NewTek's Tricaster Mini boards Virgin Atlantic

Virgin, Newtek TriCaster Mini and Andreya Triana

Virgin Atlantic has begun featuring live musical performances at its Heathrow Clubhouse, kicked off by a set from rising star Andreya Triana, recorded via Canon cameras and the Tricaster Mini.

While an airport may seem like an odd place for a musical performance, it makes some sense when you consider that it's a unique way for an airline to differentiate itself from competitors that offer largely the same core service (flight). Sure, some airlines have more leg room or more amenities than others, but if it's about getting from A-to-B quickly, the major airlines do roughly the same job, so anything that can assert value beyond that core offering could sway fickle travelers from one carrier to another.

Virgin has always been a brand that looks for the bold, unique play to assert value, taking cues from the personality of its colorful founder, Richard Branson, whose audacious exploits are well-catalogued. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that it is Virgin that's bringing live musical entertainment to Heathrow.

In the first of what will likely be an ongoing series of events at the Virgin Atlantic Heathrow Clubhouse, rising songstress Andreya Triana performed a live set for Club members that was recorded with four Canon cameras and NewTek's Tricaster Mini.

Media company Sprat produced the event and live recording, which will be exhibited as in-flight entertainment and made available online.

Mini Double-duty

While we've covered Tricaster products extensively, this production brought to light another use for the products beyond live switching and recording. "We used the TriCaster Mini not just as a live switcher, but also to visualise angles from the four connected Canon cameras so we could make informed decisions on where they should be placed," said Dan Gable, Director at Sprat. "It also saved us significant time in post-production as we can do so much in the live mix. With such a fast turnaround time, this job would have been impossible without the TriCaster Mini."

In this instance, it seems that the Tricaster Mini proved to be a flexible and capable solution. We'll deliver more coverage of Virgin's concert series and production notes as warranted.

Check out a sneak peak of the Andreya Triana performance below!