NHK captures Kew Gardens in 8K

NHK has been busy capturing footage at key European cities in 8K in readiness for its December 1^st launch of new 8K and 4K channels.

BS8K, the first 8K channel in the world, will broadcast for approximately 12 hours a day.

NHK’s London stop-off at the end of October was focused on the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, in south-west London. The Gardens are well-known amongst Japanese tourists, and are also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The NHK 8K shoot at Kew was spread over five days, and involved a couple of ENG camera crews amongst an overall 40-person (technical and support) team shooting at key locations within Kew Gardens.

The shoot aimed to showcase the history of the site including its many royal connections and colonial influences. The primary focus for the teams were on plants, hot-houses, and the ground-breaking research and conservation work being done at Kew.

NHK installed a fully-equipped studio within Cambridge Cottage (the former royal home of the Duke of Cambridge until 1904) on Kew Green with the ultra-modern 8K OB trucks making something of an impact on the normally staid 17^th Century buildings surrounding the Green.

Following set-up, one day was devoted to rehearsals at the studio, with two days for filming and a final day for any last-minute pick-up shots needed for the overall production.

The OB fleet included a dedicated 22.2 channel audio studio, and its team of audio experts.

The end result is…