First Mile Technologies Taps Dejero for Remote Projects
Dejero products enabled the remote production and postproduction of Canada's online “Send a Virtual Solo” campaign during the pandemic.
During the Covid-19 outbreak, First Mile Technologies used Dejero products to enable the successful production of financial-services group Desjardins’ online “Send a Virtual Solo” campaign, which helped raise Canadian morale through the power of music.
“In the postproduction world, we still move data like we used to move film negative: in a very physical manner,” says Brandon Cooper, president of film and new media at First Mile Technologies. “I was seeking ways to streamline the process using the power of the internet, cellular networks and satellite. Dejero’s products are doing that well in the broadcast world, and I wanted to translate that to the film world. We needed to urgently address the topics of reliable, robust connectivity, security and team collaboration during the pandemic, and Dejero’s products helped us [do that].”
The “Send a Virtual Solo” initiative encouraged Canadians to stay connected during the pandemic by nominating people to receive the gift of a song recorded by one of 40 musicians from across the country. Everything was produced and postproduced remotely by the artists, who received kits delivered by production company Radke Films. These kits contained a Dejero EnGo mobile transmitter and a small connectivity kit, including three 4K-enabled iPhones.
Each artist filmed his or her own performances while maintaining phone contact with the production team at KAOS Video. The team then worked with First Mile to stream this video back to KAOS using Dejero’s Smart Blending Technology, which aggregates diverse connectivity paths, including cellular, satellite and broadband, into a virtual “network of networks.” The video was then inserted into a video conference call attended by the director, client agencies and the production company, who were all located in different places across Canada. This process was repeated twice per day for over a week, creating an efficient post workflow.
Earlier this year, First Mile also worked with VideoNerve Studio, a division of Publicis Canada, to create a campaign for Mercedes with live driving shots from a race track located on a frozen lake in Gimli, Manitoba. Dejero made it possible to stream the video live from the vehicles to a resort 5 miles away, where the client and agency teams could watch the footage in real time despite limited cellular connectivity.
“I aspire to work with Dejero to create a solution where we go ‘from camera to editors’ bin’ or ‘from sensor to postproduction,’” says Cooper. “Limited connectivity and bandwidth on set, especially in remote locations, has long been the barrier to getting files and data out quickly to all of the creative teams that need to work together in post, so we are very excited by the possibilities that Dejero has opened up for this industry.”
“We’re thrilled that our solid background in live production has crossed over into postproduction and become key to helping this sector to streamline workflows,” says Bogdan Frusina, Dejero founder. “We’re here to support the film industry as it opens up following the pandemic by transforming the way it works.”
Follow Dejero on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Keep up with American Cinematographer on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
