07 Jun The Many Benefits of a Flypack for Your Cooking Show

A cooking show requires a lot of camera cuts, including close-ups of food, on-camera hosts, and wireless cameras that follow the action from each part of the kitchen. As you plan a cooking show, you don’t want to have to do all of those cuts and edits in post-production if you don’t have to.

Even if you don’t broadcast your cooking show live, you have the opportunity to edit on set with the use of a flypack. A flypack provides an all-in-one production suite and production companies have the ability to bring flypacks to any set you film at. Learn about the benefits of a flypack for cooking shows and how you take advantage of advanced technology.

1. On-Screen Graphics & Intro Videos

As you prepare your cooking show for broadcast, you may have an opening already shot or some graphics you plan to use like a title card. Instead of editing those elements in post, you have the opportunity to add them into a main production feed with a flypack. A flypack can feature a stored media hub that contains all of the pretaped content.

Along with intro videos and title sequences, you may have video packages on chefs or specific meals that you cut to. A flypack could also store some B-roll footage to use within the production. For example, if you cook fresh fish, you could have footage of the fish being cut and prepared at a different time.

With the option for a media library, you have the opportunity to seamlessly transition back and forth with your live broadcast. The flypack can also store a wide range of graphics to use on-screen. For example, you could have prepared graphics for the names of chefs or for certain sections of the show.

The graphics can pop up over the live feed and prevent the need to create and render extra graphics once you have completed filming.

2. Live Editing, Cuts & Transitions

A flypack system allows you to treat the production of a cooking show like a live sports game. Producers, editors, and directors can work together on a flypack system to create live edits, cuts, and transitions while the cooking show goes on. As chefs prepare meals, the flypack crew can quickly cut shots and make editing decisions quickly.

Highly detailed monitors will showcase all of the camera angles at once so they know when to cut to different angles and which angles look the best. When editing in real-time, you can save hours of post-production and help expedite the final version of the show.

3. Footage Capture Feeds

When you edit live in a flypack, the system will still record all of the other feeds that cameras capture. With the raw footage, you have the ability to insert shots and make tweaks later in post-production. For example, the live capture could have missed a key close-up of a cooking mistake or a fun chef element. 

While you do not need to edit the whole final production from scratch, you do have the ability to make those changes later on and add insert shots when needed. The process allows the final product to look as seamless as possible and can lead to a better overall final product.

In some cases, you could have a wide shot or overhead shot that films the whole time and provides you with alternate options if you need to make any changes later on.

4. Special Effects

A flypack operates like a live production suite and can provide you with a lot of special effect options while the show goes into production. For example, in cooking, you may want to rely on slow-motion effects. You could showcase slow-motion effects as a chef cuts into food, adds food to the pan, or puts decorations on specific dishes.

A flypack also offers opportunities for instant replay capabilities. A production crew can control instant replays and the advanced software can process instant replays in a matter of seconds. The replay can use time codes to show the same shots at different angles or with additional special effects like slow-motion or reverse playback.

As you plan your production, you can discuss different replay capabilities and suggestions on when to use the replay. A producer can guide flypack operators on the best options for replays and if you want to use the technology at all. A replay can really enhance the production, but it depends on the final product you want to produce.

For more information on flypacks and the use of a production suite, contact us at Big Shoulders Digital Video Productions. We have years of experience in the industry and can provide you with a wide range of flypack options. With plenty of planning ahead of time, your production will be ready to go and can have a live and exciting feel to the final product.