After a few weeks of intensive on set use, I have come to truly enjoy the Teradek Serv Pro and its companion app, VUER. It would be really tough going back from here!

Teradek Serv Pro - Wireless IOS monitoring device

This piece of kit allows me to do multiple tasks which were previously laborious and required a lot of gear. I am referring to Livegrade, Look correspondance, Client stills, Reference Continuity stills, Exposure feedback and a lot more.

I will go over a few use cases that I've had for the Teradek Serv Pro. These are all based on my on set experience with the product so far.

Live Monitoring:

Live monitoring is the most apparent use of the Serv. It creates a super lightweight, low impact monitoring environment for the Director, Makeup, and wardrobe, etc. The integrated scopes and technical information allow for it to be used by camera crew as well.
A small footprint is essential in locations where you just cannot get a video takeoff operator due to environmental or budget restrictions.

"The integrated scopes and technical information allow for it to be used by camera crew as well.

Clients, makeup artists, and visual effects supervisors can quickly grab their reference stills without having to disrupt the actors or take a photo of a monitor while a director or client may be trying to concentrate. I have one output coming from the camera and one coming from my data cart. Having a feed come directly from my cart allows for playback of scenes that have already been recorded and colour corrected.
The client/director/producer can then grab stills straight onto their devices, or technical crew can use a still for their reference, with crucial information overlayed on the live image.

Exposure Monitoring:

The ability to carry around a small-and-light 10-inch scope monitor around with me is invaluable, in the form of an iPad Pro. I can very quickly give the DOP feedback on changing light conditions without having a full-fledged DIT cart. For anyone who has ever lugged a multi-monitor cart with a ton of gear on it, this is an absolute game changer.
In no way does this replace the use case for a DIT and their cart, but it fills some gaps. It becomes a powerful addition to any DIT setup.

Quick Grade reference:

Integration with Pomfort Livegrade was originally one program I wanted to see integrated with VUER off-the-bat, and after working closely with Teradek to get it up and running, I can say it is a fantastic way for me to communicate the look and feel to the DOP on the fly. I can now create the 3D LUT on my iPad.

More often than not on the commercial jobs, the DOP is also operating a camera, making it difficult to sit down and work out a grade with a DIT. With the Serv, I can bring the Livegrade interface to the DOP while they are sitting on the dolly, without having to get them to come to the DIT cart or even worse the van. The mobility of the setup makes the whole experience of Livegrade more fluid and creates a seamless environment for the DOP as well as the production company.

Working on the iPad has given me a new set of tools, I could only dream about before. I can now grab a still from the live image, bring that into Livegrade Air and apply a look. I can easily manipulate the look and then send the look round trip, via CDL and metadata handling straight back into my workflow. Picking up from where I have left off on the iPad when I get back to the cart is smooth and accurate. This information can then be carried all the way through post-production and once again gives the ability of the DOP to convey their artistic intent they were aiming for while in production.

Please shoot me a message on any one of the platforms that we are all connected through. I am always looking for new insights and experiences to add to my own and would love to hear how you use the Teradek Serv and other products/services in your on set life.

Teradek Serv can be found at Film Gear South Africa.

-Rusty Ruthven

Teradek Serv and VUER Combo

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