Subsessions

• Frictionless Contextual Metadata Capture On Set for Intelligent and Efficient Digital Media Production

  Tuesday, April 21 | 3 – 3:20 p.m. | N256

  Ashay Javadekar

  In digital media production, managing metadata efficiently is crucial for seamless post-production workflows. This paper presents a novel approach to metadata capture and retrieval that minimizes manual logging and accelerates asset organization. The solution introduces an enhanced on-set intelligent slate as part of an ecosystem that generates a unique audio-video signature for every take, thereby embedding any ‘manually collected production metadata’ directly into the raw media, without requiring any additional hardware or impact to existing workflows. This approach ensures that essential contextual information, such as scene, shot, take, production comments, travels with the footage from capture to post-production. The unique audio-video signatures in raw media files are scanned in a lightweight media-process platform that automatically detects and deciphers these embedded signatures and creates a centralized metadata database. This metadata can then be used for any post-production activities, such as integrating with media asset management (MAM) systems and ingesting into non-linear editors (NLEs), streamlining footage organization, searchability, and editorial efficiency. Additionally, an AI-driven chatbot can enhance post-production workflows by providing instant insights and quick access to relevant information by performing contextual searches. By significantly minimizing the need for manual entry and external logging devices, this system enhances accuracy, reduces human error, and accelerates production pipelines. Our paper details the technical underpinnings of this metadata architecture, including signature generation, retrieval algorithms, and AI-assisted metadata analysis. We demonstrate how this approach significantly improves on-set and post-production efficiency and discuss its implications for production, editorial, and archiving workflows.

• Revolutionizing Live Production at Festivals and Events with Private 5G

  Tuesday, April 21 | 3:20 – 3:40 p.m. | N256

  Sam Yoffe

  Traditional outdoor broadcasts based on cabled camera systems and potentially point-to-point RF (radio frequency) links deliver the incredible live productions we have come to expect on linear broadcast TV and over-the-top (OTT) streaming services. However, they require significant investment to deploy and are not necessarily best suited to capturing authentic content to convey atmosphere and experience to a remote viewer. While traditional wireless cameras can take the audience away from locked-off cabled positions, large camera equipment can be impractical to move through crowds with and can be off-putting to attendees, who immediately assume they are being filmed for television. The result often falls short of the mark. This paper discusses the opportunities provided by pop-up private 5G networks to transform how live events can be captured using agile, lightweight and unobtrusive camera rigs based on mobile handsets (smartphones). Real-world experience deploying systems at the International Island Games and Henley Music Festival is detailed, along with key learnings and feedback from organisers and broadcast production partners. The use of mobile handsets to deliver video feeds during Paris 2024 is also highlighted. Not only is the technology a game-changer to augment and improve large-scale event production, but it also provides a more affordable and flexible solution to produce smaller or regional events that would otherwise be overlooked due to budget, whether that be on-premise or in the cloud.