusting the master fader based on the type of music they played.’
Camera control was also used to perform real time colour correction together with the Atem Camera Control software. ‘It is not realistic to colour correct hours of footage from scratch, so it is a great advantage that Atem allows me to colour correct live,’ said Mr Asanuma. 'I made a look for one of the cameras and copied the setting. I brought down saturation and added orange to gamma, and turned lift to more blue. Then I pasted the setting to the rest of the camera with paste to all. When the lighting condition changed during the party, I adjusted the colour while switching. If I make sure the audio sounds fine, the programme is almost completed without editing, saving a lot of time and cost to create content.’
Not limited to indoor ‘dance’ parties, the hotel recently recorded The Star Festival, an outdoor music event held in Kyoto. ‘I see massive potential in this system with Blackmagic,’ concluded Mr Asanuma.