A Bigger Picture isn’t just an equipment hire company.
Drawing on the unrivalled global experience of its founders, the company knows what’s going to work in any environment and is therefore also in a unique position in the market to provide expert technical consultancy.
Be it climbing Everest, swimming with sharks or trekking to the South Pole, ABP ensures the job’s done – safely, on schedule and on budget.
A Bigger Picture has the experience and expertise to overcome any challenges your shoot throws at you. The company has worked in testing conditions including underwater, air-to-air, high-altitude and extreme weather shoots. So rest assured, whatever technical problems you may encounter, ABP will have a solution. The company can identify potential technical issues at an early stage, offer a working solution and ensure a smooth-running production. After discussing your requirements, ABP will determine what kit you need, ship it to your location and take care of all the logistical set-up.
A Bigger Picture delivers complete, bespoke packages. Its clients range from independent production houses making one-off programmes to worldwide broadcasters that produce ratings-busting series. Each production is treated with the same enthusiasm and professionalism. From initial location recce to final rushes transfer, ABP can plan a manageable workflow that works not only at the shoot location but also for edit suite and post house. ABP can meet any production’s needs – it has hooked-up the remotest towns and villages with high-speed internet connections, even when mountain ranges separate the filming location and the production office.
A Bigger Picture can set up communication and IT systems for an entire location shoot. It can arrange multiple camera and sound set-ups appropriate to the environment, install edit and transfer suites, set up technical hubs and maintenance workshops, and install any necessary repeater systems. Good communications are essential when working in remote locations and ABP’s expertise also includes setting up radio, telephone, Skype and satellite systems – keeping teams connected. For on-location editing, A Bigger Picture can supply and set up high-spec edit systems.
A Bigger Picture understands that there are many reasons to view rushes on location – scenes have to be re-shot in a rapidly changing environment, storylines change or the transmission date demands a tight edit schedule. The company can transfer rushes from location to edit suite in a matter of hours for offline editing while shooting continues. High volumes of material are no problem, ABP will log and transcode footage, transfer minicam footage and upload proxy files to an edit suite or cloud system. It can also provide daily quality control of video and audio.
A Bigger Picture has made huge investments in the latest technology and boasts one of the largest kit inventories in the business. It has fostered close relationships with key equipment manufacturers and, as a result, has an unrivalled insight into product capabilities and development.
The company also conducts extensive field trials with new equipment and has developed bespoke kit to meet clients’ specific needs.
A sample of its extensive range of equipment includes:
Colin Bowes and his team are the technical wizards of Gold Rush. The whole shooting team relies on them for consistent technical expertise over a six month-plus season in very harsh conditions.
Rob Toohey,A Bigger Picture has been my first port of call for all technical facilities – from comms, to audio, to on-site media processing – for the past five years.
Ronan Browne,The staff at A Bigger Picture are masters of tackling complex production and technical problems and solving them in the most elegant, efficient and cost-effective way.
Edward Gorsuch,If you want things done quickly and efficiently, then A Bigger Picture is your answer.
Rosie Smith,A Bigger Picture really does see the bigger picture. Offering a connected approach to equipment, communications, audio and location-based data management and processing, their bespoke solutions are tailored to the specific requirements of your shoot.
Luke Boyle,Colin Bowes is the best in the business – that’s why we’ve ended up making more than 100 shows together.
James Bates,A Bigger Picture is a company I truly enjoy working with. The company’s positive attitude, meticulous research and vast knowledge of delivering technical solutions in difficult environments – from camera and sound to post production – has helped me produce high-quality television within a tight budget.
Craig Blackhurst,