PTZ ComposerBitfocus Companion
A module that puts prepared flights on a button page. The path is being confirmed end to end.
A flight is an authored camera move, with a planned route, framing and pace from departure through landing. Companion is where many production teams keep the buttons for everything else in the room, so cueing a prepared flight from that same page belongs there. A module and the button page it would ship with are being confirmed end to end, in the shape a volunteer would meet: one button per moment of the production, plain labels rather than preset numbers, and a stop button that always means stop. We state the outcome on this page the day that work closes, and we say plainly what a button can and cannot do.
How it connects
Companion talks to the software over your local network, and the software drives the cameras. Your button surface stays plugged into the Companion machine exactly as it is today.
What it does
- When this path is confirmed, a Companion button can cue a prepared flight, so the page your team already uses carries the camerawork too.
- When this path is confirmed, buttons carry plain labels, the name of the moment rather than a preset number, so a volunteer knows what each press does.
- When this path is confirmed, a stop button always means stop, and button colors show what each camera is doing.
What it does not do
- It does not run today. The module and its button page are in evaluation, and this page states the outcome when that work closes.
- It does not replace Companion or change the buttons you already use for lights, audio and graphics. It adds camerawork to the same page.
- It does not touch your video. Companion sends button presses, the software drives the cameras, and the pictures keep their existing route.
Setting it up
Tell us how your room uses Companion
Describe the surface your team presses and the pages it already has. We use that to shape the button page and to tell you where the evaluation stands.
Run your camerawork from the computer today
While the Companion path is in evaluation, cue prepared flights from the computer running the software, a VISCA panel or a USB joystick. The flights you compose now carry over.
Add the module when the path closes
When the path is confirmed, the module connects Companion to the software over your local network. Your button surface stays plugged into the Companion machine as it is.
Questions
Can we cue flights from Companion today?
Not yet. The Companion module does not run today; it is in evaluation, and we are confirming it end to end in the shape a volunteer would meet. Until it closes, cue flights from the computer, a VISCA panel or a USB joystick, all of which run today.
What will a button do?
The design is one button per moment of the production, labeled with the name of the move rather than a preset number. A stop button always means stop. We state what a button can and cannot do on this page when the evaluation closes.
Will it change the pages we already have?
No. Your existing buttons for lights, audio, graphics and presets stay as they are. The design adds camerawork buttons beside them.
Should we wait for Companion before we start?
You do not need to wait. The flights you compose and rehearse today are the same flights a Companion button would cue later.
Where it comes up
Houses of worship
Prepare the camerawork before Sunday. Perform it with the moment.
SchoolsSchool plays and K-12 theatre
Block the cameras like you block the cast.
TheatrePerforming-arts venues
Tech week, then opening night.
CorporateCorporate events and town halls
Compose the room's camerawork once. Run it at every all-hands.
PodcastVideo podcast studios
Your set never moves. Your cameras finally should.