The charity and digital marathon “Fragathon” gathers 27 million views with the support of Blackmagic

Blackmagic Studio Camera and Micro Studio Camera were used for the production of the “Fragathon” event in Shroud, an online video game marathon that managed to donate more than a million dollars through donations, adding 27 million views and an average audience of 11,879 viewers.

He "Fragathon” is Shroud's version of an event similar to the popular video game marathons to get subscribers, in which a creator broadcasts live on 30 uninterrupted days. However, as explained by Ricky González, vice president of content at the agency Loaded, on this occasion the objective was charitable: to raise money for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

For this production, the popular Canadian influencer Shroud transformed his home into a studio with several sets intended for content creation. Systems for transmissions included a LAN center, which functioned as a internet cafe in the living room Shroud, with six video game stations, each equipped with a unit Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K G2 which was used as a web camera. Additionally, another camera was installed in an elevated position to capture a wide-angle shot of the space.

Other spaces included a room for board games and podcasts that had three units Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro, a Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K Pro G2 to capture a long shot of Shroud's broadcast set, and a mixer ATEM Mini Extreme to switch between images from video games and live shots from studios set up in the kitchen and living room.

Blackmagic cameras in the Shroud stream

According to Ricky González, Blackmagic cameras have become the favorite option from the production company Loaded for several reasons, among which its small dimensions, the quality of its rear screens or its ease of configuration stand out. "In addition, I found the entire ecosystem extraordinary and the ability to control the cameras using PoE technology or a USB-C port from anywhere in the studio. And by that I mean both the Studio Camera and the Micro Studio Camera. We were able to place cameras in hard-to-reach places without worrying about having to use a large number of cables throughout the house, which was key, since we wanted to achieve a studio-like setup while taking care of the comfort of home," he explains.

Regarding the Blackmagic Design ecosystem, Gonzalez highlights the functionality of the mixer ATEM Mini Extreme, especially when used together with cameras: "It is impressive what can be achieved when using Blackmagic cameras together with the ATEM. Full remote control is achieved without having to physically get close to the camera, allowing you to adjust the image from anywhere in the room. The ATEM are very easy to use, and by having a small work team that had to fulfill several roles at the same time, we could delegate control of these mixers to any member with the confidence that they were simple to operate and extremely “reliable.”

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