Flexibility with flypacks

In an increasingly global entertainment market, flypack outside broadcast solutions can offer a flexible yet reliable solution to TV produced in even the most remote locations on earth, says Dougie Fletcher.

With the cost of freighting on the increase due to escalating fuel costs and the current financial climate, shipping an OB truck is no longer always the most feasible option.

Flypacks, an OB solution transported in light and durable flight cases, can offer a much more flexible solution. Unlike an OB truck, which is confined by the constraints of space and layout, a flypack solution can be tailor made to suit the needs of the specific production crew, location and event, with equipment selected from an extensive list.

Infinite options

Offering a range of options from a complete OB production unit to an International Broadcast Centre (IBC) or Master Control Room (MCR), flypacks can deliver a range of production options.

While most flypacks contain the same basic elements; cameras, monitor stacks, audio desks, routers etc, the true benefit of the solution is the fact that all of these elements can be adapted to suit the specifics of the project, right down to the camera lenses used.

The process of putting together a flypack solution starts long before the flight cases are packed. While some companies will offer an off-the-shelf flypack that can be shipped to the destination and then left for the crew to use straight from the box, other companies will offer a more consultative approach.

This will begin with a meeting with the project's technical managers to ascertain what they are trying to achieve and how they want to operate on site, based on the outcome of this meeting the company will design a solution to meet the specific requirements of the client.

Even following a long and thorough consultation process, there will always be last minute changes to any solution and it is important for the OB company to take this into consideration and account for any eventuality at the planning stage by building a contingency into their solution.

Working closely with the technical managers to define each piece of equipment, the level of scalability offered by a flypack solution means that users can choose anything from a Probel HD 6 level router with 64 inputs and four level audio, up to a HD Thomson Trinix with 256 inputs, 512 outputs and 150 control panels. Even the final layout of equipment such as monitor stacks can be changed to suit individual requirements.

Logistical considerations

As well as offering a cost efficient and flexible solution, a major benefit of flypack solutions is that they can provide a time sensitive option. Shipping an OB truck from the UK to Dubai can take anything up to two weeks.

In contrast, by using a flypack, all of the equipment can be transported on to a single cargo flight, packed in durable flight cases to ensure the equipment arrives intact. This can also help to eliminate the risks of shipping large quantities of valuable equipment.

An important aspect of the flypack process is ensuring that both the OB company, and in turn the freight company they use, have experience of dealing with the paperwork involved in moving valuable equipment between countries.

Each country will have its own set of rules and regulations in terms of the customs clearance and working with providers that understand these local laws will help ensure that your equipment is on set ready for production to begin rather than sat at customs wrapped in red tape.

Manned or unmanned

Once the kit arrives at its final destination, the OB provider will deliver a team of highly skilled engineers to rig the equipment, and even at the staffing level, flypacks continue to offer scalability.

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