Trickbox TV has applied its extensive outside broadcasting experience and high-spec arsenal of equipment to the recording of a new daytime quiz show for ITV.

Following several successful previous engagements with ITV, Trickbox was asked to assist in the recording of a new TV production. ‘The Switch’ is a fast-paced, high volume quiz show that required insight and adaptability from its crew. Trickbox was chosen for its renowned solution-based approach, broadcasting expertise and top-of-the-range equipment.

The production took place in a studio without its own equipment, so Trickbox installed temporary OB multi-camera facilities. With experienced professionals on the team, the set-up was designed and built to best suit the show’s fast-moving format. This service kept costs far lower than if hiring an OB truck or a fully kitted studio, so the production benefited from true value for money.

Trickbox’s Managing Director, Liam Laminman said ‘It was a pleasure working on ‘The Switch’ with ITV. At Trickbox we work towards continual innovation, calling in the best people and designing bespoke facilities to provide solutions for any production. We’re proud to have been chosen to work on another high-quality production for ITV.’

On the 4th October 2018, former Marine, Shane Maddison and PR Manager, Sarah Roustoby got married live on air, on ITV Daytime’s, This Morning. Broadcast live from the Royal Albert Hall in London the wedding marked the 30th anniversary of the popular show and was the highlight of a week of celebrations. It was also the first wedding ever held in the iconic venue’s 150-year history.

Trickbox TV supplied ITV with a multi-camera fly-away solution that included six HD fibre camera channels, and a fly-away control area with positions for the ITV Production team and Trickbox engineers. Trickbox also managed all the connectivity for the live broadcast, which included three independent circuits to ITV (a main and two backups). As well as the all-important nuptials, the wedding included a performance by The Kingdom Choir who also serenaded Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their big day in May.

“We’re delighted to have been asked to work on this project for the second year running,” said Liam Laminman, Trickbox TV’s Managing Director. “Our years of experience working in live television enables us to create a relaxed environment within a high pressure situation.”

This is the second consecutive year that Trickbox has supplied its OB flyaway solution to ITV for This Morning’s Live Wedding. Last year, Sonya Keating and Paul Brough said “I do” at Europe’s tallest building, The View from the Shard in London. The first wedding that The View from the Shard has ever hosted, the ceremony took place 800 feet high, on the 72nd floor. Trickbox TV supplied ITV with its multi-camera fly-away, with six HD fibre camera channels and a fly-away control area.

Last month, London’s famous landmark and Europe’s tallest building, The View from the Shard, opened its doors to its first ever wedding. Not only was the wedding venue spectacular, the event was broadcast live on ITV Daytime’s This Morning.
The wedding was granted to a hugely deserving couple, Sonya Keating and Paul Brough, who first met at nursery school when they were just three years old. Paul proposed to Sonya when the couple turned 40, but sadly, just months later he was diagnosed with MS. They were determined to walk down the aisle before Paul’s condition stops him from doing so, and they certainly did it in style.

To ensure technical success on the day, ITV Daytime selected Trickbox to supply a multi-camera fly-away solution that included: six HD fibre camera channels, and a fly-away control area with positions for the ITV Production team and Trickbox engineers. The cameras supplied by Trickbox included a mixture of hand-held cameras and cameras on Osprey studio pedestals with Sony OLED camera top viewfinders. The team also used a Camera Corps Q-Ball remote camera and a jib, both supplied by ITV Daytime. Trickbox also provided the backup transmission paths and a reverse path for off air.

The ceremony took place 800 feet high, on the 72nd floor at The View from the Shard. As well as this area, Trickbox also had to provide kit for additional areas of the building where Holly, Phillip and Rylan presented other segments of the show. Trickbox began rigging the night before and continued through the night with the first rehearsal taking place at 6am on the morning of the show. The remit included camera fibre cable drops on multiple floors, to allow for quick repos for the different sections of the programme. De-rigging had to be completed an hour and a half after the show so that The View from the Shard could be reopened to the public. Trickbox supplied a staggered crew schedule for the entire job, which lasted 17 hours straight.

Friday 19 September 2014 is a date that will go down in history as the day that Scotland decided to remain part of the United Kingdom – and Trickbox TV had a ringside seat.

The Trickbox TV team planned, installed and supported multi-camera flyaway facilities for ITV’s Good Morning Britain show that was broadcast live from Edinburgh on the day of the Scottish Referendum results.

As well as the historic nature of the event, it was also the first time that Good Morning Britain had produced an entire four-hour show outside of the London studio, so it was extremely important to get things right.

“Trickbox TV was recommended by a colleague in the studio,” says Alice Gairdner, Senior Production Manager, Good Morning Britain. “They adapted well to the fluid brief and answered my many questions prior to the event. On the day, everything went according to plan. They worked very hard and couldn’t have done more for us – I would definitely book Trickbox TV again.”

Trickbox TV provided full ‘studio’ facilities on the roof of a city centre hotel, with three Sony HDC-1500R camera channels – including one on a jib to save space – and radio mics, presenter in-ear monitoring and talkback, as well as engineering support. The flyaway unit was built in a hotel room on the floor below, connected to ITN’s uplink facilities and a return feed for the final output. The feed was sent back to the Good Morning Britain studio where VTs and GFX were added. The team was also on standby for an additional four hour broadcast in the event of a Yes vote.