The Coachella 2019 music festival was live streamed on YouTube. The production team used a combination of ARRI Alexa Minis and Amiras to stream the iconic event to a wide world audience.
ARRI cameras are probably not the first thing that jumps to mind when you think Multicam and live streaming. Using digital cinema cameras and not 2/3″ broadcast EFP cameras for live streaming and Multicam is nothing new, but it’s certainly an area ARRI is continually looking to expand in.
This is certainly not the first time ARRI cameras have been used in this capacity. As far back as 2012, ALEXA cameras were used in conjunction with 17 other 2/3″ HD cameras to film COLDPLAY LIVE 2012.
In 2016, ten ARRI Amira and four ARRI Alexa Minis were used to capture and live-stream Kanye West’s YEEZY Season 3 fashion collection from Madison Square Garden to 750 cinemas as well as online.
In 2017, six ARRI Amiras and two Alexa Minis were used to capture ‘The Who’ concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
ARRI cameras have also been used on a lot of shows in Multicam mode. Some of those shows can be seen above.
Coachella 2019
Image credit: ARRI 
Image credit: ARRI 
Image credit: ARRI 
Image credit: ARRI
ARRI cameras were used to cover and live stream the Coachella Music and Arts Festival with a cinematic Multicam configuration consisting of five AMIRA’s and two ALEXA Mini’s. The cameras covered Coachella’s “Outdoor Stage” which was streamed live on YouTube.
The lenses being used were mostly Angenieux Zooms, some modern lenses like the Optimo 24-290, as well as a few vintage Angenieux HR and HP lenses. I believe there was also a Cooke 20-100 being used as well.
By utilizing Amira and Alexa Mini cameras in Multicam mode, the production team could use a live broadcast workflow with an industry-standard SMPTE Hybrid fiber. Amira and Alexa Minis can be used with virtually any transmission system providing the same production benefits regardless of which system is used.
The production attached the ARRI DTS 1820-12G FCA Fiber Camera Adapter. The DTS 1820-12G FCA Fiber Camera Adapter attaches to the back of the Amira and Alexa Mini cameras, adding fiber connectivity to a multicam setup, supporting up to 6G 4K60p. Used as part of a fiber-remote system, the DTS 1820-12G enables live painting of multicam broadcasts and recordings.
This adapter incorporates a Neutrik opticalCON DUO cable connector and a DTS FCA LEMO assembly for outdoor multicamera setups.
Amira and Alexa Mini multicam can be integrated into existing infrastructure, providing interfaces with, for example, PGM Return, Tally (green/red), and Genlock. The system will work with fiber-based transmission types like DTS, Ereca, Protech Nipros, MultiDyne, Sokong, and Telecast, allowing the transport of all video and data signals over a single SMPTE-311 fiber cable, providing power, as well as Wireless (RF) and Ethernet/BNC cable connection.
It also allows for on-board recording of any format, including LogC on CFast 2.0 cards in parallel to the live SDI output. LogC recording allows for the retention of all image information throughout the production process but also gives the option of transfer to a color space target either within the camera, or at any later stage of the production process.
For Coachella, the cameras were recording 23.976p 2K ProRes 4444XQ. For streaming, the feed was converted to h.264 (29.97 fps) via a web streaming truck which was taking the video feed from the production truck. The stream used the same restrictive bitrate and protocol that YouTube streaming normally uses.
Below you can see a collection of performances from the Live at Coachella 2019- Director Cuts (2.35:1)
