PRESS RELEASE
Leading broadcast solutions supplier, Gearhouse Broadcast, has provided production services and technical support to the first Australian version of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Produced by ITV Studios Australia for Network Ten, the show has five live episodes a week. Following Gearhouse’s success in providing systems for the original UK version of the show for the last seven years, ITV Studios Australia wanted a similar set-up to be implemented in South Africa where its local version of the show is taking place. The live production support for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Australia started on the same day Gearhouse finished providing production services for the German version of the show, which is housed in the familiar depths of the Australian jungle.
The brand new production base for I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Australia required a completely from-scratch install from Gearhouse’s Projects Solutions division. The show, which began on Sunday 1 February, benefits from 18 Sony HDC 1500 cameras with Canon lenses and 13 Hitachi DK-H32 cameras with Egripment Mini-Shot pan and tilt heads. There are also 13 Sony HD MiniZooms in IR mode for overnight coverage. The Lawo MC 56 and Yamaha MC7-48 sound mixers support the Sennheiser MKH-416 and Sony ECM 88B microphones in place for audio recording.
Gearhouse has provided production workflows and technical support to the German version of the show, Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!, produced by ITV Studios Germany for RTL, since its third series in 2008. Technical specifications for the 2015 series include the same cameras and sound mixers as the Australian version with additional Lectrosonic UM400 and MM400 waterproof radio mics. Using the same location in New South Wales and largely the same equipment as the UK’s version of the show, Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus’s first 2015 episode achieved a record market share in terms of all German kick-off shows so far. The show ran for two weeks and finished on Sunday 1 February.
“Running major productions back-to-back is obviously a challenge, but we have lots of experience in delivering solutions to multiple events in far off locations which run so close to each other,” said Simon Atkinson, technical projects manager at Gearhouse. “The hostility of the environment is a factor we have to consider when planning for I’m A Celebrity, especially the January heat of both jungle locations but we‘ve done it many times before and have full confidence in what we’re delivering.”