“RACHAEL RAY” SHINES BRIGHT in EUE Screen Gems’ New Studio by MICHAEL GROTTICELLI

“RACHAEL RAY” SHINES BRIGHT in EUE Screen Gems’ new studio BY MICHAEL GROTTICELLI

This article originally appeared in the April 2007 issue of Broadcast Engineering magazine. Copyright 2007, Broadcast Engineering. Reprinted with permission. The all-digital video control room for Studio 6A at EUE Screen Gems Studios in New York features a

software. Photo by Dave King.

A newly installed 48-input Solid State Logic C100 digital console mixes digital stereo audio for “Rachael Ray” today, but can easily handle true 5.1 sound when the show makes its move to HD in the future. Photo by Dave King.

Rachael Ray cooks up a meal in the studio, captured by a Sony BVP-900 camera with Canon Super 21 studio lens and Shure wireless lavaliere microphone. Photo by Eric Leibowitz.

“ achael Ray” is a bona fi de to this new mix is hidden behind the four-layer Mexican bean dip recipes and syndication hit for King trendy fashion tips (both were segments of a recent taping). World Productions. And The show is taped in a sophisticated 9000sq-ft studio that EUE created spe- studio landlord, EUE cifi cally for “Rachael Ray” in its 125,000sq-ft four-fl oor Midtown Manhattan RScreen Gems Studios in New York complex. City, couldn’t be happier. The show’s The Studio 6A space was home to the CBS soap opera “Guiding Light” for host Rachael Ray is a seasoned TV 20 years. Once CBS decided to relocate the soap to other facilities in 2005, chef with several popular shows on Mitchell Brill, EUE head of corporate development, took the vacancy as an op- the Food Network. However, this new portunity to upgrade the studio complex. one-hour syndicated series moves By the end of 2005, he and Doug Joseph, chief engineer, began designing a Ray out of the kitchen to in front of 50,000sq-ft studio and support space dedicated to “Rachael Ray.” The result has a live audience. The secret ingredient been a pleasant surprise for all involved.

This article originally appeared in the April 2007 issue of Broadcast Engineering magazine. Copyright 2007, Broadcast Engineering. Reprinted with permission. New control No stranger to revolving clients, each with their own individual production requirements, the EUE design team worked with Rich Cervini, vice president of production and technical operations for King World, to make a home for “Rachael Ray.” Timing was critical. In a mere three months — from demolition to fi rst shoot day — the original Studio 6A and its control room were gutted and refi tted with all digital equipment, new lighting equipment and a highly innova- tive, rotating audience platform . The new control room features a Sony 3.5 M/E DVS-7350 digital video switcher (32 input with 13 aux busses), two Sony DME-5000 DVE units and 64 PatchAmp SDV/HD serial digital video DAs with analog test outputs. For confi dence monitoring, there are several 14in and 20in Ikegami CRT monitors with SDI inputs and Leitch VTM-3100 SD LCD-based waveform The brightly lit, 9000sq-ft Studio 6A space that EUE Screen Gems created for the and vectorscope rasterizers . “Rachael Ray” show features the studio audience on a revolving platform and an overhead Shuttle camera tracking system. The show produces two and sometimes three live-to-tape episodes per day. Photo by Eric Leibowitz. Rotating audience The main studio, where the show that the audience is always facing the occupy adjacent offi ces. tapes two — and sometimes three action, no matter what corner of the On the fourth fl oor, four editing — episodes per day for three days a studio Ray is performing from. suites with Avid Adrenaline worksta- week, features four distinct staging A variety of large LG LCD screens tions, (three for show segments and a areas, one in each corner. It’s com- are mounted throughout the facility. fourth for on-air promos), along with plete with a working elevator for spe- Some are fed by Sony MAV-555 vid- four Apple G5 workstations, are net- cial guests to arrive on camera and a eo disks for on-set LCD screen loop worked to an Avid ISIS storage array revolving audience seating area in the feeds that serve as on-camera video that enables editors to share clips and middle that allows for full 360-degree wallpaper for the ever changing, cre- retrieve elements digitized into the camera views. This creates a nice on- ative and colorful sets. system. Daily roll-ins are handled di- air ambiance for the show and ensures The set was designed by Joe Stew- rectly from tape or are ingested into an art of Shaffner/Stewart and fabricated Avid Thunder server. Six Sony DVW- by Showman Design, with a lighting M2000 Digital Betacam recorders are It’s complete with design by Alan Blacher that features used for program and ISO record, a working elevator a variety of fresnels, gels and fl uores- as well as one DVW-A500 and one cent lighting instruments. The chal- MSW-M2000 (IMX) for playback. for special guests lenge was that the audience is some- Graphics are generated with a dual- to arrive on camera times on camera, so all areas of the channel Pinnacle Deko 3000 CG. and a revoloving studio have to be lit all the time. Some of the live remote interview Meridian Design Associates in- segments are conducted through an audience seating stalled a professional prep kitchen Apple PowerBook running iChat area in the middle and surrounded it within an audience software. This allows Ray to conduct holding area and talent support space a two-way A/V dialog via the Inter- that allows for adjacent to the studio. The show’s net. These segments are recorded to full 360-degree team of 90 production execs, pro- videotape with a Matrox MXO unit, camera views. ducers, researchers, coordinators, as- providing a cost-effective alternative sistants and communications staffers to the traditional remote truck.

This article originally appeared in the April 2007 issue of Broadcast Engineering magazine. Copyright 2007, Broadcast Engineering. Reprinted with permission. Future-proof design audio, the tape room and the produc- which handles serial digital signals Joseph said his mandate was to tion bridge. This design also enables with embedded audio. design and implement a studio and all sources to be displayed, includ- Two Sony BVP-950 cameras with production infrastructure that was ing daily tally and naming changes, Canon 11 x 4.5 wide-angle and 16 x serial digital today and could serve anywhere in the building. Signals are 8 zoom lenses are used hand held as as a cost-effective upgrade to HD in routed with a Sony HDS-X3700 serial well as on Steadicam mounts. Three the future. King World has tentative digital router switcher (64 x 64 I/O), Sony BVP-900 studio cameras with plans to move the show to HD some- Canon Super 21 lenses are operated time after 2008. Because of Joseph’s The design team in the studio on Vinten ﬂ uid heads preplanning and current equipment and studio pedestals. All cameras are choices, the upgrade will only involve has installed a on triax and are controlled with Sony the installation of new HD cameras, a system via Cat 5 camera control units. Some remote new HD production switcher and an wiring for segments are shot in 24p. HD-capable router. The Shuttle, an overhead camera This current design includes LCD digitizing and system made by Innovision Optics, of- monitors for distributing multi-image distributing fers overhead shots from a curved rail displays throughout the control and attached to the studio’s lighting grid. production areas. Using four Evertz groups of images The camera can be preprogrammed MVP 12 SD, HD and analog rasteriz- to master control, with pan, tilt and zoom capabilities, ers feeding four Mitsubishi MDT461S audio, the tape or operated manually, using a joystick LCD control room screens, the design and software interface. There’s also team has installed a system via Cat 5 room and the a Sony BRC-H700 remote pan, tilt wiring for digitizing and distributing production bridge. and zoom camera for shots over the groups of images to master control, kitchen range.

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This article originally appeared in the April 2007 issue of Broadcast Engineering magazine. Copyright 2007, Broadcast Engineering. Reprinted with permission. Sounding good to record full surround sound (5.1 platform employs multiple fl oor- Stereo audio is recorded on a 48- channels), and the familiarity it offers mounted speakers that capture au- input C100 digital console from Solid to the freelance operators who work dience reactions and are often in- State Logic, with multiple ties to an on the live-to-tape show. corporated into the overall mix. Six- elevated production bridge, where Numerous HD-compatible DAs teen mics positioned directly above a Yamaha M7CL console is used to from PatchAmp and audio jackfi elds the audience are mixed by a Mackie drive the speakers in the audience. from ADC support the studio’s tra- 1604 board as a sub-mix, and then The SSL board was chosen for its ditional SD and analog infrastruc- routed into the SSL C100 console. A fl exibility, which includes the ability ture. The rotating audience seating full complement of Shure diversity UHF-R wireless mic systems provide wireless body pack and handheld NAB booth SU10605 mics for Ray, her guests and live audience questions.

The redesign of the studio for “Rachael Ray” is the ﬁ rst step toward a complete facility upgrade to a fully digital, multitiered environment.

Simplicity rules The Digiplex concept Brill said the redesign of the studio for “Rachael Ray” is the fi rst step toward a complete facility upgrade to a fully digital, multitiered environment. EUE Screen Gems Studios VikinX Sublime designed the building space as a Digi- small and medium routing switchers plex for new media, offering the best of traditional production tools and • Analog video/audio, AES, SDI, E4, experience for the benefi t of emerg- STM-1 from 8x8 to 64x64 ing media companies like Google and Yahoo, with content destined for the • Multiformat HD-SDI from 8x8 to 64x64 Internet. • Re-clocking and non-reclocking SDI and HD-SDI Within its midtown facilities, a for- • Multiple formats in one frame (2RU and 4RU) ward-looking HD and IPTV initiative • Control via IP/Ethernet, RS-232/422, NCB is currently under way, whereby sig- nifi cant resources are being commit- • Programmable button configuration ted to support new and existing cli- • Flexible local and external control panels ents. The company has also been one of the few qualifi ed by New York City for a combined 15 percent refundable tax credit for below-the-line production costs. This will help attract clients concerned about rising produc- Network Electronics US network-electronics.com tion costs in New York. 800-420-5909 [email protected] After 30 years of experience in providing facilities for TV, feature fi lm

This article originally appeared in the April 2007 issue of Broadcast Engineering magazine. Copyright 2007, Broadcast Engineering. Reprinted with permission. and commercial production com- “Rachael Ray,” which is a sign that the panies, EUE was able to handle the new studio and support space design quick turnaround for “Rachael Ray” has been a success. BE and stay within the limits of a pre- Michael Grotticelli regularly reports on determined budget. Talks are under the professional video and broadcast way for an additional two years of technology industries. Design team EUE Screen Gems George and Chris Cooney, studio principals Thorpe Shuttleworth, executive vice president Mitchell Brill, head of corporate development Doug Joseph, chief engineer King World Rich Cervini, vice president of production and technical operations Alan Blacher, lighting design Shaffner/Stewart Joe Stewart, set design Meridian Design Associates Showman Design

Technology at work ADC audio jackﬁ elds Samsung 21in LCD monitors Avid Shure Adrenaline workstations Wireless microphones with Deko 3000 dual-channel CG diversity antenna system ISIS storage array UR4D UHF diversity receivers Thunder MX triple-channel Solid State Logic C100 digital audio stillstore console Canon Sony 11 x 4.5 wide-angle lenses BRC-H700 remote pan/tilt/zoom 16 x 8 zoom lenses camera Super 21 lenses BVP-900 studio cameras Evertz MVP 12 SD/HD/analog BVP-950 handheld cameras rasterizers HDS-X3700 serial digital router Genelec DME-5000 DVE 8030A audio room speakers DVS-7350 digital video switcher 8050A control room speakers DVW-A500 and DVW-M2000 VTRs Harris Videotek VTM-3100 MAV-555 video disks waveform rasterizers MSW-M2000 decks Ikegami TM-14-17 14in and Tektronix CRT-based waveform and TM-20-90 20in CRT monitors vectorscopes with SDI inputs Telex Innovision Optics Shuttle camera ADAM Intercom tracking system RTS two-channel stations LG LCD screens RadioCom wireless headsets Mackie 1604 board Vinten Matrox MXO unit Fluid heads Mitsubishi MDT461S LCD control Studio pedestals room monitors Yamaha M7CL mixer console PatchAmp SDV/HD DAs with analog test outputs