LONDON–Corps Q-Ball remote pan/tilt/zoom heads are being used for three reality shows during the Q4 2012 season of U.K. television broadcasts.
Approximately 50 Camera Corps Q-Ball heads were recently installed for a single show shot on location in southern England. The program demanded secrecy to ensure the dramatic effect and to prevent participants obtaining prior knowledge of the challenges they are to face.
The cameras were operated by four people, each using a joystick-based guidance system plus a remote control panel to ensure accurate color-matching. These allowed the action to be tracked over dispersed locations without a huge production staff. Camera Corps' hybrid electro-optical links carried HD-SDI data from many of the Q-Ball heads back to the main control room. Control data was fed along the same links.
For a separate production, six Q-Ball systems were installed at a house and controlled by two operators.
Cameras are also currently being installed for another U.K. reality show, and Q-Ball's controllable-acceleration pan and tilt motors allow the show's participants to be tracked in motion, and the cameras can even be used in infra-red illumination.
This production’s installation will also include 24 Camera Corps MiniShot remote pan/tilt heads, which will be operated under joystick control via four multi-camera control units, allowing color matching, shooting angle, zoom and focus to be adjusted in the technical operations room.
“Q-Ball greatly extends the range of options open to reality-show directors,” Camera Corps' Managing Director Laurie Frost said. “It allows high-precision tracking shots to be obtained from locations that would be difficult, expensive or downright impossible using traditional equipment. The heads can be blended in easily with any background or be left visible as part of the production set. With the recently introduced Q-Ball Pre-Set version, the control parameters for each head can be rehearsed and stored for fast recall.”
