GN Gear Loadout for Remote Coverage

Hey everyone! 

We’re finalizing our Computex coverage and we thought some of you might be interested in hearing about our equipment and how we operate on the ground in Taiwan.  

Our equipment setup is important for our work flow and keeping things efficient. Actually, our tradeshow coverage is where we’ve really done our best over the years. We’re at a stage now where it’s a very manageable workload. Despite higher video volume, this style of video is really easy for our team to produce since it’s just a bunch of compartmentalized/mini news episodes, so it often only takes 30 to 90 minutes to edit a video (often about an hour), whereas our projects at home can sometimes take a couple days for something complicated like a case review (which is footage-intensive). I love tradeshow coverage and find it the most fun. We get to talk to engineers, meet interesting people (like the Thermalright CEO, who actually went on camera for the first time with Western media with us), and really focus our reporting on just what’s interesting.

The key to all of this is just being organized, both physically and logistically. I do all the prep work and meeting organization/logistics planning ahead of the show, then the lead camera operator for the show (this year, that’s Vitalii, but it just depends who wants to travel each year) packs the bag to an SOP that the lead camera op maintains. It’s all written down so that we don’t overpack or underpack. Overpacking is heavy, underpacking is obviously also a problem.

This year, Vitalli and Mike are our primary camera operators. They each have a camera bag with unique equipment inside. We call them Camera Bag A and Camera Bag B. 

Bag A has our audio equipment and a Sony A7R V camera with a Sony GM II 24-70mm lens. The camera operator with Bag A - often Vitalii, sometimes Andrew if he’s traveling - will shoot “A-roll.” This means that the camera is focused on the host and guests, usually an engineer or product expert. 

(The tissue packs are to pad the mic packs into place)

The camera in Bag A is in a Small Rig cage with grips on the top and the side and multiple cold shoe mounts for optional shotgun mics or lights (depending on conditions of the venue). The camera operator shooting A-roll also wears an easyrig while shooting. An easyrig is like a backpack with a frame that positions the camera with the rig cage in front of the camera operator on a string. The string is tensioned to provide a counter weight without using actual weight, so this allows the camera operator to take their hands off the camera to rest while the camera remains in front of them and balanced. 

Shooting videos all day is strenuous. This setup stabilizes the camera operator and moves weight from the camera operator’s lower back to their hips and shoulders instead, which tend to be stronger and distribute the load over a wider area. Our set up with the easyrig helps us make it through a day of filming. The camera team always has say in what gear they’re shooting and they’ve consistently opted for the easyrig setup since it tanks most the camera weight. It’s also very mobile. The main downside is mobility in tight spaces, like some of the electronics shops we go to, since the ‘backpack’ part of the rig (with the tensioner) protrudes and can bump into things. In Taiwan in particular, low ceiling heights are also a potential limiter for a tall camera operator since the mount sticks up and over their head.

(Vitalii all geared-up)

The camera operator taking A-Roll will also have up to four receivers and a digital audio recorder while recording. These all get strapped to the easyrig vest, which gives him control over the levels while filming.

Like Bag A, Bag B has a Sony A7R V camera and the same lens. These are totally redundant so that we could lose or destroy one camera and still be operational (or can swap parts). Bag B also has a tripod with a panning head; a point-and-shoot camera for pick-up shots where we don’t want to draw a ton of attention; backup SD cards; a hand light; and a bunch of extra batteries. Each bag has batteries that should last a day. We also carry some basic tools, like a coin to serve as a ‘flathead’ (without airport security issues) and some small parts that assemble to create a Phillips screwdriver (again, because airport security in some countries we go to can be fussy over tools).

The camera operator with Bag B will shoot B-roll as we record A-Roll. Mike will typically shoot B-Roll for Computex. He’ll shoot wide angle product shots on a tripod and listen while we’re talking with engineers or company spokespeople. As he’s listening, he makes mental notes and moves to the product that I’m most focused on. We often have to interrupt product reps to ask them to move along to something that’s a better coverage fit for our audience (for example, if they start talking about a bluetooth speaker, I’ll probably move things along). The B-cam operator often has a good understanding of what I’ll be interested in covering since we have such limited time at the booth, so it’s their job to identify those things early and get as many shots as we can. The team does awesome with this. B-Roll is important for products like PC cases where we need multiple shots to properly cover every angle and side. 

We carry the Sony RX 100 VII point-and-shoot camera in Bag B to help us discreetly take videos when we’re walking around in public. We use the point-and-shoot camera and our cell phones to avoid making a scene in some public settings -- it just depends where it is. I normally feel awkward filming in a public setting where it’d annoy people even if it’s allowed, so we really try to stay out of everyone’s way. We can’t always. Sometimes you just get in the way for a little bit to do the job.

For audio equipment, I wear a transmitter and a lav mic for many settings; however, at Computex, I often use a stick mic since the show floor is noisy. Stick mics have larger capsules and can eliminate background noise better while preserving the host’s voice (reducing the need to yell in a tradeshow environment).

The stick mic is kind of a fun GN history note: At PAX East in Boston about 12 years ago, I ran into a local broadcast journalist and took the opportunity to ask questions. He suggested that we use a particular stick mic for event coverage. He normally covered local events (and sometimes crime) and wasn’t specialized to gaming. He said the stick mic isolated audio well, and, importantly to him, it’s “long enough to defend yourself if you need to.” For a guy reporting on crime sometimes, I guess that made some sense.

We bought that stick mic -- but mostly for its audio quality and not its bludgeoning capabilities.

Lastly, we use CF Express drives rather than SD cards in our cameras. The CF Express cards allow us to pull footage to our computers faster. We may have only a 30-minute window to film a product at industry events. Every minute matters with short timelines. 

That’s our Computex equipment overview. Everything has been picked to be as light as possible as well. Every device serves a purpose to help us be more efficient, effective, and timely. We also have backups for everything. Any one of our devices could fail during a show, and we could keep making videos. 

Thanks for all the support! 

Steve