As they began work on the Riot Games 2021 Worlds Final pre-shoot in Birmingham, one of the challenges posed to the TSL team was the request from LD Mat Stovall that Programmer Mike Appel’s roaming console was truly wireless!
Due to the nature of the event and the large scale of the street scene which had been custom built for the shoot, it was going to be impractical to continually swap programming looms and hide them within the set in comparison to having a rolling console that could freely move around and hover behind the camera crew, wherever they went.
With time until load-in being measured in days rather than weeks, System Technician Maria Wendenburg and TSL Control & Systems Tech Adam Davies began working on a system that could work to it’s full potential with the reliability that TSL Networking Systems are known for.
Turning to Ubiquiti UniFi equipment, a mesh network of high power, long range WiFi 6 Access Points were installed above the street. Coupled with an additional access point connected locally to the GrandMA3, the console was then able to seamlessly hop between APs ensuring smooth continuity of programming between both sets (street scene and laboratory) without MA-Net2 session collision or session re-sync. Powered by an external battery, this system allowed the console to be truly wireless and roam anywhere on the set during filming, pausing only overnight to recharge.
Using the Ubiquiti system to it’s full, additional WiFi networks were also set up to allow remote focus using the GrandMA remote app and also ArtNet monitoring, with data integrating seamlessly into TSL’s Luminex Networking equipment that formed the backbone of the system.
System Tech Maria Wendenburg commented: “With all the metal scaffolding forming the structure of the set, I was unsure how well the wireless system would cope until we were able to get to site and undertake testing and commissioning. However it performed incredibly well, with the programming team being happy about the newfound flexibility during programming in such a large space”
TSL Control Technician Adam Davies added: “The Riot Team always likes to set us a challenge and this time was no exception! Being able to say we had a truly wireless console was fantastic and the connection was rock solid despite operating within such a densely populated wireless spectrum. Special mention must also be given to Erlwin De Gans, whose assistance in configuring the system saved us many hours of head scratching and allowed us to create something so robust.”
For more information on this technology, or to discuss how it might be used on your event, please contact your TSL Project Manager.