Given the inordinate amount of change that rattled every industry with the arrival of COVID, the entertainment industry had to pivot as well, while continuing to provide entertainment for a world that was on lockdown. No longer allowed to be out in the world, programs like The Daily Show with Trevor Noah strove to continue to bring the world to viewers at home.

AbelCine recently supported the live recording of pop sensation Adele’s One Night Only television special, which aired simultaneously on CBS and Paramount+ in November 2021. Directed by Paul Dugdale, who received the DGA award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement (Variety – Specials) the live-to-tape concert special debuted new material from the hit singer’s latest album, 30.

At this point in time, audiences have become accustomed to the idea of award shows incorporating some version of remote or virtual collaboration, especially as travel restrictions keep much of the talent at home. So when Dick Clark Productions chose to reunite the Emmys producing team for this year's Golden Globes and reached out to Mike Nichols, AbelCine Business Development Manager, our previous experience with the remote camera and lighting kits proved invaluable. We were able to build, set up, deliver, and remotely control a number of identical "drop kits" that were delivered to various nominee locations across the country.

With award shows moving to virtual formats this year, the 2020 Creative Arts Emmy Awards is one of the highest profile events to make the transition. Over the summer, AbelCine created a range of remote production kits that enable high quality image capture in a safe, easy to set up, remote controllable package. As a result, the team at Done+Dusted, the producers of the Emmys telecast, tapped AbelCine to help build 25 remote kits for select nominees at the 2020 Emmy Awards. 

Dan Soder: Son of a Gary debuted on HBO in December 2019. Cinematographer Andrew Wehde (Jeff Garlin: Our Man in Chicago, Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh) captured the stand-up comedy special using five Sony VENICE cameras supplied by AbelCine. In this exclusive interview, Wehde describes his visual approach and workflow. 

For Netflix's My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, TV legend David Letterman teams up with fascinating global figures for in-depth interviews and curiosity-fueled excursions. Season 2, featuring guests such as Kanye West, Ellen Degeneres, and Tiffany Haddish, was recently released. DP Cameron Barnett worked closely with AbelCine's rental teams on both coasts, along with technical production firm TV Tech Managers, to make it happen.

One of the buzziest shows in recent months has been Netflix's Russian Doll, which follows a young woman named Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) as she is stuck reliving the same night in a time loop. Most of the show was shot on location in New York, and DP Chris Teague worked closely with the AbelCine rental team on the planning that went into creating the show's look.