PTZ ComposerElgato Stream Deck
One key per moment of the production, reached through Companion. That path is being confirmed.
A flight is an authored camera move, with a planned route, framing and pace from departure through landing. A Stream Deck is the surface a volunteer reaches for, so its keys should carry the moments of the production rather than camera commands. That path runs through Companion, and it is being confirmed end to end with the module itself. When the work closes, a key carries a plain label — the name of the move, not a number — and its color tells the person pressing it what the camera is doing. Until then we describe the design and nothing more.
How it connects
The Stream Deck stays plugged into the machine running Companion, and Companion reaches the software across your local network. Nothing is wired into the video path.
What it does
- When this path is confirmed, one Stream Deck key cues one prepared flight, so the moments of the production sit under a volunteer's fingers.
- When this path is confirmed, each key carries a plain label, the name of the move rather than a number, so nobody has to remember a code.
- When this path is confirmed, a key's color tells the person pressing it what that camera is doing, before and during the move.
What it does not do
- It does not run today. The path runs through Companion, and both are in evaluation together.
- It does not connect the Stream Deck to the software directly. Companion sits between them, as it already does for the rest of your room.
- It does not add anything to the video path. The deck presses keys, and the camera pictures keep going where they go today.
Setting it up
Keep your deck where it is
The Stream Deck stays plugged into the machine running Companion. Tell us how many keys you have and which pages your team uses, so the design fits your deck.
Compose and rehearse today
While this path is in evaluation, compose your flights and cue them from the computer, a VISCA panel or a USB joystick. Everything you rehearse now carries over to the keys later.
Add the keys when the path closes
When the Companion path is confirmed, the keys for your prepared moves go onto the deck beside the ones your team already presses.
Questions
Can a Stream Deck cue a camera move today?
Not yet. The Stream Deck path does not run today. It runs through Companion, and that path is in evaluation end to end. Until it closes, cue prepared flights from the computer, a VISCA panel or a USB joystick.
Why does it go through Companion?
Companion is where many production teams already keep the keys for everything else in the room. Running the camerawork through the same place keeps one page, one habit and one machine for the deck, rather than a second piece of software to learn.
What will a key look like?
The design gives each key the name of the move, such as a wide to the pulpit, and a color that shows what the camera is doing. We describe the design and nothing more until the evaluation closes.
Is this a good fit for volunteers?
That is who it is designed for. A volunteer presses a key with a plain name, and the move that runs was composed and rehearsed in advance by somebody with time to think. The volunteer does not need to find a framing under pressure.
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.
PodcastVideo podcast studios
Your set never moves. Your cameras finally should.
CreatorsStreamers and creators
Set the shots once. Trigger them while you stream.
CorporateCorporate events and town halls
Compose the room's camerawork once. Run it at every all-hands.