High-end outside broadcast facilities were once the domain of major corporate broadcasting companies like the SABC and Multichoice. In recent years, the South African OB space has opened up considerably, with several smaller players now offering their services alongside these industry titans.
There are two major factors that have contributed to this expansion. Firstly there is a higher demand for OB services, with many more, smaller production units that don’t have the need or the budget for the large-scale offerings of the major broadcasters. Secondly, broadcast equipment has become more compact and, with the arrival in the market of brands such as Blackmagic, more affordable. This means that smaller OB operators can now offer more and better services than were previously available at costs that small and medium enterprises can safely accommodate in their budget.
Regardless of how much more open and affordable this industry sector may become, the keys to strong production remain the same: knowledgeable and well-trained staff and good equipment. When it comes to the second key, the debate continues as to whether the more affordable brands can really offer a quality of production on or near par with premium kit. And whether or not one is convinced either way, depends on what kind of production is under discussion. As a result, there exists a spectrum of OB services. At one end are the likes of the SABC and SuperSport, operating monster rigs powered by names like Sony and Grass Valley. At the other are the smaller operators, making use of the cost-cutting opportunities afforded by Blackmagic and similar brands. The distinction between these is not so much a question of which is better, but rather a consideration of scale and budget.
Carving out its own niche somewhere along this range is the Randburg-based company SilverCam Broadcast. Founded by Lynton Allsopp, a long-serving veteran of the South African television industry, SilverCam appears relatively small in terms of capacity, operating with a five or six-man team and one six-camera OB van. As far as kit is concerned, however, SilverCam competes at the higher end of the spectrum, boasting a chain of Grass Valley LDX 80 Premiere cameras, Ross Carbonite and Crossover switching desks, Sony PTZ robotic cameras and Riedel Artist mainframe, among others.
Allsopp entered the industry at the very dawn of South African television back in 1976. In the late 1980s he began assembling his own OB unit, which notably saw action at the celebration of Namibian independence in 1990. He later sold this unit to a major broadcaster, for which it operated for years as a flagship OB van.
Aside from acquiring high-end equipment, SilverCam also works to very lofty standards when it comes to staff. To the company, which was founded in 2010, Allsopp brings his years of experience, his entrepreneurial approach and a strong work ethic. These qualities are instilled in each SilverCam crew member, all of whom are trained by Allsopp himself.
With a strong client base that includes some of the country’s major broadcasters, studios, production facilities and houses of worship, SilverCam is firmly set on an expansion path over the next few years. It can currently produce five productions simultaneously and is planning to increase this capacity, with plans to augment its OB fleet, upscale the camera inventory and invest in the latest high-end RF facilities.
At the heart of SilverCam’s work, Allsopp says, is a drive to provide the best possible specialised equipment, operated by the best possible, specialised personnel, thus placing the two keys to good production safely in the grasp of any producer.
