“Given the festival’s rural location and the unpredictability of British weather, it can also be one of the most challenging, as camera crews and their equipment have to be ready for anything from a rainstorm to a mud bath,” said David Fader, TCS operations manager. “The big-name stage music performances take place under cover, but others are held out in the open. Precise camera movement is a vital ingredient for television directors, so offering mountings that go on rail is an integral part of our business.”
As Glastonbury is a massive green-field festival, it requires extensive infrastructure in terms of security, transport, water and electricity supply. Working closely with Arena Television Ltd. and SIS LIVE, TCS supplied two of its own-design fixed and tracking Skquattro pedestals, 14 Vinten Osprey Elite pedestals, 15 Vinten Vision 250 pan and tilt heads 11 Vinten tracking skids and nearly two kilometres of SMPTE grade camera fiber.
Setup commenced June 24 in preparation for the event’s five-day duration at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset. June 26-30, the festival attracted an attendance of 135,000 tickets selling out after a record one hour and 40 minutes of being on sale.
Highlights of the festival were broadcast on BBC 2, including a two-hour Glastonbury debut by the Rolling Stones, which achieved an estimated peak audience of 2.6 million viewers.
