John E Fry, an award-winning director of photography and Steadicam operator from the UK, chose WiTalk9 to communicate with his team when livestreaming Gilwell Reunion's campfire on August 31st, 2024. The six WiTalk9 users had no problem hearing each other, did not experience any loss of communication, and enjoyed good noise cancellation in the presense of a big crowd.
Gilwell Reunion is an annual event that took place from August 30 to September 1 this year, and gathers Scouters from across the world to London's Gilwell Park for a mix of workshops, talks, adventurous activities, and social opportunities. Scouters can be adult participants, helpers, leaders and mentors who oversee Scouting activities for young people who join The Scout Movement for personal development, outdoor skills gaining, and community services. There are now over 50 million Scouts around the globe, and 2024 marks this Reunion's 98th edition.
(John with WiTalk9 on during the live stream.)
"Thousands of volunteers attend every year, and many more participate online and watch our livestream of the campfire on Saturday evening," introduces John.
To live broadcast the campfire talk of that evening to online viewers, clear communication within the crew is key. As John shares his version of concerns.
"The top three concerns are always cameras missing what the director is saying, which can result in them adjusting their camera while live, doing the same shot as someone else, or not knowing when they are live. Camera operators also need to communicate back to me with any ideas they have for shots, or issues with their camera. We also need to know when the presenters or campfire leaders are changing so we have a camera ready for them."
To keep every user on the same page, WiTalk9 is DECT-based, so it transmits signals on a less crowded frequency band, reducing chances of interference from the likes of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The full-duplex system is also engineered with two antennas — an external and an internal, consolidating its 500 meter line-of-sight transmission range and contributing to the no-any-loss of-communication experience during the live stream.
"We had no problem hearing each other even with camera operators in the middle of the crowd. Several hundred people were between us, and not once did we experience any loss of communication. The volume is good and the noise cancelling is excellent," comments John on WiTalk9's performance.
Also contributing to the clear messaging among the 6 crew members is ClearTalk™️, a proprietary technology by Saramonic that features a three-microphone array and a noise cancellation algorithm that effectively filter out background noise and keeps human voice front and center.
(The live steam crew.)
The WiTalk9 Series and WiTalk9 SE Series are now available to worldwide users. Order WiTalk9 here and WiTalk9 SE here.
If you want to have hands-on experience with the systems first to make sure they are the right choice, find your local brick-and-mortar distributor to book a demo here.
