University Graduation
Delivering a university graduation ceremony is about far more than simply capturing a stage moment. It’s about ensuring every graduate, family member and guest can clearly see and share in one of the most important milestones of the academic journey.
CPL was recently back on site at a UK university to support another week of graduation ceremonies, providing a full video production system designed to capture the moment and distribute it across the campus and beyond. Having supported the event previously, returning to deliver the production again reflects the level of trust placed in our team to deliver a reliable, high-quality broadcast environment for such an important occasion.
A Multi-Destination Production
Graduation ceremonies often attract far more guests than a single venue can comfortably hold. To ensure everyone can be part of the experience, the production needed to deliver live video to multiple locations across the campus while maintaining a consistent, high-quality viewing experience.
At the centre of the main venue was a large LED screen built using ROE Visual Ruby 2.6 LED Panels, forming a 7m x 4m display behind the stage. This screen allowed the audience inside the hall to clearly see close-ups of each graduate as they crossed the stage, helping maintain a strong connection between the ceremony and the audience. Beyond the main hall, the live feed was distributed to additional cinema spaces around the campus as well as an outdoor LED screen, ensuring guests who could not be seated in the main venue were still able to watch the ceremony live. The entire production was also streamed online, allowing friends and family around the world to share in the celebrations.
Capturing the Ceremony
To capture the event, CPL deployed a seven-camera system combining both studio cameras and remotely operated units.
The core of the camera setup consisted of Panasonic AK‑UC4000 studio cameras, providing high-quality broadcast images and precise control over colour and exposure. These were supported by Panasonic AW‑UE160 PTZ cameras positioned to capture alternative angles and reactions throughout the venue.
This combination of fixed studio cameras and remotely controlled PTZ units allowed the production team to cover every key moment of the ceremony, from wide establishing shots of the stage through to close-ups of graduates receiving their awards.
Centralised Production with Kairos
All camera feeds and video outputs were managed through the Panasonic Kairos Live Production Platform, which formed the heart of the production workflow.
Rather than relying on traditional hardware switchers with fixed processing limits, Kairos uses GPU-based processing and a flexible node architecture. This allows the system to handle multiple sources and outputs while enabling complex scene layouts and layered graphics without the constraints of fixed mix effects.
The platform’s internal routing capabilities also made it possible to quickly manage signal distribution across the different destinations on campus. Multiple outputs could be generated simultaneously, feeding the main LED wall, external display locations and the online stream.
As CPL Production Director Lee Gruszeckyj explains, one of the key advantages of the system is its operational flexibility. Because the platform isn’t tied to traditional hardware structures, operators are able to build more complex visual layouts and adjust signal routing quickly as production requirements evolve.
An IP-Based Production Environment
The entire system was built on an IP infrastructure using the SMPTE ST 2110 standard. This approach separates video, audio and metadata into individual IP streams that can be transported across a network rather than through traditional SDI signal chains.
For productions that involve multiple locations and output destinations, this type of workflow offers significant advantages. Signals can be routed quickly and efficiently across the network, additional outputs can be introduced without extensive rewiring, and system redundancy can be built into the infrastructure to ensure reliability throughout the event.
In practice, this meant the CPL team could manage a complex multi-destination production environment while maintaining the low latency required for live image magnification within the main hall.
Delivering the Moment
Behind the scenes, the setup involved a significant amount of planning and preparation. Engineering crews spent time on site building the production infrastructure, configuring the IP network and testing the full signal chain before rehearsals and live operation began.
Once the ceremonies started, the system delivered a seamless viewing experience across all screens and locations. From the main LED wall in the ceremony hall to the additional viewing spaces across campus and the online audience watching remotely, every graduate’s moment on stage was captured and shared in real time.
Graduation ceremonies are highly personal events, but they are also technically complex productions. By combining broadcast-grade cameras, large-format LED displays and modern IP-based production systems, CPL was able to deliver a flexible and reliable solution that ensured every guest had a front-row view of the celebration. For the team behind the production, it’s another example of how advanced live production technology can enhance important moments and ensure they are experienced by as many people as possible.
