As many of you will now know, AMG TV will be covering selected rounds of the 750MC championship events during 2010 for inclusion into a series of TV programs on Motors tv, so we thought we would tell you a little more about how we cover the events, the type of technology we are using, and various ways in which YOU the competitors, can help us.
We usually book our film crew at the beginning of the season to try and ensure roughly the same crew is working on the same championship throughout the year- this helps everyone with familiarity with the cars and the people. Whoever is in charge on the day of filming, usually travels to the venue the day before, to ensure everything is in place- (no building work in our way etc) and quite often, if people are around, early evening we will start to fit some of the on-board cameras.
Our on-board cameras are now nearly all solid state units, recording to standard SD cards, and are completely self-powered(using AA batteries) to ensure no interference with your cars’ electrics etc. We currently prefer the VIO POV1.5 units, as these run in a widescreen format, are simple to use, and so far- have been very reliable. They are standard definition, but seeing as our programs are broadcast in Standard Definition(rather than HD), there is very little benefit from using the HD units. The POV kits also have a built in display for aligning the lenses- very useful for a quick changeover between races !
We do still have a few of our tape based kits left- and whilst the quality is still slightly better- the time saving of solid state far outweighs having to capture tapes.
Many drivers will also possibly have their own incar cameras- and we are more than happy to accept footage- but there are a few points which may help you AND us !
Footage must be at 25fps or more
Dashboard advertising has some limitations (Technical & OFCOM- see below )
The footage MUST be stable.
All stickers in the car must be in place before the AMG camera is fitted. If “dashboard” stickers are reflective they can adversely affect picture quality so AMG need to see what is to be used at the time of camera fitment. There are also restrictions on advertising being too intrusive by OFCOM so don’t bother with your 2ft dashboard sticker for your mates burger bar. The club will provide small club and championship stickers that can be used and any personal sponsors stickers also need to be similar size or the onboard footage will not be usable.
When sending us your footage after a race weekend, you must send it to us within ONE WEEK of the race meeting- and in its original form- so original tape, SD card
OR- if you wish to put onto a DVD- please use DVD-R discs and only COPY the original files- these are usually either mpg, mp4, avi. Quite often, people send us a DVD that they have finalised, and put fancy titles on etc- this is usually no use to use, and sometimes stops us from using the footage- so keep it simple J
Make sure you put ALL your details in with any footage- this way we can return tapes etc- if you request us to do so.
We also hire and Sell in-car cameras- please contact us for more information.
On the day of racing and filming, we usually meet early to hand out all our kit, radios, tapes etc to ensure everyone can be in position in plenty of time.
Whoever is in charge, becomes the key director for the day- and usually calls the shots to all the camera operators as to who we are following- yes, sometimes we will follow the wrong battle- but we try to pick out as many cars in each race as possible- but being in a close battle near the front will always attract the directors eye !!
In addition to our operator cameras, we also use “lock off” cameras in more difficult positions such as the pitwall, and then we also have a pitlane camera operator- for mid-race incidents and post race interviews etc
IF you are lucky enough to be interviewed- Please try and stand still !!- it’s amazing how people shuffle when the camera is rolling !, and also please keep your racesuit fully zipped and the top flap closed(this is an ideal place for your sponsors logo). And always remember- an interview is just a conversation (with a camera looking in !) so don’t be shy !!!
And finally- IF you are going to crash- make sure you do it in front of the cameras- at least there is a better chance of us seeing it.
GOOD LUCK to everyone for 2010, we are certainly looking forward to seeing you all.
Andy Glossop
Executive Producer.
