Virtual Video Village made possible by XCommNet

The client, the agency and everyone else involved in the shoot were able to remotely oversee what was happening on set thanks to a continuous stable connection provided by XCommNet.

At the start of the pandemic, a large UK Bank hired Terri Manduca, a leading photographic agency to put together a photo shoot for an advertising campaign.

There’s no question that the global expansion of the internet has been steadily driving massive social and business changes and the Covid pandemic has exponentially sped that process up.

This is how the media production industry had to dramatically adapt and adopt technology to overcome the new challenges posed by Covid.

When you watch a movie, TV show, commercial or spend time taking in a picture in a magazine, what you won’t see are all of the crew and decision makers who are in close physical proximity to one another under normal circumstances. Nor will you see the clients and agency who are spending the money and are typically perched right near the director so they can have immediate input throughout the process.

With Covid however, physical proximity was no longer possible. The photographer could have only fewer crew on site which needed to be isolated in bubbles.

One person was to be used to position the subject, the lights and everything else needed on set. The director, the client and everyone else needed to be at different locations and connected with each other via video and voice.

Another area of potential difficulty was set-up time. The nature of production is such that if you are on set, you are burning money. Any delay is costly, so being able to be up and running in just minutes is paramount.

This is where XCommNet was drawn into the challenge.

While XCommNet is not new to providing high speed internet connections to difficult locations or connecting multiple groups, getting a crystal-clear image of a photo-shoot from a photographer’s set to a director and a client in different locations miles away was a first.

XCommNet technologies delivered a continuous stable connection to enable all parties involved in the commercial shoot with immediate feedback.

XCommNet also understands the nature of productions and the importance of a quick set-up time therefore we are able to provide solution with minimal installation time and full remote support when needed.