to many cameras for 2012?

[Brian Davidson]

too many cameras for 2012?

So I got wirecast and with that, I can have unlimited amount of camera feeds going to my laptop "wires sold separately".

Please tell me if this is too much:
Camera 1: Dome Camera
Camera 2: Cockpit camera facing my team
Camera 3: Hand camera that I or someone else can use. This could be used if a station wants a different angle or if the dome goes KIA.
Camera 4 "optional": Gopro HD attached to my front fender or down low.


With wirecast you can also have an Image inside an image. So I'm thinking Image1 being from the dome and image2 could be camera 2/3/and or 4. You can also show your desktop and or a program running in the background. So Image 2 could also be what our radar is showing.


Let me know what you think!

 

[John Wetter]

What's the point? Unless you have insane bandwidth, you're just pushing a 320 X 240 pixel image and at most you just do a picture-in-picture. More 'production' beyond that just seems a bit much.

 

[Brian Davidson]

I have been playing around with wirecast. Its take a bit to setup the images and feeds but you can then save the file/presets. next time you go out, load the file and everything is ready to go. I just thought I would give a better show than the standard, no audio ones.

Also, how many stream audio?


just wondering and thanks for the feedback!

 

[Skip Talbot]

If you're main goal is catching tornadoes, the effort, time, and money are much better spent on chasing more and chasing more efficiently. If you aren't hitting the big setups, and getting the shot consistently on those setups, the return you'll see from having "the best setup" will not materialize be it revenue from the media or viewer attention. So to answer the original question, "is it too much?", you need to identify the real dilemma that you're trying to solve. Do you have too many tornadoes and interesting shots that you find yourself needing more video angles to capture, or do you first need to find more tornadoes and interesting shots? Simply having the extra cameras will not get you the extra shots.

Also, how many stream audio?

Not many because its tricky to pull off well. First you need the bandwidth for both video and audio, which isn't there in many spots in the plains. Second, you need some worthwhile audio, which means limiting the background noise from the engine, wind, and wipers and narrating the stream intelligently. You really have to watch what you say or you'll offend someone or come off like you don't know what you're doing. Both are very easy to do in the heat of the moment and I've seen several examples of both while watching people's streams. Lots of chasers don't want the hassle of dealing with that. The media and public eat audio up though, so if you're looking for the attention, its something to look into.

This is probably not a popular opinion and opens a whole new can of worms, but often times I can't even listen to the audio due to the commentator's babbling or distracting background noise. In my opinion the video alone should capture the viewers attention when you're shooting a storm or a tornado. The audio can be a nice addition, but If you're video or stream needs audio, the video is worthless. Streams from the 22nd were a good example. Without audio, watching a feed of the black night sky was like watching paint dry. The audio helped in some cases, but in others it was just painful to listen to for more than a couple minutes.

The video really captures the essence of the storm and what its doing. While informative narration can supplement that, the audio really captures the excitement and fears of the chaser. I much prefer to have the emphasis on the storm, not the chaser. The media and public, however, probably want it the other way around for their own interest and entertainment.

 

[Brian Davidson]

Thanks for the reply skip!

Yea, the streams on the 22nd gave me the idea. I also agree that the public loves Audio but sometimes attention can be bad.


When I first started to chase, I loved the attention but now I hate it. I'm also thinking about doing away with the dome for the sheer fact of it being an attention magnet.


I'm just trying to plan 2012 now so when it does get going, I'm ready.

 

[Tony Perkins]

Besides what has been stated here by others, a fender cam's view would quickly become obscured from road spray. Stick with high camera such as internally or your dome plan.

 

[Brian Davidson]

Thanks Tony, I didn't think of that. I just love different camera angles but some won't work for chasing lol

 

[Bill Hark]

I would recommend just sticking with one stream. Chasing requires a lot of decisions and it would really suck if you missed a big tornado because you were distracted by all the cameras and associated wires. Imagine taking a couple seconds to adjust the stream or to figure out why a stream has stopped and because of that, you miss the turnoff to the best road option. I would keep the dome cam and certainly there is nothing wrong with getting different angles as they make the resulting highlights much more interesting.

Bill Hark

 

[TJ Whitt]

Wirecast will work with what you are wanting. However, you will need a pretty powerful computer to run Wirecast and all those cameras. I have used Wirecast myself for the past 4 years.

My whole take on the multiple camera setup is that too many can really take your focus off the storms. Trying to toggle between the cameras is useless unless you have someone to man Wirecast throughout the whole chase. Also, having all the cameras showing on one Wirecast source will bog down the computer, lower the FPS, and just lower the quality.

The best way to go about it is use one or two cameras.

 

[Adam Lucio]

I agree with skip, I can't stand audio in streams nor do I plan on doing it. However it is a great way to get viewers as people who don't get to chase much [if at all] get to live vicariously through them. So its give and take there. The only time I enjoy listening to a stream with audio is when the chaser is core punching and I want to hear the hail. Other than that I don't care for it and would rather listen to my music on the PC.

I may try it this year to see what kind of numbers it generates for me, but I swear too much and listen to too heavy music that I would probably be forced to silence it after the first day.

 

[Brian Davidson]

I agree with skip, I can't stand audio in streams nor do I plan on doing it. However it is a great way to get viewers as people who don't get to chase much [if at all] get to live vicariously through them. So its give and take there. The only time I enjoy listening to a stream with audio is when the chaser is core punching and I want to hear the hail. Other than that I don't care for it and would rather listen to my music on the PC.

I may try it this year to see what kind of numbers it generates for me, but I swear too much and listen to too heavy music that I would probably be forced to silence it after the first day.

Yea, SOPA & PIPA would come after you if you stream music =p