The ATC was seeking to develop a drone division to provide (Australia-first) on-going aerial footage to live broadcast of both event and actual Group One races.
Brief
In an Australian-first and as part of a program to improve the viewer (screen) experience, the ATC was keen to engage drone technology to provide aerial footage to live broadcast and also utilise drone and broadcast quality imagery to follow and film races.
Solution
Approaching Sphere Drones, the ATC sought their expertise on a viable, safe and comprehensive commercial drone solution that could meet these challenging requirements. After consultation and careful consideration of the application, Sphere Drones recommended the Inspire 2 drone and Zenmuse X5S camera with lens options including ProRes and CinemaDNG formats.
These options were selected given the Zenmuse’s ability to take broadcast quality imagery and the Inspire 2’s ability to travel at a top speed of 94km – so able to follow, film and transmit live footage of a Group One horse race.
In addition, a Cendence remote controller was recommended as it offered both HDMI and SDI outputs, allowing for footage to be sent direct and live to the television transmission systems. Finally, testing and providing professional guidance on camera use and accessories including a Parachute system to improve crowd safety in the event of catastrophic field failure.
Result
Since implementation, the ATC has successfully broadcast Group One horse races live to air and is now conducting these plus monitoring operations on an ongoing basis. With their expanding operations, they now have the option of engaging a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with Sphere Drones to provide on-going support and technical assistance, back-up pilots and hotswap program for rapid equipment turnaround.
