Portable Production Solutions

Portable Production Solutions
Low end to high-end portable (non-truck) multi-camera suitcase studios.

Justin Harvey/NPT and Ralph Welch/WCTE

Low end: Tricaster (used by NPT)
$12K (SD) to $20K (HD) for everything. 3 cameras, software-based switcher, record sources. Add-ons like an outboard switcher available. The unit paid for itself in the first year. NPT does about 20 partner shoots a year and (depending on the production’s complexity) charges $2-3K for the first hour of production and $500 per half hour after
that. Partner productions are co-ownership/copyright. NPT requires that they be the sole broadcast distributor for partner projects. Partners have stream and on-demand rights. NPT retains all editorial control. Staffing is done by station employes and interns. Also has green screen capability. Line suts only on NPT’s 4-year old model. Newer Tricaster models may have iso record capability.

High End: (used by WTCE and paid for by an R.U.S. grant) $850,000 suitcase studio. Plat panel displays. Runs on 3 20-amp  service. 5 cameras, 3 replays/record decks. Their unit does all their production. It is their HD control room for all ENG productions. WTCE has a staff of 14; 7 of who are in production. 50% of their station staff are directly involved in content creation, including (as we saw at the Jammim’ at Hippie Jack’s taping session at the Tennessee State Museum), WTCE’s General Manager Becky M.

Tim Zeko, WKAR-TV