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HomeGearDGA Productions Uses Teradek and SmallHD for Safety while Shooting on Location

DGA Productions Uses Teradek and SmallHD for Safety while Shooting on Location

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DGA ProductionsOffering full-service production capabilities, Watertown, Massachusetts company DGA Productions has had to learn new ways to fulfill their role as a one-stop shop from creative to final edit when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and stricter protocols were put in place for production.

Equipment Manager Will McAuliffe needed to change the way the company normally works by working with fewer people on location while maintaining social distancing. This is where gear from Teradek and SmallHD came into play, as McAuliffe used the Teradek Bolt 1000 XT transmitter with the SmallHD 703 Bolt 7” wireless HD monitor and receiver for the company’s latest remote shoots.

Although the company took a two and a half months off as the country dealt with the first wave of COVID in March, “Things are picking up,” according to McAuliffe. “We’ve done commercials and marketing videos for businesses trying to pivot and move forward. Tomorrow we have a shoot that’s capturing the pandemic and how restaurants are coming back. It’s an interesting mix. Everyday is something new.”

One of DGA Productions’ first jobs after that hiatus was a video for Heartbreak Hill Running Co., brought to the company by McAuliffe’s colleague, Josh Mercado, the goal to be getting a “community feel” despite the hardships inherent with quarantine running.

“We kept the crew very lean,” McAuliffe said. “Josh doubled up as producer/director and talent. I was the DP, camera crew and MoVI operator. We made sure we were wearing masks and drove separately to all the different locations.” The Bolt 1000 XT transmitter and SmallHD 703 Bolt 7″ wireless HD monitor and receiver allowed McAuliffe, as the MoVI operator, to get all the shots Josh needed, while allowing the latter to watch from a safe distance. “The 703 Bolt has been a huge lifesaver because of its mobility,” McAuliffe said.

DGA Productions’ next project was a shoot that involved heavy gimbal-work with a Freefly MoVI equipped with Teradek wireless equipment, including Teradek RT wireless lens control as well as the same Teradek Bolt and SmallHD 703 Bolt monitor.

After these two experiences, McAullife suggests to, “Keep it small— 3-4 person crews are becoming the new norm. Wear face masks and go wireless with a Teradek Bolt transmitter and SmallHD 703 Bolt monitor/receiver. Plus, we learned the new key to all productions now isn’t gaff tape—it’s been replaced by hand sanitizer, and lots of it!” 

You can watch the video that DGA Productions made with Josh Mercado below, and learn more about the tech used at the respective sites for  Teradek and SmallHD.

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