Motown the Musical Red Carpet Live Streaming

The West End opening of Motown the Musical brought performers, music legends, press and invited guests together at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre.

WaveFX was commissioned by Tiger Films to film and stream the red-carpet launch live to The Telegraph website, giving online viewers a front-row view of the arrivals and interviews.

The client brief

The production needed to capture the excitement of a busy West End press night while delivering a continuous live broadcast from outside the theatre.

Four cameras would cover celebrity arrivals, presenter interviews, wide views of the red carpet and supporting footage. Pre-recorded videos and instant replays also needed to be incorporated during the live programme.

The event welcomed approximately 1,400 guests at the theatre, with an estimated online audience of more than 50,000 viewers across the UK and overseas.

“Surprisingly, securely a fast internet feed for the stream in central London was a real struggle; the pro-active team at RockIT Networks quickly ruled out a satellite on the roof and 4G, pulling it out the bag by bartering with a local shop owner to rent a fast connection for the day” Rob Hill, Producer, WaveFX

Building the outside broadcast

Space inside a working West End theatre is limited, so the production gallery was built in a back room on the third floor.

More than one kilometre of cable connected the gallery with four cameras positioned around the red carpet. Camera feeds, presenter microphones, playback equipment and the outgoing webcast all returned to this central production area.

Our director live-mixed the interviews and arrivals, adding event graphics, pre-recorded content and instant replays where required.

The final programme was encoded and streamed directly to The Telegraph website. A full recording and individual camera feeds were also captured for the highlights edit.

Guests included Motown founder Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson and The Supremes singer Mary Wilson, giving the filming team a busy sequence of high-profile arrivals to cover.

Live streaming in London challenges, and how we addressed them

The theatre’s layout was the first challenge. The red carpet and production gallery were several floors apart, requiring long cable routes through a busy venue.

Every route was planned with the theatre team and secured before guests arrived, keeping public areas safe and clear.

Obtaining a fast internet connection in central London proved equally difficult. Satellite and 4G options were assessed but could not provide the required service at the location.

Working with RockIT Networks, the team secured access to a nearby fixed internet connection for the day. The line was thoroughly tested before the live broadcast and monitored throughout the programme.

Rain added another consideration for the outdoor cameras, cabling and interview equipment. Weather protection was added while keeping the red-carpet area ready for guests and camera crews.

The measurable outcome

WaveFX successfully delivered a live four-camera broadcast from the Shaftesbury Theatre to The Telegraph website.

The production covered the full red-carpet launch, incorporated pre-recorded films and instant replays, and reached an estimated online audience of more than 50,000 viewers.

Tiger Films also received a complete event recording and a short highlights edit for online promotion after the press night.

Planning a red-carpet event?

For events and live streaming in London WaveFX provides multi-camera filming, outside-broadcast facilities and streaming crews for premieres and press events.

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

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