cedd Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 Well I'm a day into the New Year and already am being asked about a gig for the next one! One of the local bands has obviously been watching Take That this New Years Eve and want to muscle in on the action! (By the way, weren't the video screens for that gig fantastic!). They want a ticket only gig athe local theatre, involving them doing a set, then New Year countdown and then a DJ on after that. Sounds like a good night and technically no different to one we've just done. However, they've asked for an added extra.......... We already use a projector screen, 3 cameras and a laptop with Panasonic Vision Mixer for our gigs but they've asked if we can cut live to Big Ben for the official New Year countdown. Technically we can do it with a freeview box and aerial from the BBC footage. The question is, can we do it legally? Searched a fair bit and the only topic to crop up was this one; http://www.blue-room.org.uk/index.php?showtopic=23027 But it doesn't really mention TV footage. The theatre does not double as a cinema and I am not aware of any extra licensing they have. It will also not have a television license, though I guess there are bigger licensing issues than that. My initial reaction is to say "No" and I have a few royalty-free new years countdown tracks to play which, accompanied with a decent light show and pyro's, should do the job. Are there any Royalty Free sources of Big Ben video kicking around? I doubt it! Any help much appreciated for an out of depth noiseboy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImagineerTom Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 In a word, no you can't. As it's a one off, minor thing you shouldn't need venue specific licensing for it, HOWEVER you would need a license from the beeb to be using their footage for a comercial venture, a TV license (required to use TV receiving equipment regardless of what channels you're watching) and an appropriate package/permission from freeview for using their broadcast service for a comercial venture...... Surely there's some stock footage of big-ben out there somewhere that you could use (very very few "live" countdowns are actually live) or failing that the generic countdowns you've already mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 The technicalities are within your ability, The permissions MAY be in budget. However from a (ex) BBC soundie with R1 R2 and TVCentre experience the westminster chime is +/- 10 seconds within the 40 seconds preceding the actual first chime of the bell Big Ben SO cueing a countdown based on a moveable indicator to hit a critical fixed time could be a challenge. There also used to be a significant delay on digital TV making an analog signal preferable. Try for yourself to check the timings against a MSF (Rugby) clock. If you find that westminster still is a moveable chime then a pre-recorded westminster sync'd to MSF then a countdown similarly MSF sync'd then go live if you have to, to the clock face and hour chimes. (Or pre-record it all! My recording has to be started at 23;59;37 to bring the hour chime in sync with the real one) I remember doing a gig in deepest mid Wales in a barracks full of HM's finest with a contract to play the chimes from the radio --and the 2300 news saying that there was a malfunction in the belltower and that there were engineers in the bellchamber to fix it , me thinking that 200 squaddies might not believe me! Fortunately..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkPAman Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Try for yourself to check the timings against a MSF (Rugby) clock. [pedant] Signal from "The Rugby Clock" was switched of in April 2007 [/ ;) ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Well how did my MSF clocks at home all do the last switch to GMT from BST then? What are they receiving that makes them show signal strength bars - even now tonight 02 01 08? And the answer is;; NPL still supplies the time and frequency functions that it recently has done through MSF Rugby BUT now supplies them through Anthorn in Cumbria. SO wherever the transmitter the reference time is as good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkPAman Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Click ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 I'd cheat. Get some fottage of Ben at midnight; take a camera abnd tripod to London if necessary. Get the chimes of the BBC sound effects CDs. Put picture and sound on timecoded video (or sync video and audio both to timecode), and run it in exact sync to real time. Given you've got a year to do it, linking a timecode genny to GPS sounds a fun project. But... I'd not use timecode as real time, as I'm not sure I'd trust most gear to roll from 23:59:59:24 to 00:00:00:00... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wuddy Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 And don't forget the Cinderella factor. Cinderella was told that she would transform back to kitchen maid upon the last stroke of midnight. And similarily it is the last stroke of Big Ben which signifies midnight. Most people celebrate upon the first stroke, which makes it a little premature anyway, so is millisecond accuracy really required. Oh, and being pedantic, footage of Big Ben may be a little boring, it's just a big bell, footage of the Westminster clock might be more entertaining. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkPAman Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 And similarily it is the last stroke of Big Ben which signifies midnight. No, no, no. Put on two radios & listen to both Big Ben & "the Pips". It's the last Pip & the first Bong! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wuddy Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 And similarily it is the last stroke of Big Ben which signifies midnight. I came up with that pearl of wisdom because the question 'which stroke of Big Ben signifies midday/midnight, the first or the last?' came up recently and the answer was the last. The explanation being that London dwellers used to set their watches by it, and obviously you don't know the first bong is coming, the last one gives you time to get out your pocket watch, open it, and prepare to set it, sounded logical to me. But thinking about it, having listened to the six O-clock news on radio 4 for the past many years, the first bong of six O-clock is six O-clock, so yes you're probably correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedd Posted January 2, 2008 Author Share Posted January 2, 2008 Thanks for the interesting input guys. I was concerned about licensing issues but hadn't thought about filming the clock tower myself! As it happens, I know Big Ben is the bell, but it's so commonly reffered to as being the clock tower, I thought I'd defy correctness and be a rebel! I have an MSF clock feed (Time and Frequency Solutions) at work which I can set my watch to at work that day. It holds to the second for a good month so I think it should do! In the past I have worked out the lead-in time to the first bong (which is when everyone on the track screamed so I take that as being midnight) and just pressed play that many seconds beforehand. I might just put someone on stage with an IEM reciever and read the time to them in their ear so they can count down properly. Anybody know of a source of royalty-free video footage to save me trecking from Leeds to London for a film shoot? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkPAman Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Does Leeds not have a suitable clock? Have pride in your own city & use that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick S Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Anybody know of a source of royalty-free video footage to save me trecking from Leeds to London for a film shoot? ITN have some raw footage here - you can also try the BBC Motion Gallery, although I couldn't find much there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pritch Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 There also used to be a significant delay on digital TV making an analog signal preferable. Generally a few seconds, isn't it? Which could be advantageous when it comes to using a live feed from the Beeb. Use an analogue telly to give a few seconds warning as to when the live (digital) feed needs to be brought in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jammie300 Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Anybody know of a source of royalty-free video footage to save me trecking from Leeds to London for a film shoot? ITN have some raw footage here - you can also try the BBC Motion Gallery, although I couldn't find much there. Problem is that it has ITN struck all across it. Excusing the pun :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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