30 question AV challenge

30 av challenge with the rental team at PSCoquestion

Tom Allott Asset Manager

Fran Evans Senior Rental Account Manager

Ben McLees Senior Rental Account Manager

1What is your favourite rental project you’ve worked on? Tom: I hired LCD walls that went on the Tom Cruise film, Edge of Tomorrow.

Fran: Hogarth filming – a huge virtual production screen used to shoot music videos and ads.

Ben: United Visual Artists – Other Spaces.

3

Are you team office, hybrid or remote?

Tom & Fran: Hybrid.

2

What’s the best event you have ever been to?

Tom: Rock Werchter in 2005.

4

How did you get into AV?

Tom: I studied music and played in bands, so I’ve always had an AV background. I joined PSCo because a friend worked there and thought I’d suit the role – and it all went from there!

Ben: I had a short-lived stint as a freelance live engineer in live music. Once I’d taken my first AV tech job, I found I enjoyed working with video & display more.

5

What is your most memorable moment in AV?

Tom: My first AV awards… it was messy!

Fran: Helping to bring Stonehenge to life using video projection for DJ Paul Oakenfold.

7

Describe your job in 3 words

Tom: Demanding, rewarding & unique.

6

What is the best thing about working in the industry?

Tom: Wowing people with new tech.

8

What tech could you not live without?

Tom: My iPhone!

Ben: There’s a countless amount of tech in everything we do, but I couldn’t live without being able to listen to music.

9What do you foresee becoming a rental trend in 2023? Fran: Creative LED stands – curved, floor & edges.

11

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

Tom: When customers successfully deliver their project using our kit, it’s incredibly rewarding.

Fran: Seeing the images of jawdropping tech & knowing our clients had a seamless event due to our planning.

Ben: Receiving positive feedback about our kit, that feeling never gets old. 10 Do you think virtual production is the new normal? Fran: No, but it’s a very exciting new prospect!

Tom: For some industries. It allows hybrid events to scale up and reach much bigger audiences with a relatively small incremental cost.

Ben: Its quickly become normalised and it’s a far more viable option for many.

12

What is the coolest tech trend you’ve seen emerge this year? Tom: I’m a huge fan of our new Aluvision Tunnel.

Ben: The F1 Helmet Cam.

13 What is the first piece of AV you geeked out about? Tom: The 152” Panasonic plasma – it’s massive! 14 Fran: Sub p3.9mm LED for rental. Ben: The first digital mixing desks.

15

What is your favourite streaming service?

Fran: Disney.

Ben: Tidal. Do you think the entertainment industry is back to normal post-covid?

Ben: It’s human nature to interact and have experiences – live performance is a big part of that. The first gig I went to post-covid was in October 2021. It was the first time I’d been amongst that many people for nearly 2 years and it was strange. But it didn’t take long for it to feel natural again. It’s certainly become more as it was pre-covid again.

Tom: In some markets such as corporate, AGM and product launches, it’s not back to normal yet. And perhaps they’ve changed forever.

17

When was the last time you were blown away by a piece of technology?

Fran: Brompton processing – you can show multiple images on the LED screen at the same time with multiple cameras focused on each feed!

Ben: We supplied HyperVSN fans for the launch of the 2022 Aston Martin F1. My customer used them in a novel way and to a very impressive effect – seeing that broadcast on Sky F1 was great.

16

Would you rather binge-watch a series on Netflix or watch a new film at the cinema?

Ben: You can’t beat the big screen and too-loud sound system of a cinema. Even when it’s the Minions movie!

18

Name one reason to visit Innovation House

Tom: Seeing is believing and highimpact screens need to be seen to be understood!

19 What was the last live event you attended? Tom: Coheed vs Thrice at Brixton Academy.

Ben: Nine Inch Nails at the Eden Project. The production wasn’t anywhere near as full-on as previous years, but the sound was by the far the best I’ve experienced at an outdoor event.

21

Show us a picture from your rental portfolio.

23

What is a futuristic tech that might never exist that you really want to see?

Fran: A washing machine that washes, dries, irons, folds and puts away your clothes.

Tom: Time travel!

25

What do you say to people who prefer more traditional forms of media?

Ben: Any form of media which endures and retains value is worthy – when it comes to preferring anything there’s subjectivity and it’s not for me to tell someone that their preference is wrong or outdated.

27 What is one tip to create a stand-out event experience? Tom: Detail is everything. Put yourself in the audience’s shoes instead of forcing your preferences.

Ben: Dynamics. It can’t be everything all the time. That’s important in every aspect - be it sound, visuals or lighting.

29

How has the industry changed since you started?

Tom: I am very good at spinning plates now! 20 If you weren’t working in AV, what job would you have? Tom: A music producer.

Ben: I’d like to think I’d be working in the music or creative arts industry.

22 Tom: The London Olympics 2012 What was the first rental project you ever worked on? (Paralympics Channel 4 studio).

24 What is the most important skill in your job role? Tom: Customer service.

Fran: Multi-tasking or attention to detail – it’s tricky to balance the two!

26

What is the main benefit of virtual production?

Tom: There are so many – flexibility, time & cost-savings.

Ben: The benefits of things like xR stages are clear. They create new environments and push the boundaries of what’s achievable within a relatively small footprint.

28 What advice do you have for someone new to the industry? Ben: Be a sponge. Learn as much as you can from your colleagues, every day is a school day!

Fran: Enjoy it! Remember to network and keep talking to people.

30

What do you consider the holy grail of installations? Tom: One of the biggest wowfactor moments was when I first saw the LED billboard installed outside Aria in Las Vegas around 2012 – it’s 20x storeys high!

Fran: It would have to be ‘The Star Wars Mandalorian’ set.