Producing for IMAG

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Key insights

• 🎥 The speaker discusses the concept of image magnification (IMAG) and shares their experience of using it for a recent event in San Diego.

• 💡 The use of different screens and signals allowed for a dynamic visual experience during presentations, with slides displayed on the side screens and a background image on the LED wall.

• 🎥 The needs of IMAG production, live streaming, and recording are distinct and require separate program outputs to effectively cater to the different audiences and purposes.

• 🎥 When producing for IMAG, it's important to balance showing the presenter and the projection screens, especially for remote viewers and recordings.

• 🎥 Producing multiple programs for different platforms, such as live stream, projectors, and LED walls, can enhance the overall viewing experience.

• 🎥 The ability to create three separate programs simultaneously would be ideal for driving live streams and delivering program recordings to clients.

• 🎥 The ability to show the same background on multiple projectors and an LED screen simultaneously can create a visually cohesive and impactful experience.

• 📺 By routing the clean feed to a recorder and live stream, the speaker is able to exclude the downstream key from the output, giving them the flexibility to switch video sources without affecting the recorded or live-streamed content.

When producing for IMAG, it is important to prioritize visuals over the speaker, use a switcher to balance shots for IMAG and live streams, and take advantage of the features on a switcher to make the production process easier.

• 00:00 The speaker discusses IMAG and their recent event setup with three cameras, three screens, and different signals for presentations and videos.

  • The speaker discusses the concept of IMAG or image magnification, sharing their experience of a recent event where they had a minimal setup and highlights the things they did well and could have done better.

  • There were three cameras and three projection screens, with two side screens being fed by the same signal and an LED wall behind the stage being fed by a different signal, where different presenters gave talks with slides displayed on the side screens and a background image on the LED wall.

  • Videos were played on three screens simultaneously, with the middle screen displaying images and the side screens used for PowerPoint presentations and camera feeds, while also including two video sources for PowerPoint.

• 02:14 Producing for IMAG presents challenges such as feeding content to monitors, projecting laptop feeds, and adapting to unexpected activities, all while working with limited resources and meeting the needs of both the live audience and recording.

  • The speaker discusses the challenges of producing for IMAG, including feeding content to confidence monitors, projecting laptop feeds onto screens, dealing with unexpected curve balls like interactive activities, and dynamically changing and producing program output for projectors and recording.

  • The event had a limited budget and lacked sufficient personnel, making it difficult to meet the needs of both the IMAG audience and the live stream/recording.

• 04:24 Prioritize showing more of the presenter's presentation on projectors for IMAG, as viewers and recordings prefer to see the presenter over the slides.

  • When producing for IMAG, it is important to prioritize showing more of the presenter's presentation on the projectors rather than focusing on the presenter themselves, as viewers and recordings prefer to see the presenter more than the slides.

  • The video discusses the challenge of balancing the focus between the presenter and the slides during a live event, where the same feed is being used for both the projector screen and the live stream.

• 05:49 Using a switcher with three mix effects engines is ideal for producing multiple programs simultaneously, but using an auxiliary output for the LED wall limits overlays and transitions, and a mix effects engine is needed to overlay a clock on a graphic for IMAG production.

  • To produce multiple programs simultaneously, it is ideal to use a switcher with two mix effects engines, but in this case, three programs were needed, so a switcher with three mix effects engines would be preferable.

  • Using an auxiliary output on the switcher to feed the LED wall for IMAG production may not be the best option as it limits the ability to use overlays and transitions.

  • To overlay a clock on a graphic, an auxiliary Apple is not sufficient and a mix effects engine is required.

  • The speaker discusses the various outputs and connections used in producing for IMAG, including the main program output for the switcher, the mix effect engine program for the LED wall, and the multi-view output of the switcher.

• 09:04 The speaker explains how to set up programs for projectors, live streaming, and program recording using a video switcher, and demonstrates how to use IP networking to dissolve between different sources for projectors and an LED wall, as well as overlay timers on screens.

  • The speaker explains how they set up different programs for driving projectors, live streaming, and program recording using a video switcher.

  • The speaker demonstrates how to use IP networking to dissolve between different sources for projectors and an LED wall.

  • The speaker demonstrates how to overlay a timer on top of the LED wall by selecting key1 and dissolving it, and also shows how to overlay the timer clock on top of another screen by setting the same source for Upstream key on me1 and dissolving it.

• 11:17 When producing for IMAG, prioritize visuals over the speaker, use a switcher to balance shots for IMAG and live streams, and demonstrate how to display the same background on multiple screens without overlay.

  • The speaker demonstrates how to display the same background on two projectors and an LED screen simultaneously, and explains how to switch between the camera and the graphic without any overlay on the LED wall.

  • To do video playback on both screens, select the video playback source, hit the auto button on both screens to dissolve and show the video, monitor the video status, and hit the auto button to return to the live feed.

  • When producing for IMAG, it is important to prioritize visuals, such as PowerPoint presentations, over the speaker in order to cater to the audience who are physically present.

  • Consider the shots used in IMAG and live streams, as wide angle establishing shots are unnecessary for IMAG but can provide context for live streams, and using a switcher can help achieve a balance between the two.

• 14:37 You can use PowerPoint as a source for overlays on a video projector while still being able to switch video sources, and the downstream key feature allows for fades and cuts but only works with downstream keys.

  • The speaker explains how they set up their PowerPoint presentation as the source for Downstream key 2 on their switcher, allowing them to overlay the downstream key on top of the video source going to the projector while still being able to switch video sources on the bus.

  • You can use a 2me switcher to dissolve from one shot to another while keeping the PowerPoint on the projectors, and easily remove it by hitting the downstream key.

  • The video explains how to use the downstream key feature to make the video source fully opaque and perform fades and cuts, but it only works with downstream keys and not upstream keys due to the extraction of video before the downstream keys are applied.

• 17:53 Take advantage of the features on a switcher to make your job easier and do things it wasn't necessarily designed for, and if you have any questions or need help, join the Discord server for a helpful community.