Showcase
Mountbatten Festival of Music
Client
Ministry Of Defence
Viewers
50,000+
Equipment
14 4K Sony Camera Channels
Team
28 Crew On-Site
The Project
In 2024, Optical Media was contracted for three years by the Ministry of Defence to capture its annual Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall.
Performed in front of an audience of 15,000, it is a highlight in the Royal Navy’s calendar, showcasing the talents of The Massed Bands Of His Majesty's Royal Marines over two nights. The concerts feature a wide range of musical styles, including music from the big screen and breathtaking solo items, as well as the traditional marches and overtures that have proved such a hit with audiences over the years.
Outputted on social media and network TV, the concerts attract over 1 million viewers per year.
The MoD were seeking a high end, creative broadcast that reflected the musical variety of the concert, the musicianship, pageantry and occasion of the concert, and could be repurposed as marketing & recruitment material.
The Mountbatten Festival of Music 2024 - Full Show
Working in tandem with the Royal Navy, Optical Media provided a full outside broadcast service. 14 4K Sony Camera Channels covered every angle of the performance, including a jib, 2x roving cameras, tower camera and controllable remote cameras placed on stage.
The high-profile event required meticulous planning from Optical’s technical team, including designing a bespoke production hub with capacity for producer, director and MoD personnel that could be rigged quickly, while not encroaching on the performance space, and working alongside the Royal Navy, venue and Metropolitan Police.
Our 28-person crew comprised of highly experienced operators and broadcast engineers who had worked on previous projects at the Royal Albert Hall, including the BBC Proms, giving us unique insight into the intricacies and complications of working in this historic venue, under the eye of a TV director with swathes of experience directing music.
Shots were chosen to tell the story of the pieces, perfectly timed with each section of the band. As part of our commitment to the future of our industry, media production students from underprivileged backgrounds were given paid, valuable experience as camera assistants. Both concerts were recorded, giving the MoD a choice of performances to output online and a rich bank of camera angles to choose from.
The Solution
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