The proliferation of video technology in touring productions has been a recurring theme in TPi. A decade ago, the big debate was the convergence of lighting and video departments – a topic that has long since concluded. Often, a creative or show director at the top of a production chain will see LED screens, lighting, staging, and automation as part of a single creative vision. Safe to say, it’s led to some outstanding performances, many of which we have witnessed firsthand. However, there has been a quietly evolving piece of this puzzle that, only in recent years, has grown in relevance: the evolution of camera technology.
For the longest time, the standard setup of two tripods with long lenses at FOH, along with perhaps a pit cam or a plethora of PTZ cameras, ensured IMAG screens were fed content so those at the rear of venues didn’t miss out on the action. However, increasingly video departments are looking to take the camera craft to a new level to achieve that ‘cinematic’ style to the footage captured. With that goal, the specifications of the equipment and camera technology requested by riders have become more sophisticated.
With more productions aiming to achieve this goal, we turn the lens on some of those at the forefront of this evolution – from manufacturers to end users – to see what they believe these developments will deliver to the touring ecosystem.
SETTING THE SCENE
We asked several leading video directors what had led to this change. “A lot of this has come from artists being more aware of social content,” mused Matt Askem, who oversaw the video delivery on DAVE’s latest tour. With an extensive history as a touring Director, recently Askem has taken up the role of Creative Director for high-profile acts including Adele and RAYE. He explained how the influence of social media has manifested in tour productions. “Social content is very much a means of advertising an artist’s brand and tour. That means a greater focus on how they look on camera and how well a show might translate to those shooting with video.”
Director Steve ‘TSP’ Price concurred: “When I started touring 20 years ago, IMAG were just two projector screens on the side of the stage, using footage from three cameras. Nowadays, video, lighting and stage design are all interconnected, and you would be hard pushed to find a stage that isn’t built around a giant LED screen.” According to TSP, this evolution means that directors are now dealing with multiple cameras and screens.
“For Queen, I have 12 cameras and eight screens, so I’m often directing three different camera mixes simultaneously to screens of different aspect ratios,” said TSP, considering the changing use of video within touring. “My role as a director has changed a lot. As directors, we’re bridging the connection between the artist and the audience, we’re uniting the room and adding a new layer of creative presentation to the show, while capturing footage for various other means, such as YouTube or socials.”
In fact, for RAYE’s recent tour, TSP decided to bring in an additional video editor to support the repackaging of the footage caught for this other medium. That said, it’s not just the quantity but the quality of equipment that is seeing a marked change, with many commenting on the requests from clients to achieve ‘cinematic’ footage.
“The term ‘cinematic’ has become a catch-all term for many things,” commented Jack Banks, Director for Mumford & Sons and one of the founders of Core Control [more on that later]. “It could mean that you are using Super 35 or Full Frame to achieve a shallow depth of field; to others, cinematic might mean creating something that has warm grain or something more akin to Dune that is very crisp and desaturated – technically, both cinematic but very different looks. It even covers epic tracking shots from something like an Agito,” Banks added. “There is a lot of stylistic choice within those boundaries.”
Despite this wish for more clarity on the term, Banks noted that the more high-end equipment being used by camera teams on tour is presenting many new opportunities. This greater interest in a more bespoke delivery of camera packages led Banks and fellow founders to create Core Control, a tour service provider offering bespoke, high-quality video capture solutions.
“Our intention for Core Control is not to get into the LED business – there are enough big players in that game. What we can offer is a sole focus on video control, taking our collective experiences across camera direction, server programming and system design to provide a platform to support productions to get the most out of the technology that is on offer,” Banks said, further expressing that, with this greater focus on camera capture, in partnership with the huge strides made in LED and server technology, live tours could, “offer things that are better than you would get in the cinema”.
He added: “It would be wild for our industry to be leading the charge when, with video, we’ve often lagged behind film and TV.”
Banks even stated that we might see more people move over from the world of film, especially as that sector is experiencing a quieter time right now – an interesting development, seeing as just five years ago, during the pandemic, the opposite was true.
BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME…
With a clear demand for more high-end camera products, TPi spoke to some of the industry’s biggest manufacturers to see how they were answering the call. Craig Heffernan, Blackmagic Design Director of EMEA, has noticed the growing demand from touring clients for more sophisticated equipment. “The background of Blackmagic was high-end post-production equipment,” he commented. “However, over the past 10 to 15 years, we have integrated cameras into this offering – the first of which was designed for cinema.”
According to Heffernan, the way cameras are used in live touring has changed, and therefore, so have the options. “There was a time when it felt like cameras had to be off stage and hidden. Hence, we’d talk about using micro-cameras on drum kits, with the pit crew capturing shots from below. But as artists have learned to understand the value of high-quality stage images – either on screen or for post-recording for socials – they have accepted that you must have cameras close to get those looks. If you rely on a telephoto lens, optically, you are not going to get the quality most would consider ‘cinematic’,” Heffernan stated. “By wanting ‘cinematographic looks’, it means camera operators will have to be closer, and you have to accept that those lenses require operators to be close to make the art.”
That thinking is now feeding into Blackmagic’s wider live production roadmap, with the company recently announcing a free live update for URSA Cine 12K LF adding ST 2110 output over 10G Ethernet, alongside a new studio viewfinder, B4 mount and servo control cable for multicamera workflows. “There is a growing expectation that live systems should deliver the flexibility of broadcast, but with image quality that feels much closer to cinema,” Heffernan added.
It’s why the Blackmagic team has seen wider use of products such as the PYXIS and URSA Cine 12K LF, which are light enough not to be too intrusive if an operator were on stage. As well as a greater presence of camera operators on stage, many productions have made track and dollies a more common part of video tech specs to create sweeping, dramatic looks and get cameras closer to the action. Products such as the Motion Impossible AGITOs and the utilisation of MagTrax or Luna Remote Systems offer multiple ways to create dynamic solutions.
Adam Sculthorp, Business Development Manager for Live Entertainment at ARRI, joined the conversation: “There’s a clear shift toward cinema-grade cameras and lenses in touring,” he commented. “With LED walls and high-resolution IMAG, productions want film-style dynamic range, smooth highlights, and consistent colour. That’s where cinema cameras purpose-built for live use fit naturally into the touring toolkit.”
Sculthorp pointed to the ALEXA 35 Live, which had been used recently in several live shows. “We’ve adapted by making cinematic capture dependable in fast-paced live environments, and straightforward to integrate into touring workflows.”
One key difference he noted when comparing touring to a film shoot was the greater number of variables. “Live touring presents unique challenges because these shows are lit for the audience, not necessarily for TV. Therefore, the vision engineers must handle extreme contrast, fast, saturated LED lighting changes, haze, strobes, and minimal setup time, all while keeping multiple cameras matched from venue to venue.”
It’s why the ARRI ALEXA 35 Live is built for these conditions, offering dynamic range, strong low-light performance, and natural highlight roll-off. “Its exceptional colour reproduction and highlight handling help crews maintain consistency, simplify camera matching, and streamline the workflow throughout a tour,” Sculthorp said. “Video is becoming a core creative layer of the show, alongside lighting and choreography, not just a way to make the artist visible. As capture and display evolve, we’ll see more deliberate looks per song and tighter integration between content, cameras, and lighting.”
Panasonic Field Marketing Manager, Josh Milligan agreed: “There has been a clear and accelerating shift toward the adoption of cinema-grade technology in live touring environments. Productions are increasingly aiming to deliver a visual experience that matches the sophistication audiences expect from film and high-end television.”
In line with this demand, Milligan shared how Panasonic has taken a holistic approach in supporting this sector. “A major area of development has been large-sensor camera systems,” Milligan commented. “By combining these with high-performance pan/tilt heads, Panasonic enables productions to achieve shallow depth of field, wide dynamic range, and rich colour reproduction while retaining the flexibility required for live environments. On the software side, we introduced a suite of intelligent tools designed to simplify increasingly complex setups such as auto-framing, auto-tracking, and Image Adjust Pro to reduce the need for manual intervention.”
Milligan closed by discussing the potential cross-pollination of ideas and techniques from cinema into the live touring market. “Camera movement is one of the most impactful areas,” he stated. “Techniques commonly used in film and sports broadcasting, such as stabilised tracking shots, jib or crane work, and dynamic multiangle coverage, can enhance the visual storytelling of a live show dramatically. These approaches help create a sense of immersion, even in large-scale venues. Another key area is the use of High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Log capture. These formats, standard in film and premium television production, provide greater latitude for colour grading and image refinement. Even in live workflows, they enable a richer, more nuanced visual output.”
Danny Hodgetts of CuePilot – a software that allows users to create a digital cue list, enabling more precise planning of shots captured during a performance – also weighed in on the topic. “Creating quality content on IMAG screens is something more artists are recognising the value of,” stated Hodgetts. “It makes sense that cinematic techniques are being applied to these screens. A trend we’re seeing is high-end TV directors being brought in to help translate those ideas to touring. Nevertheless, it’s important to remember that touring is a very different beast to TV, and the screen director must keep the live audience experience at the front of mind.”
Hodgetts explained how CuePilot supports these goals of improving the quality of IMAG content: “CuePilot can assist this shift by automating certain cuts that would be difficult or impossible to execute manually. However, the main benefit we’re seeing is the ability to work across departments. All creative teams can use a single timeline to place cues, allowing everyone to see what others are doing. It enables quick review of rehearsals with the full production, making it easier to implement changes that enhance storytelling. Finally, being able to communicate this clearly to camera operators – who may be local or unfamiliar with the show – helps ensure the right shots are captured at the right time, in line with the director’s vision.”
RENTAL HOUSES
As with all elements of a live show, no single piece is greater than the sum of its parts. TPi tracked down some of the rental houses grappling with the greater demand while investing in LED screens, servers, and processing power. “We’ve seen a noticeable increase in demand for cinema-grade cameras on touring productions,” commented 4Wall Entertainment’s Rhodri Shaw.
“The main high-end options in the touring market for cinema-style camera channels are currently the ARRI ALEXA 35 Live systems and the Sony HDC-F5500 Super 35 platform. These large-sensor cameras require a completely different lens setup, as they’re not compatible with traditional B4 Mount broadcast lenses. It’s not just a camera upgrade, it’s a full shift in infrastructure, with significant investment in both cameras and glass.”
Shaw shared an interesting counter take on the move to more cinematic technology for touring productions: “The camera feed is ultimately processed through media servers with additional real-time effects applied. At that point, there’s an ongoing discussion around whether the move to cinema cameras justifies the added cost and complexity, as the final on-screen result can often appear similar to a well-managed traditional broadcast setup.”
Ashley Ball, Video Technical Manager at Adlib, who deployed the ALEXA 35 system for the Shirin David’s SCHLAU ABER BLOND Tour 2025 [see TPi #288], highlighted some of the changes seen from the rental perspective. “The flexibility excites me the most,” stated Ball, discussing the benefits of using a higher calibre of camera equipment.
“Particularly with the ALEXA 35, we can have a show that is super clean, crisp and perfect, then on the next show, we can implement their looks and texture engine to create an image that is imperfect, stylised and gritty, depending on the style the designers are working towards. The doors are suddenly open to many more effects without needing to overuse graphical effects in a media server.”
He continued to outline how this trend led Adlib to alter its offerings to customers. “We’ve started designing our PPU systems around cinema camera systems, including higher bit-depth via ST2110 and HDR monitoring. Additionally, our manufacturing and design teams have been working to make these new camera systems better packaged for touring to keep the pace of a load-in and -outs.”
Ben Annibal of Universal Pixels picked up on this growing market demand. “It’s definitely something we are seeing a lot more when it comes to the cameras that are being specified for tours with a focus on making the image capture look better than they have before,” he said, adding that he thought it was a matter of time before this development would happen, especially given how new video as a discipline had been around in live touring. Video has simply not been around as long as lighting and sound. Now it’s coming to the forefront and is a part of almost every show. Due to this, the tech is developing so rapidly that everyone is pushing it.”
Fuse Technical Group’s Ben Johnson has observed a noticeable increase in requests for cinema packages on tours. “Initially driven by large stadium shows utilising cinema cameras, this trend has grown as the technology has become more cost-effective and integrated with SMPTE 311 workflows,” he explained.
He believes that this shift is not limited to on-site displays only but now extends to colour workflow control and ISO archive recordings for future use by artists. To meet this demand, Fuse has invested in RED Raptor XL Broadcast Solution, which Johnson cited as the “optimal choice for touring cinema cameras.”
He added: “The workflow is straightforward and efficient, utilising SMPTE fibre to connect cameras and CCUs. Additionally, Grass Valley switching equipment supports a LOG workflow from camera to screen, allowing servers to control which LUT is applied and when. This provides greater creative control over both dynamic range and colour processing.”
He closed by predicting that the use of cinema cameras in arena touring would continue in 2026 and 2027. “I am encouraged that greater competition will drive the development of solutions specifically designed for the travel demands of these systems,” he stated. “I look forward to expanded feature sets as equipment footprints become smaller and easier to ship globally.”
FOCUS UP
Clearly, this move to a more sophisticated camera setup was never going to be an overnight change in live touring, and, as with all innovations, it will likely be only those on the bleeding edge with large budgets who can lean into these more sophisticated workflows.
However, due to the importance of capturing eye-catching footage of live shows, not just for social promotions, but the success of streamed content such as Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version), Harry Styles’ One Night in Manchester and now Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), it feels like the need for a cinematic camera system to be part of the ecosystem is inevitable.
While a decade ago the topic of conversation was the convergence of departments within a tour, perhaps now, the conversation might be the convergence of the touring and film industries, with the same camera equipment utilised in both fields; different canvases using the same paintbrush.
Words: Stew Hume
Photos: Blackmagic Design and ARRI
