Mixing Live event
 

Ok not sure where to post this. I been called to video tape a conference. They require 3 cameras which will need to be mixed and recorded to one device. As the event is being recorded it also needs to be displayed on a projector. What portable unit do I need to get in order to do this.

The director that will be doing the live switching will need to see the video camera that he will be switching to. Anyone done this and know of the items that I will need to. Thanks much in advance.


Bj

You're going to need a lot of stuff. The 3 cameras, a video mixer, a recording device or 3, microphones and an audio mixer, a switcher, a few monitors, a projector and any kind of backup system you want PLUS someone who knows how to connect and run the equipment.
Where is the conference? Most hotels (where conferences typically take place) have an A/V department and some even require that you use their personell as well, which might not be a bad thing in your case. You're going to need a few sets of eyes on the shoot and it might be nice to have someone with experience doing all this. Otherwise call any pro rental house and tell them what you want to do and they will tell you what you need to do it. It's really not too terrible, it's just a big mess of cables and such.

My career was spent in meetings/conventions AV support. You will need a lot of gear.
3 cameras, three operators. Enough tape to record the entire meeting on each camera.
Lots of microphones. Wireless lapel, hand held, podium mics, and back up.
A 16 or 24 channel audio mixer. More channels than you will probably need, but an 8 channel mic mixer probably won't be enough. A sound operator to keep track of who is using what.
A video switcher to manage the incoming video signals from the cameras and route the appropriate signals to another video tape recorder as well as the large screen projected image. At least four video monitors. Finally, a video switcher operator.
That leaves you the position of director. get yourself another video monitor to watch the main video program out and a good intercom system.
Oh year, I almost forgot. You will need very good lighting.

As mentioned earlier, if the venue is a hotel, contact the in-house AV staff to assist you. They will likely be able to get everything (or most everything) you need, but it won't be cheap!

If I were doing this for a large corporation (and worked for a hotel in-house AV service company) like I used to do, I'd be billing the client around $24,000 for a weekend gig. Half of that amount would go directly to the hotel, (terms for an exclusive service contract). Of the $12,000 left over, half to 70% would go to cover produciton costs, depending upon the unknowns that always seem to pop up during a show like this.

Good Luck!

Thanks guys for the reply and advices, I will now have to rethink about doing this. Anyone have opinion of Sony's new Anycast system to do corporate type stuff?