Natalie Portman Interview Filming and Live Streaming

When award-winning actress, director and activist Natalie Portman joined bestselling author Yuval Noah Harari in London, demand for tickets quickly exceeded the capacity of the main venue.

WaveFX filmed their conversation live at Central Hall Westminster and streamed it simultaneously to an additional cinema audience, remote viewers and social-media platforms.

The client brief

The event was organised by How To Academy, which brings leading speakers and thinkers to London for live talks, debates and conversations.

Natalie Portman interviewed Yuval Noah Harari about his book 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. Their discussion explored current global challenges, personal responsibility and how society might respond to rapid change.

The production needed to capture the atmosphere inside Central Hall while extending the event to a much larger audience. A second venue was opened for a further 1,000 people, with additional viewers joining from across the UK and overseas through online streams.

“We had a very small window to install and test everything. Careful preparation meant the cameras, cinema feed and online streams were ready on schedule.” Mark Mountford, Videographer, WaveFX

Celebrity interview live streaming setup

WaveFX supplied the technical team, filming crew and webcasting equipment for the event.

Multiple Sony 4K cameras captured wide views of the stage, individual shots of Natalie Portman and Yuval Noah Harari, and audience reactions. The cameras gave the director a varied choice of shots while keeping equipment and crew movement inside the venue to a minimum.

Two LiveStream HD550 production systems sat at the centre of the setup. These were used to mix the camera feeds, presentation content and event graphics into one live programme.

The finished feed was sent simultaneously to the nearby cinema, remote locations and social platforms including Facebook and YouTube. A complete recording was also created for editing and future online use.

Production challenges and how we addressed them

The biggest challenge was the limited installation time. Central Hall had to be prepared, tested and ready for a high-profile live event within a short access window.

Our team planned camera positions, cable routes and equipment requirements before arriving. Each camera and outgoing stream was then tested independently before the complete production system was checked.

Sending the programme to several destinations created another important consideration. The cinema audience needed a stable, high-quality picture with very little delay, while the online streams needed to work across different devices and connection speeds.

Separate outputs were created and monitored throughout the event. Backup recordings and streaming equipment were also kept ready so the programme could continue if an individual connection failed.

The measurable outcome

The event was successfully filmed and broadcast live from Central Hall Westminster.

A further 1,000 people watched from the overflow cinema, while remote and social-media streaming extended the conversation to audiences outside London.

The production created one consistent programme for viewers in the main hall, the second venue and online. How To Academy also received a recorded version that could be edited and shared after the live event.

Planning a filmed interview or live event?

WaveFX provides multi-camera filming, live vision mixing and celebrity interview live streaming for events, public talks, book launches and panel discussions.

To discuss your event, call Jamie on 01223 505600 or email hello@wavefx.co.uk.

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