Popular soul/pop band Lawrence uses Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K G2, ATEM SDI Extreme ISO live production switcher, and Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K digital film camera to capture content for their Patreon community, as well as for behind the scenes content during live tour performances.
Lawrence, a New York based, eight piece band fronted by siblings Clyde and Gracie Lawrence, is known for their high energy performances, tight horns, and a sound characterized by keyboard driven melodies and explosive lead vocals. Part of the draw of such an exciting band is providing visual access to both performances, as well as behind the curtain moments.
“We pride ourselves on running our business in an extremely DIY manner,” said Lawrence Coleader Clyde Lawrence. “Our fans have really shown an interest in us sharing how we do everything with them, and we are genuinely a band made up of friends and family, so there is no shortage of fun moments in the studio or on the road that are worth capturing.”
Unlike much larger bands, where the recording studio is something you rent and leave when the session is over, Lawrence uses their modest basement studio as a permanent place to visit, create and explore music. Wiring that studio for video was a goal from early on. “The dream for our studio has always been simplicity and immediacy, with everything wired and ready to go at all times,” said Guitarist and Production Manager Jonny Koh.
Koh and Tour Manager (and Saxophonist) Jordan Cohen decided to rig the space with cameras to capture these natural and impromptu moments. “Creating visual content in the studio is amazing, but it often comes with challenges,” said Cohen. “Having camera operators around can disrupt the creative flow and make the environment feel less natural.”
The team chose three Micro Studio Camera 4K G2s feeding into an ATEM SDI Extreme ISO. “With our setup, the cameras are permanently mounted in key spots, so we can just hit record and let it roll for hours,” added Koh. “It allows us to capture truly candid moments of music making and give our fans an authentic window into the creative process.”
Beyond the studio, the band is also dedicated to capturing organic moments and live performances while on the road, but still in the high quality that modern fans expect. “The Cinema Camera 6K is our ideal camera for capturing behind the scenes footage on the go,” said Koh. “Its high quality sensor combined with the lightweight body and easy to view screen make it ideal for travel, especially when we’re already lugging around so much other equipment.”
The ultimate goal for content is sharing material on the band’s Patreon page, and whether captured in studio or on the road, the key is to provide interesting moments to the fans. “Building the Patreon community has been a blast so far,” said Lawrence. “It’s just so fun to be able to create all this extra content that we know our biggest fans want, without having to worry about making sure all of it is applicable to the broader mainstream audience. But part of what’s great about the Blackmagic camera setup is that it’s not just for Patreon. Because we can capture such high quality now, we’re going to be able to use this studio video setup to create content for our socials, YouTube and so many other uses, too.”