At the beginning of any telepresence event, it’s essential to compile a list of technical requirements needed to achieve the artistic goals of the project. This is even more important when it’s a telepresence project. The technical budget is a crucial tool that balances artistic vision with technical realization.
¶ Initial coordination meeting
In a first meeting between the artist or artists and the technical team, it’s important to join artistic vision with technical reality. The list of necessary equipment and space should be compiled and the capacity of the network infrastructure of each location should be validated. Ideally, the equipment and spaces used should allow for an equal relationship between locations, in terms of having similar audio-visual quality and show environment.
This meeting is also an opportunity to anticipate any technical constraints that may alter the original artistic intentions in order to find alternative solutions, such as: purchasing or renting additional equipment, simplifying the project to fit network capacity, or changing the location of the performance.
¶ What must be included in the technical estimate for a telepresence event
¶ 1. Network infrastructure
Beyond any information related to specific needs for a telepresence event, it is absolutely essential to know the network infrastructure of the spaces that will host the event in order to ensure that it can adequately transmit multimedia streams between these locations. This information can typically be obtained from the network (IT) manager of each space. The technical coordinator of the event is responsible for collecting this information from each space in advance of the initial connection test and for sharing it with relevant parties.
Here is a list of essential network information to obtain in order to facilitate the diagnosis of a network-related problem (if one should occur):
¶ General informations
- Name and (post) address of the room;
- Name and contact information of the person responsible for the Technical Direction (TD) of the room;
- Name and contact information of the person responsible for managing the room network (IT) infrastructure;
- Name and contact information of the person responsible for the operation of the telepresence control room for the event;
- LAN IP address of the telematic system and its components, if applicable;
- WAN IP address of the venue’s internet access;
- WAN subnet mask;
- ISP default gateway;
- ISP name;
- Theoretical speeds of the internet package upstream (uploading) and downstream (downloading);
- Instantaneous transmission rates, as observed during a speed test (speedtest.net)
¶ Network connection list
A network connection list allows for quick visualization of the network transmission chain specific to a venue, starting from the ISP to the telepresence control room.
Here is an example of a simplified list detailing each intermediate node along the internet connection, from the service provider to the user’s system, where the telematic system is identified as « SCENIC station »:
- ISP fiber media converter - Telco Systems T-MARC 340 - Port Access 1/1
- Port 1 - Switch WAN - HPE Aruba 2530-8G - Port 2
- Port WAN (123.123.123.123) - Dedicated router SCENIC - ASUS RT-AC68U - Port LAN (192.168.10.1)
- Panel patch to control room socket
- Control Room switch - Netgear GSS108E
- WAN Socket Plug, SCENIC station Back Panel
- SCENIC station network switch - Netgear GS108PE
- Additional PCI of the 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
- Additional PCI of the SCENIC station computer (enp5s0f1 A0:36:9F:AD:B5:23) 192.168.10.100
- SCENIC station network switch - Netgear GS108PE
- WAN Socket Plug, SCENIC station Back Panel
- Control Room switch - Netgear GSS108E
- Panel patch to control room socket
- Port WAN (123.123.123.123) - Dedicated router SCENIC - ASUS RT-AC68U - Port LAN (192.168.10.1)
- Port 1 - Switch WAN - 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 linking each of these points (example: Cat6A, Cat5e, etc.)
¶ 2. List of required materials
From the technical needs communicated during the meeting, we can then compile a list of the necessary equipment and spaces, based on the logic of « who provides what » for each category.
For example :
-
Stage : Space large enough to have X people at X meters distance and X projection surfaces at least X meters wide; clear the space of any items not essential to the event as a safety measure.
-
Control room:
-
Venue X will provide :
-
X square tables for control room;
-
X chairs for control room;
-
-
Team Y will provide :
-
X lecterns;
-
etc.
-
-
-
Sound system:
-
Venue X will provide :
-
Sound console with at least X input channels and Y output channels;
-
X stage monitors (passive);
-
X reference (active) monitors facing the sound console;
-
X sets of headsets with wireless transmitters/receivers;
-
Chargers and rechargeable batteries sufficient for X sets of wireless headsets;
-
X X type microphones with (MUTE) switches and stands;
-
X TRS cables of dimension Y and length Z;
-
X Y length XLR-3 cables;
-
etc.
-
-
Team Y will provide :
-
X sets of headsets with wireless transmitters/receivers;
-
Laptop with X software and Y type adapter;
-
Instruments or devices X, Y, Z, etc. and relevant accessories;
-
Sound engineer (sound console operation);
-
etc.
-
-
-
Video :
-
Venue X will provide :
-
X HD video projectors;
-
Wall projection surface;
-
X projection surfaces of X meters wide;
-
X video links (HDMI or with SDI conversion) of X meters distance or more;
-
X SDI video links of X meters distance or more for camera model Y;
-
X model camera Y with tripod and dolly;
-
X SDI video cables of X meters maximum distance (short) for the video signal duplicator;
-
X SDI video signal duplicator with power supply;
-
-
-
Lighting:
-
Venue X will provide :
-
Lighting control console;
-
All the equipment and supports necessary for the lighting of the stage;
-
-
Team Y will provide :
- Lighting technician (operation of the lighting console)
-
-
Networking and Power :
-
Venue X will provide :
-
Very high-speed internet access dedicated exclusively to telepresence, webcasting, and event communications;
-
Wi-Fi access point for wireless devices;
-
X wired Gigabit Ethernet links of at least X meters distance;
-
X Gigabit Ethernet wired links of X meters maximum distance;
-
X cables and Y multi-outlet power supply required to power all equipment;
-
etc.
-
-
-
Artists’ dressing rooms :
-
Salle X fournira :
-
X square tables, separated by X meters apart for snacks;
-
X chairs;
-
etc.
-
-
-
Others :
-
Ensure that the video capture fields are free of any objects that are unnecessary for the event;
-
Validate the reliability of the network and internet access with the IT team;
-
etc.
-
¶ 3. Plans, tables and diagrams
Based on the technical requirements discussed during the meeting, the list of equipment to be used, and existing plans showing the network infrastructure and the usable space of the venue, it’s necessary to create different types of specification diagrams. These diagrams will serve as a technical reference for event preparation. The setup plans (stage, lighting, connections, etc.) should ideally be based on a common distance scale.
¶ Stage plot
Represents the stage space and its furnshings. It also includes audiovisual capture and projection equipment, as well as the representation of a subject on a human scale. This document exists in the form of a cross-sectional plan and a top-down 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 plot (if needed)
For larger projects, this plan is used to indicate to the editors the anticipated location of the light sources, as well as their angle of projection on the stage space (or on an area, a subject, a set of subjects, etc.) It is also used to complete the list of lighting needs, depending on the visual design or the programming of the cues of the show, in order to obtain the desired atmosphere;
Bluff (2021) - Petit Théâtre du Vieux-Noranda et Productions Quitte ou Double
Bluff (2021) - Petit Théâtre du Vieux-Noranda et Productions Quitte ou Double
¶ Multimedia connection diagrams
Displays the location of the various technical equipment, but pays particular attention to the types of connections between them. Such a diagram makes it easier to plan the equipment loadout and the various hardware connections needed between them. It also makes it possible to note the quantity of cables required, the distances planned between the equipment, and if necessary, to plan the addition of accessories for the conversion of signals or the extension of cables.
Schéma des liaisons audiovisuelles au Théâtre Outremont - Ailleurs-Ensemble (2021) - Vision Diversité
¶ Audio signal routing diagram or table
Displays all the audio signals transmitted between each location - from the source to the destination - as well as their local management (venue mix, internet transmission mix, stage mix, gate, compression, etc. ). This table should make it possible to quickly identify each audio source - whether it is of local origin or transmitted via the Internet - and their respective assignment(s) locally and to one or more external places. Any intermediate or parallel steps must also be indicated, whether sending to a sub-mix or applying signal processing such as gate or compression, etc.
Radio-ressource (2020) - Théâtre PàP
¶ Network connections diagram (incomplete section)
Displays all the network equipment in the venue and their interconnections. If it is not already indicated in the pre-existing network connection diagram of the venue, this diagram is used to visualize where the stage telepresence control room is located within the network infrastructure of the venue, as well as its link to the ISP. This diagram should not only make it possible to quickly identify all the intermediate devices or ports along the connection between the control room and the ISP, but also the quality of these connections (cabling), as well as any other devices sharing this Internet connection, firewalls, network switches, servers, modems or converters, and etc. This plan should also display the IP address of each device, according to their subnet, as well as the firewall rules applying to it (QoS, SPI ALG, UDP Flood, etc.), if applicable.
¶ Stage plots for telepresence (incomplete section)
Plan generally produced by the (artistic) director, but still useful for the technique.
Plan scénographique à multiples salles - Bibliomix (2019)
¶ 4. Configuration of third-party software and peripheral equipment
Each project has very specific needs in terms of equipment and, sometimes, the use of third-party software. The interaction between different equipment, computer systems and software must therefore be checked upstream in order to ensure that no technical obstacles come between the realization of an event.
¶ Check-list
Such a list is used to guide the technical staff of each venue to verify that all the equipment and software necessary for the event are functional and configured according to its specific needs. This is an opportunity to ensure that each room has the same version of a software, for example. Or to make sure that the settings of an equipment are the same from venue to venue in order to provide a similar experience for the audience in each location.
Example of a technical checklist, carried out in preparation for the Bluff stage telepresence project (2022)
Ideally, a backup of all hardware and software settings, once set, should be made.
¶ Match equipments and their settings
In telepresence, it may be desirable to establish a visual and auditory continuity or coherence between the involved locations. To reproduce equivalent scales between the 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, location of projection surfaces, sound spatialization, etc.). The technical coordination then has the responsibility of ensuring such correspondence while taking into account the specific constraints of each location.