Before any scenic event, it is essential to list the technical requirements needed to achieve the artistic ambitions of the project. This is even more important for a telepresence project. The technical specifications are a crucial tool to reconcile an artistic vision with its technical realization.
¶ First Coordination Meeting
During the first meeting between the artist(s) and the technical team, it is important to connect the artistic vision with technical reality. The list of required equipment and space must be drawn up, and the network infrastructure capacity of the connected venues validated. Ideally, the equipment and spaces used should allow for equivalence between venues, meaning similar audiovisual quality and environment.
This meeting is also an opportunity to anticipate any technical constraints that could alter the original artistic intentions, in order to find alternative solutions, such as purchasing or renting additional equipment, simplifying the project to adapt to network capacity, or changing the venue where it will be held.
¶ What the technical specifications must include for a telepresence event
¶ 1. Network Infrastructure
Beyond any information related to the specific needs of a telepresence event, it is absolutely essential to know the network infrastructure of the spaces hosting the event, to ensure it can adequately transmit multimedia streams between these locations. This information can generally be obtained from the network (IT) manager of each space. The technical coordination of the event is responsible for collecting this information from each space before the initial connection test and sharing it with the relevant people.
Here is the list of essential network information to obtain, to facilitate diagnosing a network problem if needed:
¶ General Information
- Name and full (postal) address of the venue;
- Name and contact information of the person responsible for Technical Direction (TD) of the venue;
- Name and contact information of the person responsible for network infrastructure management (IT) of the venue;
- Name and contact information of the person responsible for telepresence control operation for the event;
- LAN IP address of the telepresence control or its components, if applicable;
- WAN IP address of the venue’s internet access;
- WAN subnet mask;
- Default gateway of the ISP;
- ISP name;
- Theoretical upload and download speeds of the internet plan;
- Current speeds, as observed during a speed test (speedtest.net)
¶ Network Connection List
A network connection list allows you to quickly visualize the network transmission chain specific to a venue, from the ISP to the telepresence control.
Here is an example of a simplified list detailing each intermediate node along the internet link, between the service provider and the user’s system, where the telepresence control is identified as « SCENIC station »:
- ISP fiber media converter - Telco Systems T-MARC 340 - Port Access 1/1
- Port 1 - WAN Switch - HPE Aruba 2530-8G - Port 2
- WAN Port (123.123.123.123) - Dedicated SCENIC Router - ASUS RT-AC68U - LAN Port (192.168.10.1)
- Patch panel to control room outlet
- Control room switch - Netgear GSS108E
- WAN socket, rear panel of SCENIC station
- SCENIC station network switch - Netgear GS108PE
- Additional PCI of SCENIC station computer (enp5s0f1 A0:36:9F:AD:B5:23) 192.168.10.100
- Behringer XR-18 (00:1E:C0:27:A4:08) 192.168.10.110
- SCENIC station network switch - Netgear GS108PE
- WAN socket, rear panel of SCENIC station
- Control room switch - Netgear GSS108E
- Patch panel to control room outlet
- WAN Port (123.123.123.123) - Dedicated SCENIC Router - ASUS RT-AC68U - LAN Port (192.168.10.1)
- Port 1 - WAN Switch - HPE Aruba 2530-8G - Port 2
In addition to each connection port, it is also useful to identify the quality standard for each Ethernet cable connecting these points (example: Cat6A, Cat5e, etc.)
¶ 2. List of Required Equipment
Based on the technical needs communicated during the meeting, you can then draw up the list of required equipment and spaces, according to the logic of « who provides what » for each category.
For example:
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Stage: Space large enough to accommodate X people at X meters apart and X projection surfaces at least X meters wide; clear the space of any non-essential items for the event as a safety measure.
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Control Room:
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Venue X will provide:
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X square tables for control room;
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X chairs for control room;
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Team Y will provide:
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X lecterns;
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etc.
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Sound:
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Venue X will provide:
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Sound console with at least X input channels and Y output channels;
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X stage monitors (passive);
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X reference monitors (active) facing the sound console;
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X headset microphone sets with wireless transmitters/receivers;
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Chargers and rechargeable batteries in sufficient quantity for X wireless headset sets;
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X microphones of type X with switch (MUTE) and stands;
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X TRS cables of size Y and length Z;
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X XLR-3 cables of length Y;
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etc.
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Team Y will provide:
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X headset microphone sets with wireless transmitters/receivers;
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Laptop with software X and adapter of type Y;
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Instruments or devices X, Y, Z, etc. and relevant accessories;
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Sound engineer (operation of the sound console);
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etc.
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Video:
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Venue X will provide:
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X HD video projectors;
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Wall projection surface;
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X projection surfaces X meters wide;
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X video links (HDMI or with SDI conversion) X meters or more;
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X SDI video links X meters or more for camera model Y;
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X camera model Y with stand and dolly;
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X SDI video links X meters maximum (short) for video signal duplicator;
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X SDI video signal duplicator with power supply;
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Lighting:
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Venue X will provide:
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Lighting control console;
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All equipment and supports necessary for stage lighting;
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Team Y will provide:
- Lighting technician (operation of the lighting console)
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Networking and Power:
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Venue X will provide:
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Very high-speed internet access dedicated exclusively to telepresence, web broadcasting, and event communications;
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Wi-Fi access point for wireless devices;
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X wired Gigabit Ethernet links at least X meters long;
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X wired Gigabit Ethernet links X meters maximum;
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X cables and Y multi-socket power strips needed to power all equipment;
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etc.
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Dressing Rooms:
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Venue X will provide:
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X square tables, separated by X meters for snacks;
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X chairs;
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etc.
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Other:
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Ensure that video capture fields are free of any irrelevant objects for the event;
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Validate the reliability of the network and internet access with the IT team;
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etc.
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¶ 3. Stage Plots, Tables, and Diagrams
Based on the technical needs communicated during the meeting, the list of equipment to be used, and pre-existing plans illustrating the network infrastructure and usable space of the venue, it is necessary to create different types of specific stage plots. These plots will serve as technical references for event preparation. Assembly plans (stage, lighting, connections, etc.) should ideally be based on a common distance scale.
¶ Scenic Stage Plot
Represents the scenic space and its furniture. It also includes audiovisual capture and projection equipment, as well as the representation of a subject at human scale. This plot exists as a side view and a top view plan. It is important to indicate the dimensions (in meters) of each object represented and the distance between them;
Radio-ressource (2020) - Théâtre PàP
Radio-ressource (2020) - Théâtre PàP
¶ Lighting Stage Plot (if needed)
For larger projects, this plot is used to indicate to installers the anticipated location of light sources, as well as their projection angle on the scenic space (or on a zone, a subject, a group of subjects, etc.). It also complements the list of lighting needs, based on the visual design or programming of show cues, to achieve the desired atmosphere;
Bluff (2021) - Petit Théâtre du Vieux-Noranda and Productions Quitte ou Double
Bluff (2021) - Petit Théâtre du Vieux-Noranda and Productions Quitte ou Double
¶ Multimedia Connection Diagrams
Shows the location of various technical equipment, but mainly focuses on the types of connections between them. Such a diagram helps better plan the assembly and the different hardware connections to be established between the equipment. It also allows you to note the quantity of cables needed, the planned distances between equipment, and, if necessary, to anticipate the addition of accessories for signal conversion or connection extension.
Audiovisual connection diagram at Théâtre Outremont - Ailleurs-Ensemble (2021) - Vision Diversité
¶ Audio Signal Routing Table or Diagram
Shows all audio signals transmitted between each location—from source to destination—as well as their local management for each location (room mix, internet transmission mix, stage mix, gate, compression, etc.). This table should allow you to quickly identify each audio source—whether local or from another location via internet—and their respective assignments locally and to one or more external locations. Any intermediate or parallel step should also be indicated, whether it is a send to a submix or for applying signal processing such as a gate or compression, etc.
Radio-ressource (2020) - Théâtre PàP
¶ Network Connection Diagram (incomplete section)
Shows all network equipment in the venue and their interconnections. If not already indicated in the venue’s pre-existing network connection diagram, this diagram is used to visualize where the scenic telepresence control is located within the venue’s network infrastructure, as well as its link to the ISP. This diagram should not only allow you to quickly identify all devices or intermediate ports along the link between the control and the ISP, but also the quality of these links (cabling), as well as any other device sharing the space’s internet connection, such as firewalls, network switches, servers, modem or converter, etc. This plan should also display the IP address of each device, according to their subnet, as well as any firewall rules applied (QoS, SPI ALG, UDP Flood, etc.), if applicable.
¶ Telepresence Scenographic Plans (incomplete section)
Plan generally produced by the stage director (artistic), but still useful for technical purposes.
Scenographic plan with multiple venues - Bibliomix (2019)
¶ 4. Configuration of Third-Party Software and Peripheral Equipment
Each project has very specific needs regarding equipment and, sometimes, the use of third-party software. The interaction between different equipment, computer systems, and software must therefore be checked in advance to ensure that no technical obstacle hinders the realization of an event.
¶ Checklist
Such a list is used to guide the technical managers of each venue to check that all equipment and software necessary for the event production are functional and configured according to specific needs. It is notably an opportunity to ensure that each venue has the same version of a software, for example. Or that the parameters of equipment match from one venue to another for similarity regarding the experience of the audience present in each location.
Example of a technical checklist, carried out in preparation for the Bluff scenic telepresence project (2022)
Ideally, a backup of the settings for all equipment and software, once configured, should be made.
¶ Establishing Equipment and Parameter Correspondence
In telepresence, it may be desirable to establish some visual and audio continuity or coherence between the involved locations. To reproduce equivalent scales between locations, it is recommended to use similar equipment that, as much as possible, will be adjusted according to identical or equivalent parameters (subject capture angle, zoom, brightness, relative placement of projection surfaces, sound spatialization, etc.). Technical coordination is then responsible for ensuring such correspondence while taking into account the specific constraints of each location.