Wide+Close, Backed by ARRI and Mobile TV Group, is Adding a Cinematic Touch to Live Music

New venture Wide+Close is filming live music concerts with cinematographers and film cameras, in efforts to give live-stream concerts a fresh cinematic feel. Founder Kenny Stoff has a desire to have filmmakers produce artistic concert films, taking concert filming back from broadcast TV, which often lacks an emotional connection to what is being seen on screen.

Stoff is a cinematographer and director that has worked on various projects from commercials to documentaries. He has a forte for capturing music and has worked with some big names in the music world. He worked on the HBO docu-series about the Foo Fighters titled “Sonic Highways,” for instance.

Ryley Fogg is teaming up with Stoff to create Wide+Close, and they have secured equipment and financing from the mobile-unit operator company Mobile TV Group and Munich-based camera company ARRI. Glenn Kennel, the president of ARRI, is excited for Stoff’s project of filming concerts cinema-style.

ARRI and Mobile TV Group became involved after a successful in-market test at Coachella, where the team shot a successful live-stream of the festival for host Goldenvoice that was captured for YouTube. Their current portfolio also includes a Billie Ellish concert in Los Angeles’s Greek Theater.

Wide+Close hopes to use their high-tech filming techniques for both TV broadcasters and streaming services. To learn more about their venture, click here.