A case study of Twickenham Studios in south west London.
Given the need to protect production equipment and other assets from theft, Carl Childs, Head of Engineering for the Studios was tasked to source a video system that would allow the monitoring throughout. He says: “The cost implications of having to replace equipment can be significant, but equally important was the need to safeguard against any disruption to film production and to verify 100 per cent compliance with the Studios’ strict health and safety procedures.”
With Aray Architects, a tender process resulted in video installers Securebase being awarded the contract to install a 28 camera IP network-based system.
Dariush Hekmat, Director of East Finchley based Securebase, says: “Having successfully installed Samsung Techwin security equipment on a number of previous occasions, we were pleased to see that Twickenham Studios had specified the company’s cameras for this particular project. We needed to install and commission the system within one week and so it was very helpful that all cameras and recording equipment were sourced from a manufacturer who we had confidence in, and whose products we were familiar with. This was very much a team effort. We received excellent technical support from Samsung Techwin and our ability to complete the project on time was further enhanced by Twickenham Studio’s engineering department overseeing the professional installation of an IP network infrastructure before we arrived on site. With the Samsung Techwin featuring POE (Power over Ethernet), installation time was further reduced as this negated the need to install power points at each camera location.”
Some 27 of the installed cameras, which come with Samsung Techwin’s Open Platform WiseNetIII DSP chipsets, are able to capture 2MP Full HD (1080P) images when the lighting level is as low as 0.01 Lux and have a frame rate of 60fps which results the makers say in latency free clear images. This can be particularly beneficial in a scene with moving subjects by ensuring image edges are kept sharp and clear. Thirteen of these cameras are SNO-6084R weather resistant bullet cameras, ten are SNV-6084R vandal resistant dome cameras and four are SND-6084R internal domes. All are day-night cameras with motorised varifocal lens and have built in infra-red LED illuminators to capture images, even in darkness.
An SNF-7010 360-degree 3 megapixel camera has also been installed at an unspecified location at the Studio where a large number of standard cameras would normally be required to monitor such a large area without any blind spots.
The 28 cameras are recorded on a Samsung Techwin SRN-1000 network video recorder which has 12 terabyte of onoard storage, so that Carl and others authorised can retrieve recorded video evidence of any suspicious activity.
“By investing in a future proof IP network based video surveillance system that can be expanded at any time if our requirements change, we have put in place a highly effective tool which should help us to protect our assets and maintain a welcoming, as well as safe environment, for many years to come for everyone who visits or works at the Studios,” said Carl.
Visit www.samsungsecurity.co.uk.
About the site
Twickenham Studios offers a bespoke service to media, including film and television, and can claim to be the only London based studios that caters for stage and post-production requirements.
Despite working on such successful films as ‘The Others’, ‘Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ and ‘The Iron Lady’, the Studios went into administration and in 2012 seemed destined for demolition. However, after a Save Twickenham Studios’ campaign, the site was purchased by British businessman and property magnate Sunny Vohra, who modernised and re-equip the Studios.
