Mediaset MotoGP and Superbike 2013
"Having to follow two championships contemporarily," says the Director of Production at Mediaset "engine area" Alberto Bianchi, "we use a proprietor OB-Van called Unit 27" - as well as several external services. Being so time-compressed, we make some effort to manage our Unit 27, given that, in the face of a targeted optimization, it is committed not only on sports but also on other more general production. "
In the past, at the beginning of the year it was known what dates the mobile vehicle unit 27 would have been committed and for which races; but this year it is no longer so, in fact, from time to time this resource is allocated, as needed.
"In general," specifies Bianchi, "we might say that it will definitely be committed for seven or eight races of the MotoGP.
2013 first engagement of Unit 27 is the Mugello circuit, followed by Barellona, and then the Netherlands, Germany, San Marino, Aragon and Valencia. But along the way there can be a number of changes, since the time span is rather wide.
The production manager in "motors" area, Alberto Bianchi and his team are involved in different tasks: besides booking accommodation, they have to understand how many people will attend the event, maintain relations with the various technical managers both internal and external. Other tasks include the correct disposal of the movable and available resources like Unit 27 to meet all the technical requirements, the respect of the technical characteristics from specifications, such as the type and the number of cameras involved, the decision whether to use RF cameras rather than ENG, and a thousand other details.
Then it is essential to work closely with the broadcaster in charge of the event, and arrange for the satellite links and consequently book the vans in charge of uplinks. For example, in Europe there is a contract with an outside company that handles all the connections, while in more remote locations, such as Malaysia and Australia, they are relying on local services.
The next step is to decide the number of cameras to be used, in agreement with Dorna that -as mentioned-organizes and manages events related to the MotoGP, produces the international broadcast signal and operates international television rights associated with motorcycle events.
Mediaset has official permission to operate in the Pit Lane and perform all the integrations, customizations, with a number of camera settings. In this case we speak of two cameras with Lynk RF that perform the interviews after the race, sometimes out of the Paddock.
Bianchi specifies: "This is really a team work and we have to interface with the director, producer and Infront; all the pictures we take are somehow agreed upon before the shots and, for example, you can not frame the track. "
Furthermore, as regards the MotoGP and both the Superbike a production studio is set up on each circuit, to shoot the program "Fuori Giri".
Here are three studio cameras that describe the after race and with journalists, guests, discussing the race.
The Unit 27 by Mediaset is therefore on site with seven cameras for all of the integrations during the race: two RF cameras for the after race, plus three studio cameras and two more ENG cameras used in the days before the race (and sometimes even in the days of the race), to record interviews rather than press conferences and "collateral" events.
The shooting is most often edited on site and then sent via satellite to the central control studio at Mediaset in Cologno Monzese who will be responsible for finalizing and integrating all the graphics.
In the past years, graphics inserts were entrusted to outside companies that were working on the spot and everything packaged before transmission.
Images shot are edited in stories that are used by various news broadcasts by Mediaset.
All recordings are made on server in the main control room at Cologno Monzese where all the various satellite signals gather and so satellite links remain open for several hours. In practice, the unit 27 from its position on the circuit delivers news reports but also a complete safety feed of the various cameras, sent via satellite to the headquarter near Milan. And the satellite connection is used for several days, in both tests, in warmup and during each race.
Alberto Bianchi completes the description: "To organize the event around thirty people are involved of which 6/7 are journalists and broadcast the person in charge of the official broadcaster, the director; the technical staff amounts at about a dozen people and the rest consists of the production."
The OB unit 27 moves always flanked by two other ob-vans, a power generator and a "tender" as a support vehicle; so for each event Mediaset moves a total of three vehicles.
