Audiovisual training is transformed by looking at broadcasters

The savings in technology costs allow more and more educational centers to opt for broadcast quality equipment, training new generations of audiovisual technicians in a professional environment. The João de Deus Secondary School Faro (Portugal) is the latest example of this approach, betting on solutions of Blackmagic to create a workflow similar to that of the country's large broadcasters: RTP, SIC or TVI.

With more than 30 years of experience In the field of communication and audiovisual production, the João de Deus Secondary School has contributed to the Portuguese radio broadcasting and audiovisual production market hundreds of professionals which today make up an important part of Portugal's industrial fabric. Historically, the training center has always tried to have technology that replicates professional production environments as closely as possible.

This work It hasn't always been simple. In its decades of history, the Escola Secundária João de Deus has coexisted with a broadcast industry supported by high-cost tools, conditioning students' access to new audiovisual technologies.

However, the increasingly effervescent evolution of broadcast solutions forced the center to Completely transform your technological commitment. To do this, after participating in a call for European funds, an alliance emerged with the company Screen, an authorized Blackmagic distributor in Portugal, to take care of the design of the system, its installation and the training of teachers.

SMPTE fiber to adapt to a new market

One of the keys of the project has been to commit to the implementation of a SMPTE fiber network to interconnect all the cameras in the studio. Offering lines of 100 to 300 meters without loss of quality, this modality has allowed the training center to channel in single wire power supply, video, audio, picture control, intercom, tally and even the signal from a teleprompter.

The additional resistance that the fiber cable provides compared to the traditional SDI approach gives the center a essential durability to ensure the maintenance of the environment on a daily basis. And, more importantly, it serves as gateway for SMPTE 2110 infrastructures, increasingly widespread in broadcast environments.

A television supported by Blackmagic

Instead of opting for a cross-vendor deployment, the João de Deus Secondary School, together with Pantalha, decided to standardize an environment Blackmagic. The panels ATEM 2 M/E Constellation 4K, ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel 10 y ATEM Camera Control Panel they coexist with four chambers URSA Broadcast G2 and one Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro, accompanied by monitors URSA Studio Viewfinder G2 and a URSA Viewfinder original.

“The possibility of training with tools identical to those used in RTP, SIC or TVI was key in the decision.”

The installation is completed with a wide variety of tools that build a studio with UHD capabilities Prepared for present and future television and audiovisual production environments: Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converter, Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converter, Blackmagic Studio Fiber Rack Kit, Blackmagic Focus Demand, Blackmagic Zoom Demand, Video Assist 7” 12G HDR, HyperDeck Studio 4K Pro, MultiDock 10G, Streaming Encoder 4K, SmartScope Duo 4K 2 o un SmartView 4K G3. The installation is completed with a wide variety of converters Teranex Mini, los Micro Converters Bi Direct SDI/HDMI and accessories like cables XLR o racks, among other elements.

Paula Pereira, coordinator of the professional courses of the Agrupamento de Escolas João de Deus, and the team of trainers, decided to embark on creating a Blackmagic environment since it allows “a full 4K workflow", covering image capture, mixing, recording, monitoring and video transmission. "In addition, it offers the advantage of allowing a operation similar to that of high-end broadcast solutions, where all operators can work as if they were in a television studio. (…) The possibility of training with tools identical to those used in RTP, SIC or TVI was key in the decision,” he points out.

Keys to a production environment for an educational center

The João de Deus Secondary School offers three lines of vocational training. Communication, focused on journalism, public relations and advertising; the Audiovisual Production, an approach focused on video, editing, post-production, audio and photography, and the option Multimedia, which includes social networks and virtual production. All these lines converge in the audiovisual production, both for recorded formats and for live and streaming broadcasts.

The main studio is structured around four chambers URSA Broadcast G2 connected by fiber SMPTE. The mixing is done with a ATEM Constellation 8K, although a ATEM SDI Extreme ISO for projects outside the studio or for mobile practical classes. The system, which is complemented by a ATEM Camera Control Panel and a SmartScope Duo For technical waveform and vectorscope analysis, it has the HyperDeck Studio 4K as a recording source. Both tables have the same software base, which facilitates training and promotes a fluid transition between different environments.

“In some cases these are productions that are recorded, edited and then published, while in other cases they are produced live for streaming.”

When shaping their different formats, students mix materials from cameras and external sources, sometimes using the tool SuperSource to feature split-screen discussions, grids, and advanced layouts. Likewise, they have received training, from Pantalha, in the use of static and animated graphics, as well as in the management of two independent multiviewer outputs, allowing main and secondary inputs to be displayed on different monitors.

This workflow has already been used in formats such as interviews, presentations, podcast and tests streaming, as well as to manage all the necessary communications carried out with the activities of the training center. “In some cases these are productions that are recorded, edited and then published, while in other cases they are produced live for streaming,” says Pereira.

It is expected that in the future students will be able to develop talk shows, debates, video podcasts and school newsletters, as well as projects with live music, dance or recorded classes. By considering the studies as a professional simulation environment, these are adapted to carry out complete productions that allow students to get as close as possible to a professional production experience.

A necessary investment

From the João de Deus Secondary School, the complete renovation of its audiovisual production infrastructure was “treated as a investment more than as an expense”, although they consider that the balance between cost, quality of deployment and potential for long-term use is the right one. As Pereira comments: "The same system with other brands would have cost between four and five times more. Blackmagic allowed a complete professional environment at an affordable cost, maintaining the logic and operational functions that students will find in real work environments."

"In just a few sessions, the students have gone from being simple observers to operating cameras, doing live mixes and participating in the entire technical chain. The learning curve has turned out to be much simpler than expected."

The study is taking its first steps with all the guarantees. The teachers received a intensive technical training of a week in September, and in October and November the first productions, such as the presentation of the proposals for the lists for the elections to the Student Association.

"In just a few sessions, the students have gone from being simple observers to operating cameras, doing live mixes and participating in the entire technical chain. The learning curve has turned out to be much simpler than expected," explains Pereira, convinced that the only path to the real audiovisual world lies through educate new generations in a professional environment.