TNDV Unveils Industry's First ARRI Camera Truck

TNDV recently made news by unveiling the media and entertainment industry's first ARRI camera truck, Aspiration 35, in partnership with dbV Rentals.

The Nashville-based TV production experts successfully launched the truck’s digital cinema workflow for the ninth biennial Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) fundraising special, which aired on August 15 across more than 30 media platforms nationwide, including all four major US broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC), and streaming services such as Hulu, Paramount+ and Prime Video.

The production endeavour was no small feat for a truck's maiden voyage. "We typically ramp up to the big shows gradually when we put a new truck into service, and start with a smaller concert or streaming event," said Rob Devlin, President, TNDV. "We dove right into a multi-network national broadcast with the added challenge of creating a cinematic experience. We achieved that goal with all expectations exceeded and came away empowered through a productive learning experience."

Part of that learning experience was taken from a "prep day" that brought the TNDV and dbV Rentals crews in conjunction with other SU2C production arms in TNDV's Nashville facility to bring the entire production ecosystem together. Aided by the digital cinema experts at dbV Rentals, the various teams built, staged and tested seven ARRI ALEXA 35 Live cameras, along with three standard ARRI ALEXA 35 Live cameras upgraded with the ARRI Multicam license for use with RF transmission systems. All 10 complete camera paths were vetted fully before taking them inside The Pinnacle, the Nashville venue that hosted the event. "We made sure everything was absolutely perfect; all the pedestals worked, all the dollies glided, all the lenses had proper focus, and faxed out our cables to ensure the fibre was good," said Devlin. "That proved essential as The Pinnacle, while a beautiful modern building, is not exactly set up for multi-camera cinematic capture."

The TNDV crew were challenged with several unique setup experiences, such as running long cable lengths through conduits to lead camera cables down to the truck – an experience Devlin said is unique to digital cinema cameras. Aspiration 35 was parked beside the inner basement loading dock below the venue. The cinematic workflow required an 800-foot cable run between the truck and the upstairs stage left location.

"There is a conduit that descends three floors, and then we had to jump the cable there and lead it outside of the building," said Doug Bates, Owner, dbV Rentals. "That wouldn't have been necessary in a traditional SMPTE broadcast camera workflow, but it was necessary to execute the cinematic vision for the telecast as well as to accommodate all the LED feeds, prompter and monitors for producers who couldn’t see the LED walls."

The 10 ARRI ALEXA 35 Live camera systems were deployed in tripod, handheld and overhead configurations, most equipped with Fujinon DUVO lenses. Two cameras were equipped with smaller lenses, with one Tokina 11-20 Zoom and a LAOWA ZD 10mm prime lens added to the overhead camera to achieve wider stage shots. Camera systems included two front of house positions and one diagonal slash cam position along with several roaming positions. Devlin notes that the ALEXA 35 Live clever design brought new freedoms to the capture process.

"ARRI helped close the gap to make it as if we're working with a traditional broadcast camera. We can dial in on Ethernet, and we can bring camera control into the workflow whether the cameras are wired or wireless," he said. "It's very freeing on the wireless handhelds and also simplified how we build out the Steadicam and Agito camera."

Back on Aspiration 35, the TNDV crew and other event producers switched cameras with a Grass Valley Kayenne production switcher, taking in cameras feeds captured at 29.97fps and recording them into AJA Ki Pro 12G recorders. The shallow depth of field and increased dynamic range attained through the ARRI ALEXA 35 Live capture enhanced the cinematic look and feel enjoyed by millions who saw the broadcast and can now access on-demand via the Starz and Tubi streaming services.

www.tndv.com