An Exceptional Requiem

Millenium Signature 10 OB Truck at Notre Dame in Paris

To put such a musical work in this exceptional setting into images, we deployed our Millenium Signature 10 OB truck, one of the jewels of our fleet. 15 cameras were set up in the cathedral, including five SONY F5 cameras and ten SONY HDC 2400 cameras, the most recent models from the Japanese brand, our specific choice being to use large lenses to compensate for the low lighting in particular, and to enhance the image rendering. A camera was set up on a Towercam amidst the orchestra, while two cameras were laid out on cranes, including one in the choir stalls, as if suspended tens of metres from above.

Our Cabling Craftsmen

One of the distinctive features of this setting is certainly Notre Dame's striking amount of space. To get an idea of these distances, a long period of preparatory work was necessary to verify the cabling for the technical equipment. Several hundred metres of cables were thus drawn between our Millénium Signature 10  truck and each camera (a minimum of 200 metres for the closest camera.)

A Magnificent Sound

Our Millénium Signature 10 truck picks up the mix made in the Radio France truck. The sound is unique: it is available both in stereo but also binaurally for headphone listening. This new process allows for 360° spatialised listening, as if the listener were present at the performance. Some 80 microphones were set up in the cathedral, including one omnidirectional multichannel tree for five microphones.

A Unique Concert

The Requiem, or the Grande Messe des Morts is one of Hector Berlioz's monumental works. As a tribute to this treasure in the musical repertoire, more than 190 instrumentalists and 160 singers were on stage, and four concert bands were arranged in the stalls in the four corners of Notre Dame. This unique concert was broadcast live on the NouvoSon and Arte Live Web sites. It will soon be broadcast on Arte.