So, a broadcaster in Oslo, Norway has laid claim to the world’s longest Web-based live video interview. VG Direkte (VGTV), an Internet only television station, used five cameras and a Granite 1000integrated production system from Broadcast Pix to interview Hans Olav Lahlum, an historian and political lobbyist. The interview, conducted by Mads A. Andersen, began at11 a.m. on May 22and ended 30 hours, 1 minute, and 44 seconds later. Lahlum clearly had a lot on his mind.
Pål Hansen, VGTV’s chief technology officer, said the station wanted to break the record to build publicity for the network--which is owned by one of Norway’s largest print newspapers-- and its full line of programming.
Two cameras provided static shots throughout the production, including a two-shot of Lahlum and Anderson, another two captured close-ups of the discussion, while the fifth camera mounted on a crane, provided tracking shots throughout the interview.
Produced at VGTV’s media house in the center of Oslo, the interview was conducted in a street-level studio with large windows, so pedestrians could look in and watch. A studio audience was present as well. VGTV has been using its Granite 1000 since 2011, and the system’s built-in Fluent workflow tools, particularly the Inscriber CG and Fluent Clip Store, were key.
“For the interview we didn’t use clips, of course,” Hansen said. That was all live. We used CG and the [Granite’s] animation player for lower-thirds.”
During the production, there was one technical issue. Power in the studio shut down once due to a rain leak that short circuited a power connection on the wall. As a result, the production lost light for a few minutes and backup mics had to be used.
But the question remains: does anybody have anything useful to say after 30 hours?
