Procam Take 2 launches UK’s largest cinematic OB truck

Procam Take 2 has launched what it claims is the largest UK-based cinematic OB truck, the Double Expanding Cinematic Outside Broadcast Truck.

The Double Expanding Cinematic Outside Broadcast Truck includes 20 cine camera CCUs and has the capacity for up to 40 inputs, and joins the likes of the OB2 and OB3 in Procam Take Two’s fleet. It is capable of handling all cinematic frame rates and all possible HD formats, run two simultaneous line cuts, and with 4 UHD VTRs, all cameras can record ISO for post-production. 

It has an open-plan modular layout. Two expandable production pods deliver an adaptable footprint, with the ability to operate as a one-sided unit if ground space is limited.

Procam Take 2’s recent live production credits include Later… with Jools Holland, An Audience with Adele, Glastonbury Live at Worthy Farm, and Dua Lipa’s Studio 2054, all filmed with cinema cameras and lenses integrated into a traditional OB workflow. 

Liam Gallagher Live at Knebworth served as the maiden voyage for OB1. Production company Up The Game enlisted Procam Take 2 to provide fourteen cine cameras and two long-lens broadcast cameras run through the truck in a blended broadcast.

Dan Studley, technical director at Procam Take 2, said: “We realised that there is an appetite for Progressive formats, most notably 23.98P and 25P, which traditionally do not exist in the broadcast world, and OB1 fulfils that requirement. 

“Our department exists to push creative boundaries and deliver innovative technical solutions, so when we can’t find something suitable out there, we build it. PT2’s cine Multicam LCS was engineered in-house in 2017 to facilitate the growing requirement for cinema lens integration on multi-camera jobs, and it is still used on over 90% of our projects today.”

Procam director of projects Vicky Holden added: “Since the inception of our Projects division in 2016, cine and broadcast integration has become our speciality, and I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved. Demand for this offering has grown exponentially over the last six years, even throughout lockdowns, so the need for a cine OB truck has been apparent for a while. I’m thrilled that adding OB1 will allow us to supersize our OB capabilities and accommodate even bigger projects in-house.”