This January starts with the introduction of Crew in a Box, the world’s first professional-quality, plug-and-play, remote production solution, invented during the first days of lockdown due to the pandemic.

Remote production no longer requires compromising production value or the comfort of your talent. With Crew in a Box technology, on-camera talent simply opens the box and plugs it in, automatically connecting the system to a remote team of world-class filmmakers who control every aspect of the shoot, including the integrated 6K cinema camera, flattering LED light, microphones, and teleprompter/Interrotron.

The team behind the product say that “agency and clients join a video conference where they can view a beautiful, high-resolution feed from the camera and participate as if they were on set” meaning it is possible to return to the quality you demanded of your productions in a pre-Covid-19 world with Crew in a Box. Yes, it sounds like magic, and it certainly is! According to Scott Edwards, EVP of Creative Advertising, Fox Entertainment, “Crew in a Box is likely going to redefine the remote production game entirely”

Crew in a Box is the world’s first professional-quality, plug-and-play, remote video production solution; one that has enabled crew, talent, networks and brands to continue working safely during the pandemic. The solution makes its debut at CES 2021, but it has been widely used over the past several months by many major brands, as well as 12 networks including NBC, FOX, ViacomCBS, ABC, FX, and MTV, who recently used Crew in a Box to shoot a promotional campaign featuring Vanessa Hudgens for the MTV Movie & TV Awards: Greatest of All Time show.

Crew in a Box: the inventors

Other celebrities who have used the product include NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, and actors Keke Palmer, William Shatner, Kaitlin Olson, Aisha Tyler, and Eric Stonestreet. Using multiple units, clients are able to execute logistically complex projects such as Disney’s “Choose Kindness” anti-bullying campaign, in which three Crew in a Box systems were used to film 14 actors, each in remote locations across multiple cities, over three days.

Crew in a Box was invented by award-winning filmmakers Ira Rosensweig, a Clio Award-winning director of Super Bowl spots, Dallas Sterling, an innovative cinematographer, and Jeremy Fernsler, a VFX supervisor nominated for an Emmy for his work on Westworld, during the first days of lockdown. This innovation has enabled crew, talent, networks and brands to continue working safely during the pandemic and offers a convenient long-term solution for quick turnaround shoots, reducing unnecessary travel and saving time while delivering professional, studio-quality results.

Earlier this month, Crew in a Box won the 2020 IABM BaM Create Award, voted the best technological innovation of 2020 in Broadcast & Media creation and acquisition by the International Trade Association for the Broadcast & Media Industry. Beyond being a solution for the pandemic, the cost benefits, convenience and efficiencies of this product are set to have a long-lasting effect, with the IABM judges remarking, “Great response to the present situation of COVID. Crew in a Box is a product for our time and might change the way talking heads are shot in the future. A very well implemented solution to remote presentation and interaction, especially since it has control and communications with a remote production team.”

How Crew in a Box Works

Crew in a Box is delivered directly to on-camera talent’s doorstep in a fully disinfected military-grade case containing a 6k cinema camera, expandable 3-foot-wide LED light capable of dimming and color temperature changes, direct address teleprompter/Interrotron, a second, detachable teleprompter/Interrotron monitor for off-axis eyelines, and two professional microphones. Each component works together in a fully integrated system that is completely remotely controlled.

On-camera talent simply opens the box and plugs it in, and Crew in a Box automatically connects over the Internet to a remote team of filmmakers who control every component. This is achieved through cellular bonding, without needing to connect to the user’s home Wi-Fi network, eliminating concerns of compromised security.

Clients and crew join a video conference where they view a beautiful, high-resolution feed from the camera and participate as if they were on set, while the director appears on Crew in a Box’s Interrotron to direct the talent, creating an incredibly seamless experience for all involved.  High-resolution video, up to 6K, is recorded inside the box, but clients can also choose to livestream the shoot.

The innovative Crew in a Box system excels in the following situations:

• Direct-to-camera address for commercials, promos, etc.
• Interviews featuring both into and off-camera eyelines
• Roundtable discussions with talent in different locations
• Variety and talk shows with remote guests
• Reality TV confessionals
• Press junkets
• Talent in locations without access to crews

“Crew in a Box is incredibly excited to participate in CES and to be part of a showcase of groundbreaking technologies,” said founder Ira Rosensweig. “In a year that has seen a lot of hardship across the video production industry due to the pandemic, Crew in a Box is proud to have kept crews working, albeit remotely, and we look forward to continuing to provide a cost-efficient solution in the future.”

Crew In A Box integrates:

• A 6K cinema camera that rivals the image quality of Hollywood blockbusters
• A 3-foot wide, 3-panel, LED light, capable of different levels of dimming and color temperature on each panel
• Two professional microphones – a hypercardioid condenser and industry-standard lavalier
• A teleprompter/Interrotron that the camera shoots through, allowing direct to camera address

All these elements, says the team behind the product, “contribute to make Crew In A Box a powerful, seamless system that is ready to take on your next high-level production.”