The Techknow Chronicles III

This week, Phil Torres and a team of filmmakers from TechKnow are returning from a 14 day trip to the Arctic. Aboard the USCGC Healy, a Coast Guard icebreaker ship, Phil and the team are tagging along as scientists study the effects of climate change. And, if you watch America Tonight, Al Jazeera America’s nightly newscast, you may have seen Phil reporting live from the deck of the ship.

While this last bit may seem like no big deal, take a second to consider the technological craziness that is reporting live from the arctic. It is not something that happens by accident, and in fact it only happens after a fair amount of planning and work.

About a week before the ship set off from Alaska, "TechKnow" Executive Producer Steve Lange had the idea of doing a live broadcast from the arctic on America Tonight. Though "TechKnow" is a newsmagazine which doesn’t focus on breaking news, Lange felt that the issue of climate change should be considered in an urgent manner, and seeing melting glaciers in a live broadcast could be a visceral experience for the viewer.

However, because of the ship’s remoteness, close quarters, cold wind, and general wetness, many factors had to be considered upon finding the best way to broadcast. Ultimately, a Dejero Go Box was chosen.  It’s a rugged black box that requires no wires or cords to set up and relies solely on WiFi connection and batteries. The camera simply plugs into the box with an HDMI cord and the video signal can then be transmitted across the world immediately. Cinematographer Maurice Roper immersed himself into the technology, as he was ultimately in charge of making sure the live broadcast worked. 

The ship left Nome, Alaska on July 7^th, with the broadcast set for July 15^th. Communication with the ship was tricky once it departed, and the "TechKnow" team in Los Angeles relied heavily on Phil’s tweets to stay up to date. However, when the time came, everyone’s effort paid off and Phil reported live from the deck of the ship, with the broadcast image as clear as if it were shot in a studio. As the picture in the header shows, it was a celebratory moment for the TechKnow staff!