Starlite Festival shines with Blackmagic Design

Seven Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 cameras paired with long zoom lenses are used by the team covering the Starlite Festival, considered the best boutique festival in the world.

After fourteen editions, the Starlite Festival has established itself as the longest running festival, with more than 60 days of concerts. Music, culture and gastronomy coexist in a single space. A unique event for those who want to enjoy close and intimate concerts in an incomparable place. Its program includes options for all audiences, ages and musical tastes.

Artists such as “Alejandro Sanz, Andrea Bocelli, Bryan Adams, David Bisbal, Jaime Cullum, Laura Pausini, Lenny Kravitz, Lionel Richie, Maluma, Marc Anthony, Nicky Jam, Pablo López, Plácido Domingo, Ricky Martin, Steven Tyler and Sting have performed unforgettable concerts at Starlite Occident”, according to the organizers, and to cover those performances Starlite Films, the production team behind the festival’s event coverage and broadcast output, relies on Blackmagic Design.

The team, led by Technical Director Marcelo Savio, has built a robust, modular solution around Blackmagic Design gear to support the show’s demanding live AV technical requirements and broadcast output. The information now shared by both Starlite Films and Blackmagic Design takes us behind the scenes and reveals how the “magic” is created.

“We needed a modular and integrated ecosystem that delivered creative flexibility and high performance,” said Savio. “The system had to be robust, scalable, and low latency to adapt to the format of each show.”

The choice of Blackmagic Design was also championed by Ignacio Maluquer, Starlite Group cofounder. “We wanted technology that offered operational reliability while supporting modern data flows. Blackmagic let us build an integrated, open architecture that does exactly that,” Maluquer said.

To cover the performances, the team uses seven Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 cameras paired with long zoom lenses, deployed across front of house (FOH) pedestals, tracking positions, and the stage. Two Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K G2 units are positioned among the instruments for detailed close ups, while a third is mounted on a cablecam for sweeping aerial shots of the venue’s dramatic quarry setting.

All fixed cameras connect via SMPTE fiber to the control room, where eight Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converters handle 12G-SDI signal transmission, remote camera control, tally, intercom and power over a single cable.

An ATEM Constellation 8K live production switcher, paired with an ATEM 2 M/E Advanced Panel 30, anchors the main control room, managing live switching of camera feeds, LED wall content and graphics. A secondary control room provides full redundancy. Six HyperDeck Studio 4K Pro broadcast decks handle ISO and program recording in ProRes to SSDs, backing up to local servers, while a seventh deck handles real time playback from a Blackmagic Cloud Store 20TB network storage device.

Routing is managed by a Blackmagic Videohub 40×40 12G router, distributing signals to various areas across the venue, supported by local scalers and converters. A backup Blackmagic Videohub 20×20 12G router provides additional failover protection. More than 380 square meters of LED screens are driven by the system, including a massive main stage display and LED ribbons throughout VIP areas.

Post production is handled in DaVinci Resolve Studio, using Blackmagic Cloud for project syncing and collaboration. “DaVinci Resolve’s cloud workflows are ideal for our fast turnaround requirements,” Savio noted. Editorial and color teams in Madrid can begin work immediately, accessing synchronized timelines, LUTs, and media stored on the central Blackmagic Cloud Store.

This fast, integrated workflow supports “Universo Starlite,” a weekly 25 minute show that airs on Antena 3 Internacional and is distributed to more than 100 countries.