The City Council has posted the following document:
1. Summary of requirements
We are inviting quotations from companies who could provide the necessary infrastructure and services to enable performances of main stage artists at the Cambridge Folk Festival 2013 (25th – 28th July) to be streamed live on the internet.
We are open to a discussion about the methods for enabling this.
2. About the Cambridge Folk Festival
“Europe’s most prestigious folk festival” The Times
Cambridge Folk Festival is one of the premier live music events in the UK and one of the longest running and most famous folk festivals in the world. It is an annual 4 day outdoor music festival (25th – 28th July 2013), run by Cambridge City Council, and now in its 49th year. Set in a beautiful city park location it is a regular sell out event with a 10,000 daily Festival attendance (14,000 total attendances) and has an eclectic definition of folk music.
The event is renowned for its heritage, integrity, ethical responsibility and environmental sustainability, winner of the A Greener Festival Award.
Recent artists have included Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling, Rumer, Newton Faulkner, James Taylor, Joan Armatrading, KT Tunstall, Buddy Guy, Jake Bugg, Frank Turner, Robert Plant, Emmylou Harris, Jools Holland, Kate Rusby, Seth Lakeman, The Unthanks, Noah & The Whale, Seasick Steve & more.
The event is media partnered with BBC Radio 2 and has previously been televised on BBC4 and Sky Arts HD (including live coverage in 2012 with 479,000 viewers). There is no TV media partner confirmed for 2013. It receives major media acclaim including The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph & specialist music press, reaching almost 1 million people per publication and an approx £100,000 AVE.
The performances on its main stage, Stage 1, are relayed to two O-Lite 510 LED panel screens (10mm resolution, 3584mm wide x 2060mm high), supplied by XL Video.
In previous years, a production company has been appointed to film the Stage 1 artists for the screen content and produce the live and/or pre-recorded footage for TV broadcast. With no TV media partner confirmed in 2013, web streaming is being considered as an alternative.
“Scrap the thoughts of a cold festival awash with scruffy beardigans and peasant skirts. Folk music can be cool” OK Magazine
“As integral to the English summer as Test matches and tennis” Rock ‘N’ Reel
More info: www.cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk
Get a taste: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIHhZkv76bI
3. The work required
We are looking for a company to undertake web streaming of the 2013 Cambridge Folk Festival and have identified two options for delivering the work:
Option 1: Web streaming using Festival film crew
The Festival currently plans to appoint XL Video to film Stage 1 artist performances for live relay to the Stage 1 screens. No audio will be captured or recorded. The visual input will be relayed but not recorded. This has not yet been confirmed.
A company could use this crew to produce the web output and would be required only to ensure recording of the footage (including capture and recording of audio) and to then stream the footage online.
Option 2: Filming of content and web streaming
The second option is for a company to both film and record the performances, enabling both the live relay of footage onto the Festival’s screens and the live web streaming.
4. Specific requirements
Filming (Option 2 only)
We require:
3 x Cameras
1 x 3 Camera Portable Production Unit (PPU)
1 long lens for FOH camera
2 standard lenses for 2 front of stage cameras
1 x Engineer for 4 days
1 x Director and 4 x Camera operators for 3 days
Sound
We require the sound to be mixed for stereo broadcast quality with output to website.
Connectivity
We require the footage to be broadcast live to a website.
Although the stream can be embedded within the Festival’s own site (www.cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk), we require the content to be on your own server.
When the Festival was last broadcast live on Sky Arts, viewing figures were 479,000. Whilst not expected to be the same viewing figures, the website that the live footage will be broadcast on will therefore need to have server capacity to handle large demand for the live streaming.
The web stream must be able to be viewed across multiple web browsers including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome and Safari and be able to be displayed as flash content within the website (rather than requiring the use of Windows Realplayer or Quicktime).
Although not essential, we would also prefer that customers viewing the web-stream have the ability to socially interact, via chat room as they view or by integration to the Festival’s own Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Clearances
We require your company to arrange all permissions / licenses from artists (or appropriate publishers) performing at the Festival to enable the performances to be broadcast and to handle any necessary payments on our behalf (which can be recharged to us). Please give an indication in your quote to any anticipated clearance payments.
This will include securing signed permissions for all artists in advance of the event, securing approval of the footage for both the purposes of the live web streaming and also any promotional use of the footage by the Festival.
Graphics and Titles
We require your company to provide all title graphics for on screen use. Cambridge Folk Festival will provide all logos to enable this. Cambridge Folk Festival and Cambridge City Council will require a visual credit within content.
On screen presentation
The appointed company will be permitted to receive a credit online for the web-streaming in the form of a logo and agreed text. The web pages or website (if a separate site) needs to contain the same look and feel as the Festival’s official website and brand.
Analytics / providing stats
We require the ability to track the number of unique viewers to the website/stream.
Advertising revenue
The Festival is open to a discussion about the possibility of selling advertising space on the web-streaming pages of the website and of passing on some or all of this income to the appointed contractor. Our preference would be for the appointed contractor to actively take on sourcing and managing advertising income as part of their agreement.
Copyright
Copyright for the audio/visual materials will rest with the appointed company; however the Festival requires permission that enables the Festival to use this content for the promotion of the event. If the appointed company wishes to use the web-content for any additional purpose e.g. to screen recorded content at a later date or to produce in DVD format, prior agreement will be required from the Festival for the use of any logos or trademarks owned by the Council for the event.
5. Payment
The Council is seeking a quotation for the delivery of either Option 1 or Option 2 in section 3 above.
This quotation should include the costs of all labour, infrastructure, equipment, travel costs, web-hosting, design, personal and company expenses, and stipulate any VAT owed.
The company is welcome to suggest methods for generating income e.g. web advertising, to off-set the costs of any fee.
6. Submission of proposals
Written submissions are required comprising:
- A written proposal of no more than 4 sides of A4 paper setting out how you plan to deliver the project described above. This proposal needs to include the following information:
a1. Methodology for undertaking filming (if applicable) and web-streaming.
a2. Details of infrastructure and equipment to be used, including number of any vehicles to be brought on site.
a3. Details of any accommodation requirements e.g. staff camping, porta-cabins.
a4. Details of power and any other utility requirements.
a5. Details of the personnel (number, names, levels of experience) who will be working on the project & whether they require event access.
a6. Details of any post-event activity proposed e.g. additional use of recorded material.
- Details of the pricing approach/financial quotation for the delivery of the project. Please also supply a daily rate for any additional work.
- Two professional references (plus contact details of the referees) from previous relevant clients.
Submissions should be sent via email to: Neil Jones, Business & Marketing Manager, Cambridge City Council neil.jones@cambridge.gov.uk by 5pm Friday 24 May.
7. Evaluation of quotations
Quotations will be evaluated on a price/quality split of 60/40.
Price (60%)
The lowest total price received will be awarded the maximum score of 40 points. All other prices will be evaluated by dividing them into the lowest price and multiplying that proportion by 40% to provide each quotation with their percentage of the total evaluation marks available.
Quality (40%)
The quality element will be evaluated on the basis of the following factors:
- Relevant experience with reference to CVs and related narrative (20%).
- Understanding of the Council’s requirements as demonstrated in the written proposal for the delivery of services and analysis of risks and issues (20%).
The Council is likely to interview one or more companies to clarify any outstanding points and to verify (and amend as appropriate) the scores allocated during the evaluation process.
The Council intends to evaluate all proposals by Friday 31 May. Any interviews will take place in the week commencing Monday 3 June.
The Council hopes to make an appointment by Friday 7 June
8. Terms & Conditions of appointment
The company appointed will be expected to sign a contract, incorporating Cambridge City Council’s Standard Terms & Conditions and any other mutually agreed conditions.
9. Questions & Next Steps
Informal questions about the proposal can be asked prior to submitting a quotation to:
Neil Jones, Business & Marketing Manager
Tel: 01223 457564 Email: neil.jones@cambridge.gov.uk
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