VIDEO ASSIST
Advanced Digital Video Assist Solutions For Today’s Cinema Film Set
What is Video Assist?
The role of the Video Assist technician has evolved over the years since Jerry Lewis’s original conception of recording video simultaneously with film. Today video assist is the name of a complex system, consisting of monitors, recorders, video transmitters, video switchers, IT and RF equipment, and hundreds of yards of cables. Your video assist technician is in charge of it all. The whole system can easily fill a medium-sized truck. Their job is to set up the video village, consisting of the central video cart and accessories, separate villages: director’s monitors, producer’s monitors, and sometimes DP’s monitors, capturing single or multi-camera motion images, and reference audio, visual effect previz, synchronized playback across multiple video villages on set, and more recently, streaming to remote locations for approval.
Typically, the video assist technician operates as a one-person department on set, necessitating efficient use of time. The standard setup involves deploying, minimally three carts:
- Main Cart: Equipped with a computer, Qtake, and Aja or Black Magic routers to support camera and sound inputs.
- Director’s Cart: Outfitted with one or multiple production monitors, custom-configured to meet the specific needs of the job.
- Producer’s Cart: Designed with larger monitors to accommodate a larger group, connected to both camera and sound departments.
This three-cart configuration can be adapted based on the shoot requirements. For instance, some shoots may require a follow vehicle or a camera car, or a scaled-down setup for fast-paced, multi-location shoots. Each setup is tailored to the specific needs of the job and location, underscoring the importance of an initial consultation.
- Qtake Video Assist Systems – For Super Quick playback of your scenes and takes!
- Remote stream to anywhere in the world with Qtake Remote stream or the platform of your choice.
- Ultra portable packages for when you location is off the map!
- Custom tailored packages to meet the specific needs of your job.
Video Village
Director and producer carts are known as villages. Keeping the villages separated allows the producers to have their own creative vision separate from what’s happening in the director’s world. Servicing both villages can be challenging as it often feels as though your split between covering the requests of both villages at the same time.
Often there are additional creative or celebrity villages as well. Having many villages can be physically demanding especially when on location.
Video Assist Custom to your location
During the pandemic, social distancing accelerated the adoption of remote technology, significantly impacting Video Assist Operators. Previously, we streamed locally on set to various devices, but the need arose to stream remotely for off-set director and producer villages. Although remote streaming has become less critical post-Covid with the return of directors and producers to set, it remains a valuable tool embraced by the production industry. We have become proficient with this technology, incorporating it into our standard practices. Additionally, remote streaming proves indispensable when A and B units film in separate locations and the director and producers need to monitor both, or during driving shots where bringing the village in a follow vehicle is impractical. In such cases, we stream from the picture car back to the village when the range exceeds wireless capabilities.
In addition to setting up villages and streaming, our services include capturing multi-camera motion images for synchronized playback on local village monitors and remote streaming. We also provide advanced features such as overlaying composites on live images, aligning previously shot images with live footage for quick image matching, live green screen keying, and serving as an on-set browser library for all footage shot during your production.
MEET OUR TECHNICIANS
Our skilled technicians bring expertise and precision to every project, equipped with the industry’s latest tools for advanced monitoring and playback. From ensuring clarity on set to providing crucial technical support, our Video Assist Technicians elevate your production experience, contributing to the flawless execution of your creative vision.
Popular Configurations
Discover our most popular video assist rigs as requested by our clients. See firsthand why these rigs are favored by professionals in the industry!
Some additional Video Assist Tools
We’ll help tailor your order to meet the specific requirements of your project by bringing what it takes to make your project a success.
