TPi April 2019 - #236

TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL LIVE EVENT DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY • APRIL 2019 • ISSUE 236

I

FATBOY SLIM

The Godfather of dance music drops an ambitious in-the-round rave onto UK arenas EAT, SLEEP, WRITE, REPEAT.

GEORGE EZRA • MASSIVE ATTACK: MEZZANINE XXI • THE TPi AWARD 2019 • TEARS FOR FEARS CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN • IN PROFILE: PROTEC GROUP • I AM HARDSTYLE • PSA

APRIL 2019 #236

WHERE WILL IT TAKE YOU?

NEW ARCS LINE SOURCE FAMILY The new ARCS A15 and A10 systems deliver renowned L-Acoustics concert performance and reliability for audiences from 50 to 5,000. Mounted on a pole, stacked on the companion KS21 or flown in vertical or horizontal arrays, the new ARCS family combines plug-and-play ease and international market acceptance. This versatile solution, with adjustable directivity, scales with the needs of your company and is your gateway to the L-Acoustics rental network. ARCS can take you anywhere you want to go. l-acoustics.com ROW !

G

ARCS_Advertising_210x297_TPI.indd 1

27/03/2019 09:39:44

Efficient. Attentive. Reliable.

Our team is here for all of your requirements.

Trade Distributors of Professional & Commercial Audio, Lighting, Video and Special FX. Established in 1990, we are your one true, trade only distributor and we do not compete with you. Through our clients we address a vast majority of markets: Live Entertainment, AV Install, Studio, TV & Film, Broadcast, working closely with Installers / Integrators, Hire & Rental Houses, Production Companies and Resellers throughout the UK. We provide you with an unrivalled distribution service consisting of competitive trade pricing, immense stock holding, speedy delivery, experienced technical support, professional training and attentive sales & after-sales support.

You’ve already met some of our team above. Give them a call and discover a world of Experience, Choice, Value and Service.

Let us become an asset to your business.

Contact us today: +44 (0) 1525 850085 sales@leisuretec.co.uk www.leisuretec.co.uk

Leisuretec Distribution Ltd

@teamleisuretec

EDITOR’S LETTER

P ROT E U S M AX I M U S

>50.000 Lumens IP65 ED RAT EAT, SLEEP, WRITE, REPEAT Once again we find ourselves in April, putting our fourth issue of the year to print, minutes before jumping in a taxi to the airport for another Prolight+Sound. This will be Lyndsey and Jacob’s first PL+S under the TPi mast and it’s sure to be a packed four days of meetings, demos and one or two Becks 1873s - the unofficial drinks sponsor for Mondiale’s Frankfurt expedition.

This month’s issue has a little something for everyone. Jacob paid a visit to Manchester Arena to meet up with the George Ezra touring party and to learn the secrets behind one of this year’s best-selling arena tours. Meanwhile, I travelled down south to The O2 to celebrate the 21st birthday of Mezzanine with Massive Attack abusing all the senses in a barrage of audio-visual delights. We also had a chat with the various suppliers from our very own TPi Awards.

Finally, gracing our cover is the DJ who set the precedent for modern dance acts - the one and only Fatboy Slim. The Funk Soul Brother’s recent in-the-round tour brought club vibes to arenas up and down the country and the tight-knit core production swapped their usual four Peli Case production for a six-truck circus.

Anyway, our Uber is on route so I’d better wrap this up. Auf wiedersehen, Stockport; guten tag, Frankfurt.

Stew Hume Acting Editor

ACTING EDITOR Stew Hume Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8385 Mobile: +44 (0)7702 054344 e-mail: s.hume@mondiale.co.uk STAFF WRITER Jacob Waite Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8385 Mobile: +44 (0)7592 679612 e-mail: j.waite@mondiale.co.uk ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE Lauren Dyson Tel: +44 (0)161 476 9119 Mobile: +44 (0)7415 773639 e-mail: l.dyson@mondiale.co.uk ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE Lyndsey Hopwood Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7800 557094 e-mail: l.hopwood@mondiale.co.uk COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Hannah Eakins Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7760 485230 e-mail: h.eakins@mondiale.co.uk CHIEF EXECUTIVE Justin Gawne Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7768 850767 e-mail: j.gawne@mondiale.co.uk

GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION Dan Seaton: d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk Zoe Willcox: z.willcox@mondiale.co.uk DIGITAL EDITORIAL ASSISTANT James Robertson EDITORIAL INTERN Conor Kelly ACCOUNTS Lynette Levi / Sarah Miller: ar@mondiale.co.uk MONDIALE GROUP CHAIRMAN Damian Walsh COVER Fatboy Slim by Chris Lazzaro PRINTED BY Buxton Press • www.buxpress.co.uk Issue 236 - April 2019 Annual subscriptions (including P&P): £42 (UK), £60 (Europe), £78/$125 (RoW).

Subscription enquiries to: Subscriptions, Mondiale Publishing Limited, Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK. Tel: +44 (0)161 476 5580 Fax: +44 (0)161 476 0456 e-mail: subscriptions@mondiale.co.uk

Full-featured LED Profile Beam Wash 4-Blade Full Blackout Framing Module

www.tpimagazine.com www.tpiawards.com

TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL is a controlled circulation magazine, published 12 times a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited under licence.

ISSN 1461-3786 Copyright © 2019 Mondiale Publishing Limited. All contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, in any form whatsoever, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Every effort is taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this publication but neither Mondiale Publishing Ltd, nor the Editor, can be held responsible for its contents or any consequential loss or damage resulting from information published. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Publishers or Editor. The Publishers accept no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, illustrations, advertising materials or artwork. Total Production International USPS: (ISSN 1461 3786) is published 12 times a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited United Kingdom. The 2019 US annual subscription price is 117USD. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by Agent named Air Business, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to Total Production International, Air Business Ltd, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434.

Subscription records are maintained at Mondiale Publishing Ltd. Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK.

ELATION PROFESSIONAL EUROPE www.elationlighting.eu info@elationlighting.eu +31 45 546 85 66

ITINERARY

EVENT FOCUS

14

08 Tears For Fears Designer Alex Reardon creates a visual

feast for the band’s latest tour.

12 The BRIT Awards

DiGiCo consoles once again provide

comprehensive audio coverage.

14 I AM HARDSTYLE

CLF deploys a plethora of lighting fixtures to the festival’s German date.

18 Catfish and the Bottlemen

Transition Video provides visual

coverage for the indie four piece.

Fog is our passion!

NEW: Cobra 3.1

PRODUCTION PROFILE

20

20

Fatboy Slim Stew meets the crewmembers tasked with transcending the DJ’s club aesthetic into an arena setting.

30

TPi Awards 2019 Jacob discovers how to impress a room full of 1,609 guests and industry insiders.

38

George Ezra The singer songwriter embarks on his first sold out headline UK arena tour.

50

Massive Attack: Mezzanine XXI The Bristolian band celebrate the 21st anniversary of their seminal record.

INTERVIEW 62

Jacob chats to with Absen’s European R&D Director, Christian Czimny.

MARKET FOCUS

30

66

This month TPi take a look inside some of the UK’s famed rehearsal facilities.

IN PROFILE 78

Protec Group discuss developments in Europe and the Middle East.

PRODUCTION FUTURES

 New, extremely silent nozzle.

Noise at max. output: 82.5 dBA  Constant fog output at any pump level due to the use of two pumps  Control via Ethernet, DMX512, analogue (0-10V) or directly at the machine  RDM-capable  Touchscreen with simple navigation  Adjustable pump characteristic: Impulse, Extended, Flood, Continuous  Internal Timer  Internal operating hours counter  3100 W, 230V/50Hz

82 Elliot Baines talks about his latest project, Olly Walker presents GENESIS.

GEAR HEADS

38

84

ER Productions’ David Holmes talks to TPi about its non-CO2 confetti blower.

CLOCKING OFF 90

Phil Mercer from Universal Pixels laces up his running shoes for TRACKS autism.

PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE 92

Andy pays a visit to the 12th ILMC Production Meeting.

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS 98

50

The latest movers and shakers.

BACK CHAT 106 Pliant Technologies’ Gary Rosen takes

the hot seat.

Look Solutions Fog machines made in Germany Buenteweg 33 · DE-30989 Gehrden Phone +49-(0)5108 - 91 22 10 · Fax 91 22 111 www.looksolutions.com · info@looksolutions.com

EVENT FOCUS

TEARS FOR FEARS The band once again joined forces with Alex Reardon to create a contemporary visual feast.

TPi spoke to the designer about this latest labour of love.

Formed in Bath during the early ’80s, Tears For Fears were one of the predominant forces in redefining a decade of pop-rock. Thirty years later, the band’s influence is as present as ever. Indeed, when the band walked onto the stages during their 2019 arena tour, the entrance music chosen was Lorde’s recent rendition of Everybody Wants To Rule The World before jumping straight into their own classic version of the song.

For the UK and European tour, the band welcomed fans to revel in some of their famed back catalogue while offering a fresh new stage show.

Tasked with creating this latest performance was Lighting Designer Alex Reardon. Although native to the UK, Reardon has been residing in Los Angeles for the last 20 years. In January of 2018, he joined the creative design practice, Silent House Productions. With the tour coming to an end, the creative spoke from his west coast office about his experience with the tour.

“For me this project was really a labour of love,” he began. “I was 21 when Tears for Fears had their initial flourish of success and it was a band that I grew up listening to. As well as all the memories I have from their songs, all there material is a pleasure to light. It’s very dynamic going from more trippy tracks to softer beautiful moments. I’ve been doing this for over 30 years and I can count on one hand the number of gigs that have really had a lasting impression on me – I would count this project as one of them.”

Aiding Reardon in the creative process for the tour was Lighting Director Richard White along with programmer and long time collaborator Joe Cabrera. Reardon explained how one of the main goals for the design was to create a lighting rig that would immerse the band. One of the predominate fixtures present on the set were a selection of Martin

by Harman VDO Sceptron 10s. “We essentially created a 3D layer of 08

TWAUDiO.COM

Touring. With VERA. Simply your sound.

MADE IN GERMANY

TEARS FOR FEARS

Sceptrons,” he explained. “There were two that surrounded the band with another layer above and below the LED screen. It’s a fixture both my programmer Joe Cabrera and I have used many times. They give you a great deal of control, especially when using them in DMX mode as we were for this show. Also, the fact we ran them in DMX, opposed to video mode, meant we were given the option to continually adapt the look of the show as the run went on.”

However, the proliferation of Sceptrons created an interesting challenge for the LD. “The amount of universes we used the one show was a bit bonkers, especially as this was only a 5 truck tour. We ended up running our MA Lighting grandMA2 at 95% capacity with 163 DMX universes going into it!” The high demand for a robust system to handle this much data led the creative team to Neg Earth. “Honestly, it was one of the best prepped rigs I’ve ever seen,” enthused the LD. Also present on the rig were a plethora of Robe fixtures, namely 66 Robe MegaPointe moving lights. Thirty were rigged on 3 overhead trusses, with some being positioned upstage behind a row of LED video pixel battens. There were also 3 per side on the deck for low-level cross lighting and another 6 in the air each side for high level effects. Reardon described the MegaPointe as “the perfect size and choice for multiple lighting tasks” on this design.

The fixtures flexibility meant he could use them for a soft-edged front light and a hard-edged beam effects, having both the necessary punch and being compact and adaptable enough to work in arenas of all sizes.

“MegaPointes have the functionality to give me the style and looks I needed. They are available in sufficient numbers to check the ‘logistics’ box and are nicely priced as a rental item to please even the most stringent tour accountants!” he exclaimed.

Reardon also specified 2 BMFL Spot fixtures which were used with a Robe RoboSpot system. “I’m a huge fan of the RoboSpot” he commented.

“The simplicity of operation and the smooth motion of the system is stunning.” He and his lighting director on the road, Richard White, left the targeting and iris control to the spot operators, with all other parameters running through the desk. This enabled the creative team to achieve perfect fade in and outs along with interesting colour bumps while keeping the operators focussed on accurate pick-ups and following trajectories.

Adding to the stocked lighting rig was a selection of GLP JDC1s. “Again, just like the MegaPointes, the biggest advantage of them is their flexibility,” commented Reardon. “From washes to blinders they’re a really useful fixture to have in your rig.”

Reardon also worked closely with video provider Stu Mercer from Vis-A-Vis Video who supplied the LED screens for the run, adding a camera package for the London O2 Arena gig, which Mercer also directed.

Mercer presented several “thought-through solutions” according to Reardon, to ensure that the two mediums of lighting and video worked optimally together.

Following the sold out run, Tears for Fears took a brief break from the stage. However the group will soon be back on the road with a packed schedule of festival appearances through the summer on both sides of the Atlantic.

TPi Photo: Lindsay Cave @loosplat www.tearsforfears.com www.silent-house.com www.negearth.com www.visavis.video 10

EVENT FOCUS

DIGICO WINS ACROSS THE BOARD AT THE BRITS DiGiCo consoles provided comprehensive audio coverage for the 2019 BRIT Awards, staged at the O2 Arena, London.

Acknowledging the world’s best musical talent, this year’s BRIT Awards boasted The Carters, Drake and Ed Sheeran amongst its winners. The evening’s live mixes, which were also broadcast live on TV, saw Hugh Jackman, George Ezra, Jess Glynne and The 1975 amongst other top artists perform with the sound of DiGiCo. “The BRIT Awards is always a tricky show; being able to balance artists’ needs with simplicity and continuity throughout is hard to achieve,” stated Colin Pink, the BRIT Awards longstanding Live Sound Supervisor. “This year, every sound desk was a DiGiCo, which allowed the production to feel much more elegant than in the past.”

The consoles, deployed by Britannia Row Productions, who have been the Awards audio supplier for over 20 years, featured 2 DiGiCo SD7s

at FOH with an SD7 Quantum surface. A further 2 DiGiCo SD12s at FOH for the presenters, hosts and acceptance speeches, as well as a pair of SD7s in monitor world flip-flopping between live performances. “The advances that the Quantum Engine bring to the flagship SD7 allow so much more flexibility and simplicity to these multi-band gigs,” Pink continued. “It’s a great asset to the DiGiCo brand.”

The 1975 brought in an SD5 for their monitoring duties, whereas P!nk’s pre-recorded section was handled via the artists’ travelling D12 by FOH engineer Dave Bracey, a long-time DiGiCo user.

Lez Dwight, Britannia Row Sales Director, joined the conversation: “This year’s BRIT Awards really benefited from a unique and brilliant production design from Misty Buckley. Her set was very favourable for an emphasis on 12

BRIT AWARDS 2019

quality live audio.

“The show went very well, with no technical issues whatsoever, in no small part due to DiGiCo’s expert presence. DiGiCo artist liaison manager, Mark Saunders, and product specialist Dave Bigg, provided instant, on-site support.”

Dwight was keen to highlight the benefits of working with DiGiCo kit. He said: “As well as the show being completely DiGiCo this year, it was also the first time we’ve ever used 32-bit cards across the whole range of consoles on a live production.”

He concluded: “Britannia Row has worked with DiGiCo for a very long

INGENIOUS SOLUTION

+

No. 897

+

time, as has our worldwide network within Clair Global. It’s the console that the majority of engineers are very happy to use, which is important for a multi-act show like this. The 1975 requested to bring their own monitor desk in, and as their preferred console is an SD5, it worked with the production perfectly. The Live sound quality this year was truly exceptional.”

TPi Photos courtesy of DiGiCo. www.digico.biz www.britanniarow.com www.brits.co.uk

A Summer of Misting

Summer

MTF

X.co m

/AD

S

EVENTS = 2019

Scented Misting Systems. Bespoke, interactive features keeping you cool and refreshed this summer Welcome to MTFX. The ingenious effects people.

01452 729903 info@mtfx.com www.mtfx.com 13

EVENT FOCUS

I AM HARDSTYLE

CLF IS HARDSTYLE Dutch-based lighting brand deploys a plethora of lighting fixtures for I AM HARDSTYLE, a one-day electronic hardstyle festival in Mannheim, Germany.

The brainchild of hardstyle champion Brennan Heart and ratified promoters Musical Madness, the celebration of the electronic dance genre implored over 10,000 revellers to show their true colours and truly party hard.

The team at 4Light Showprojects was tasked with the brief of designing a brand-new concept for the German rendition of I Am Hardstyle production, which marked the start of the year for the one-day electronic hardstyle festival. 4Light Showprojects Technical Manager, Ronnie Santegoeds, discussed the concept. “The briefing was to make a design that could scale from 5,000 to 15,000 visitors.”

aorun ultra-bright beam fixture

Descending on the hardstyle vanguard of Mannheim for the third time, I Am Hardstyle raised the Maimarkthalle roof once again. Santegoeds commented: “Maimarkthallen was a venue without an in-house rig or technical equipment, so all of the material used in the design was made available at Rent-All and local AV rental companies, which meant we didn’t need to ship or freight equipment.”

The venue typically hosts trade shows, conferences, club nights and music festivals all year round. However, the exhibition space presented a litany of challenges. “Because of the limited roof capacity and positions, we brought in Eurotruss TT/XT/ST trussing to create a prerig, landed them on

Aorun, an ultra-bright beam fixture which combines high output, fast movements and an extensive feature package. The fixture utilises a 330W HRI light source which produces heavy mid-air effects through the special designed 169mm lens.

The fixture has an eight and sixteen facet prism on-board. These prisms can be combined for even wider effects. Additionally, the gobo wheel offers three animation ranges, creating unique beam effects. A softening frost completes the effect package of the Aorun.

2.3° BEAM ANGLE 8 & 16 FACET PRISM (COMBINABLE) 3 ANIMATION EFFECTS 169MM WIDE LENS FOR BIG MID-AIR EFFECTS FOLDABLE QUICK TRIGGER CLAMPS ATTACHED CLFLIGHTING WWW.CLF-LIGHTING.COM

15

I AM HARDSTYLE

top of Layher, which was poadercoated black.”

An MA Lighting grandMA3 fullsize and grandMA2 Light with NPU, as an The extensive lighting rig boasted myriads of CLF lighting fixtures. active backup, was specified for lighting control. Lasers were controlled via Specifically, 100 CLF Conan fixtures were structured in a big matrix behind the grandMA2 Light, which the LD merged with the main lighting console to the set to accent the depth of the setup. In addition, 68 CLF Orions, the CLFs trigger it. latest hybrid fixture, were purposed for mid-air gobos because of its output.

SFX was controlled by an MA Lighting dot2 console, which featured a Additionally, 56 CLF Yaras were used to “spook” the venue trussing and remote from the ELC sideKICK too positioned at the showcaller, to control highlight CO2 clouds generated via 3 MDG 3K and JEM AF1 Air Force MKII the CO2. “We also created a merge between the dot2 and the lighting products used for haze. While 44 CLF Aoruns, the console achieved by a DMX remote. The function company’s most powerful beam fixture added to for this was to colour the CO2 clouds the same as the lighting rig, and to control the Intensity of the the lighting line up. Santegoeds explained: “We LED pars by the SFX console,” Santegoeds added. like the speed on all parameters. The positioning The set-up was split into three days. The is steady, even with using high speed effects, it first was dedicated to prerigs, while day two returns to the position as programmed. The fact focussed on the trussing, video and lighting of that the big lense is always filled and is useful the production. While the third and final day for pictures. We utilise the frost feature a lot to was homed in on the lighting and video. “An create a beam which looks like a punchy wash.” additional day of programming and finetuning A total of 53 Martin by Harman Atomic LED ironed out any creases before the show day with fixtures used as an LED strobe and aura effect. A a day to loadout everything following the show,” total of 30 Robe Spiiders were used for basic LED Santegoeds reflected.

Wash coverage -16 2Lite Blinders were placed on He concluded: “The setup was scaled nicely the floor of the stage to “create depth and accent for the venue and the crowd. The dimensions the corners and angling” of the solid LED screens, “The briefing was to make a fitted exactly during the load in and the impact without having content on it. was big. It was a pleasure to work on the project Additional audience blinders and stage key design that could scale from five and we’re really pleased with the result.” lighting was a result of 90 single blinders and 89 thousand to fifteen thousand TPi Showtec Sunstrip Actives. A couple of Fresnell Photos by Spark - Vincent van den Boogaard 500W fixtures were also used as conventional key visitors.” www.iamhardstyle.com lighting in addition to 6 Martin by Harman MAC 4Light Showprojects Technical www.4lightshowprojects.com Viper Performances which were placed in the DJ www.clf-lighting.com booth.

Manager, Ronnie Santegoeds.

16

COMPACT TOURING TAKES OFF

C1500 + TABLET + DM32 MIXRACK

Touchscreens + IP8 + DM32 MIXRACK

Travel Light. Mix Hard.

When you need the ultimate in efficiency for fly dates and gigs that demand an ultracompact solution, a dLive Wings system is just the ticket.

Choose a MixRack, pick your interface and I/O options, and dLive serves up its superior mix power whether you mix the show from a C1500 surface, a laptop, a tablet, our handy IP remote controllers, or whichever combination works best for you.

Prepare to board at: www.allen-heath.com/wings

ALLEN&HEATH

EVENT FOCUS

CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN One of the indie scene’s brightest sparks once again hit the road with a striking show design to impress their legions of fans. TPi spoke to the visual team that help pull the pieces together.

Formed in North Wales, the Llandudno four piece have become a staple within the UK indie-rock scene, making the steady rise from academy sized venues to arenas. With and exciting year ahead including the release of their anticipated third album – The Balance – the band hit the first part of 2019 running with a full UK arena tour.

One of the band’s goals from the outset of this touring cycle, was to make it a very video heavy show. Drafted in to provide all their needs was video specialist Transition Video alongside long-time supplier Nitelites that supplied lighting and audio. Director of Transition, Rhodri Shaw, talked to TPi about this latest collaboration.

“We were approached by the band’s Production Manager Ian Martin last summer to come on board as the video supplier,” Shaw began. “They really wanted to concentrate on live camera shots for their performance with a stylised black and white look rather than relying on any content.” With live footage being at the heart of the show design, one of Transition Video’s first tasks was to find a Video Director who was up for the challenge. “We’ve had a very longstanding relationship with Julien Hogg who was the obvious choice for the Video Director position,” commented Shaw. For the tour Hogg specified a Blackmagic ATEM 4k 2m/e switcher which allowed him to cut a different camera mix on the upstage LED wall and the pair of IMAG screens.

“Having to cut two separate camera mixes for the upstage and IMAG isn’t an easy job,” commented Shaw, while complementing the work of the Director. “He worked really well with the camera team and really brought the band’s vision to life.”

For the rear LED and IMAG screens the Transition team spec’d a ROE Carbon series CB5 5mm. “Our ROE CB5 really is the Ferrari of the LED world,” enthused Shaw. “Having the CB5 in touring frames and dollies makes building the screen easy and minimises load in times. The guys were loaded in before lunch each day ready for sound check.”

Transition Video also supplied its broadcast Ikegami camera system with one Ikegami HDK 79 EX III camera at FOH on a Canon XJ95 Box Lens.

“This was really for our ‘safety shot’ of Van McCann, the bands frontman,” commented Shaw. “The show on the whole was based around a selection of different camera cuts,” explained Shaw. “We decided to add a couple of Panasonic PTZ cameras to get interesting shots of the band that we couldn’t get to with a manned camera.”

However, there was another notable inclusion to the video package to give Hogg even more in visual options with Polecam’s SkyJib system. The tour marked one of the first road-tests for Polecam’s latest product – which also made an appearance at this year’s TPi Awards. The SkyJib is Polecam’s latest remote camera crane system and very much the evolution from the 18

CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN

industry proven technology of the IntelliJib. Essentially it gives video crew the ability to have an un-manned remote camera jib which is lightweight, modular, quick rig system suspended from any stage or studio lighting truss, bringing a host of inventive and creative filming angles typically unseen before.

During the Catfish and the Bottlemen tour, the jib was mounted on the front truss which, according to Shaw, gave “impressive boom shots over the crowd without having a massive jib on the ground obstructing the crowds view of the stage.”

Setting up and operating the SkyJib throughout the tour was Bruce Selkirk.

“The SkyJib was very effective at getting all the classic jib shots you normally expect with the added advantage of being able to go much higher than traditional set-ups,” stated Hogg. “It has a more natural dynamic range as it was on the front lighting truss and offered more unusual vantage points.

“We used it to great effect on a screen for a ‘feedback’ look that the band loved. Having no floor space or sightline issues really helped with the look from the lighting and audience viewpoint.”

Giving his final thoughts on the tour, Shaw spoke of Transitions experience. “I’m very proud of our team for pulling off a great run of shows for the Catfish and the Bottlemen tour and very much looking forward to hitting the road again in the summer.” The band are due back in the UK for follow-up dates in yet more of the UK biggest venues throughout May. TPi Photos: Peter Hayes from HAZE Photography www.catfishandthebottlemen.com www.transitionvideo.com www.polecam.com www.nitelites.co.uk

19

PRODUCTION PROFILE

Opposite: Caption.

FATBOY SLIM: THE ROUND TRIP In a break from his usual touring schedule of one-off flying visits, one of dance music’s most recognisable names set out on a six date in-the-round arena tour, turning the UK’s biggest venues into no-holds-barred raves for one night only. TPi’s Stew Hume was on site to witness the action first hand.

FATBOY SLIM

How does a DJ fit into the arena environment? It’s been a tricky dilemma for even the biggest names in the genre. While dance music is as popular as ever, the number of arena tours is rather scarce, especially when compared to its rock and pop counter parts. But in 2019, one of the world’s most famous DJs, Fatboy Slim set out with his dedicated crew to bring his raucous revelry to audiences nationwide and see if they could translate the club atmosphere into the arena forum for the ravers and misbehavers.

Tour Director, Mark Ward of Proper Productions, knows more than his fair share about what transforms the man, Norman ‘Norm’ Cook, into the DJ Fatboy Slim, having been with the act for a decade. “When I first started with Norm it was a difficult time as he had just come out of rehab and wasn’t sure if he wanted to carry on as a live act,” recalled Ward. “The first show we did together was in front of 40,000 people at Big Beach Festival in Tokyo. Despite some reservations, he really enjoyed the show and the set went down really well. We’ve been together ever since.” Ward had to quickly learn that efficiency was the name of the game for Fatboy Slim. He recounted sketching during a hotel breakfast in the early days, “when Gary Blackburn of Anglo Management [Fatboy Slim’s management] saw what I was doing.”

After a cursory glance, Blackburn simply said: “That won’t fit into the overhead compartment of an EasyJet flight”, before Ward had to discard his napkin design. “That was one of my first lessons in how you have to operate if you want to fly anywhere and be able to put on a show.”

Although his usual live production can fit into a selection of Peli Cases, this time Ward was in charge of a fleet of 6 trucks for a fully turn-key production. This was not the first time that Fatboy Slim had attempted a large in-the-round show of this nature, Ward explained. “We often

talked about doing arena shows but Norm could not see anything new or interesting about the ‘stage-end’ venue set up.” So, they explored the idea of an in-the-round show, the first of which was at Snowbombing Festival six years ago “which he really enjoyed”. This was followed by a two-show run in 2016. The impact of those shows clearly resonated within the camp as they opted to once again set out on a full UK run.

For the tour, Ward brought in a collection of suppliers including Capital Sound, ER Productions and Brilliant Stages. PRG were also on board providing the triple threat of lighting, video and automation. Finally, for logistics, the tag team of Beat the Street and Stage Trucks got the tight touring family from one spot to the next.

Also on the crew list were two Proper Productions regulars, Harry Ford, Stage Manager and Tyler Cole-Holmes, Crew Tour Manager. “This is my first official stint as Fatboy Slim’s Stage Manager,” commented Ford, as he walked TPi onto the DJ’s alter, adorned with the classic yellow smiley face underfoot. “While I was still at Central School of Speech and Drama in 2012, I was looking for a placement and got in contact with Mark for a spot at Proper Productions. Coincidently my first show was Fatboy Slim’s Big Beach Bootique. I clearly did something right. I was offered a job and now help with all large-scale events.”

Ford discussed his daily schedule as Stage Manager for the tour. “It’s certainly a high calibre show we’re trying to achieve here. But it’s been great, mainly thanks to the core crew who are obviously a very tight team and really easy to work with.”

Among many other responsibilities, Cole-Holmes kept everything ticking over in the Production Office and took care of the Radiotek communication system which ensures everyone is connected throughout the day. “The radios and accessories Radiotek supplied have been great,” 22

FATBOY SLIM

D Y N A M I C S TA G E T E C H N O L O G Y

commented Cole-Holmes. “The reliable analogue radios, in road ready cases with sign out sheets were all set from day one and made sure we had comms across the team quickly and easily. We’ve all been really impressed by the service given and we’ll certainly keep Radiotek in mind for any future events.”

THE SHOW… The Fatboy Slim character certainly has its own unique identity which differentiates from many DJ counterparts. Ward elaborated: “I mean this in no disrespect to any other artists, but compared to most, Norm’s show is very interactive. His whole thing is getting a reaction out of people. He jumps around, dances and is constantly mugging to the crowd with a lot of interplay with the cameras. The energy level is up to that of any rock band.” With this in mind, the production team wanted to ensure they created a stage set up which allowed the DJ to partake in all his usual antics.

From his rotating circular stage, Fatboy Slim created a frenzy all the while positioned underneath an enormous circular LED crown sitting above the booth. Moving out from the central performance area were 8 lighting trusses also able to descend down to 3m above the audience to further recreate the club atmosphere for those on the floor.

“Video is key to everything Norm does,” stated Ward. “We have three remote cameras on stage and we are putting him up on the screen for a lot of the evening to give that stronger connection between him and the crowd. We also have a lot of pre-rendered content created by our Video Director.”

Conversation about Fatboy Slim’s visual show can go no further without bringing in the dynamic duo of Bob Jaroc, Video Director, and Stephen Abbiss, Lighting Designer, into the picture. The two men work in tandem – and have done for the DJ over the past decade - keeping each other on their toes in the unpredictable environs of a Fatboy Slim concert.

Doubling up as the tour’s Show Caller, Jaroc guided TPi through the aesthetic: “For our normal show we usually have a large LED screen silhouetting him. Most of the content I produce is to fit 16x9m.” But an in-the-round required a different set up to complement a 360° screen.

So Jaroc plays content in four parts across the surface or stream seamless content, which can spin visuals around the whole surface. It made for a visual treat that could be enjoyed by all, from those on the dance floor to those opting to enjoy the Fatboy Slim show from the

18. - 20.06.2019

BERLIN Hall 21 Booth 427

SAFETY FIRST - MADE IN GERMANY

23

FATBOY SLIM

Video Director, Bob Jaroc and Lighting Designer, Stephen Abbiss; Video Technician, Tom Bass; Video Crew Boss, Pete Cross.

relative safety of the seating in the arena bowl.

Jaroc’s The Round Trip video set-up was an extension of his usual touring rig; a selection of click launchers able to deal with various parameters, including effects and opacity, run via a Resolume Media Server.

Due to the unusual venues he works in throughout the year, Jaroc said he needs “a switch I can plug anything into.” So, he runs everything through a Roland V-800HD Live Video Switcher, adding: “I swear I could plug a toaster into this thing and I’ll still have some workable content.”

To help with this project’s video duties, video supplier PRG sent in Tom Bass who worked closely with Jaroc. Bass oversaw the Barco E2 processor, known for larger surface projects, which rooted multiple sources into the 360° screen. Bass told TPi, despite its reputation for corporate events, the system “worked really well for us on this tour.”

As well as a lot of pre-rendered content, Jaroc also had 3 Panasonic AW-HE130K PTZ HDs to capture live footage of the DJ. “Both Tom and I share control of the cameras throughout the set,” stated Jaroc. “We also have some pre-programmed camera shots for footage of the crowd which we can recall quickly. Between 20 - 30% of the show is IMAG depending on how he’s feeling on the night.” But this tour has seen Fatboy Slim more “animated” than ever before as “he’s loving the 360° element of the show - which is giving us great content for the show,” according to the Video Director.

The screens were made up of 132 panels of Galaxia WinVision 9mm.

Pete Cross, Video Crew Boss from PRG, talked thought the daily realities of putting together the package. “During load-in we build the mother grid and get that up. Then the audio guys stick their central column of subs before we come in and put together our circular truss in. From there, we build a

whole row of screens on the floor, cable it, then pick that up as a whole circle. This gives us the shape of the rig which is very useful as a reference for all the other departments.” Confirming expectation, he said it required a lot of patience. “Back to back in-the-round shows are tough because, even though you’re in a large arena, each department is focusing on one relatively small space. Thankfully this is a really nice crew and we’ve found our stride on a relatively short run.”

Standing to the right of Jaroc, at his “go-to” Avolites Arena, Abbiss showcased his control set-up. The LD said a console he can busk live is a requirement, as the camp never stick to a setlist. Over the years, both he and Jaroc had to be on their toes to react to whatever the artist might throw at them next. For example, Jaroc – from his usual position at side of stage - and the DJ had developed elaborate hand singles in the past ten years to communicate what song is cued up next. There have been times where the duo have had to use remote cameras to glance over at the DJ’s screen to see his next track.

However, for this latest run they had a new trick up their sleeve. Abbiss and Jaroc both took a feed from the DJ’s computer, running Sarato, to get a real time stream of what he was cueing up next in the set. “It’s been great as we can follow the tracks and see when the breaks are coming. If he is starting to mix stuff you can see him cueing up so we get a rough idea of what is going to happen,” the LD said.

Talking through the lighting rig at Abbiss’ disposal was Bradley Stokes, Lighting Crew Chief. The rig itself was made up of 6, fully automated lighting fingers, each with 6 Claypaky A.leda B-EYE K20s, 4 PRG Icon Beams, a GLP impression X4 Bar 20s, a pair of Martin by Harman MAC Viper AirFXs, 2 Chauvet Professional STRIKE 4s and 3 Showtec Sunstrips. The floor 24

E R P R O D U C T I O N S P R O U D T O S U P P LY

FAT B O Y S L I M U K

A R E N A

T O U R

2 0 1 9

ER Productions delivered the Lasers and SFX for Fatboy Slim’s UK Arena Tour at 7 venues.

15 Beamburst were positioned pointing down vertically and reflected on mirrors, and 4 EX15 were placed at the corners of the stage. We used 8 Stadium Shots to fire gold and white confetti and yellow streamers, 8 Sparkulars and 4 CO2 Jets brought the stage alive, whilst 4 Viper deLuxe, 4 Unique Hazers provided the atmospherics.

For more information, or a demonstration contact ER Productions: London +44 1322 293 135 | Las Vegas +1 702 330 8530 Australia +61 403 703 731 | Ibiza +34 938 000291 | info@er-productions.com

www.er-productions.com

FATBOY SLIM

Above: Laser Technician, Harry Boyde; Automation Engineer, Peter MacDonald; Lighting Crew Chief, Bradley Stokes; Crew Tour Manager, Tyler Cole-Holmes.

Opposite: Tour Director, Mark Ward, Stage Manager, Harry Ford, Capital Sound’s Marty Beath, Ben Turnbull, Johnny Buck and David Preston.

package was very similar to that in the flown rig with Claypaky A.leda B-EYE K20s, Showtec Sunstrips, along with SGM Q7s, PRG Icon Beams and MAC Viper AirFXs. “Obviously one of our main goals with the rig was to make it as tourable as possible,” commented Stokes. “For instance, the central mother grid has so much on it, our looms have to go to that small condensed space.

All the looms are really quite long – I think the shortest still comes in at 80m.

It’s a lot of wire and cable. To speed up the process everything is pre-rigged including all the automation. In total we manage to get everything into two trucks.” The Lighting Crew Chief was splitting out 15 universities of artnet into PRG’s Super Node, which Stokes dubbed “simple, reliable, and perfect for live touring.”

LASERS ER Production’s Harry Boyde has become a familiar face within the Fatboy Slim camp since joining the visual crew on the DJ’s recent New Zealand tour. “It’s a dream to have our own laser operator,” enthused Jaroc, praising the performance of Boyde. “We’ve had some interesting experiences over the years playing shows with local operators who don’t always speak the same language. You don’t know what you’re going to get. Harry did a great job on the last run and having an operator who knows the tracks – not to mention our cueing style – is

invaluable.”

Boyde said: “I saw show designs quite early when Abbiss sent over renders.”

He added: “Norm is heavily involved in the design of the show and no two are the same, creating a unique experience for the audience each time.” Boyde told TPi how he programmed the cues and looks of the laser choreography and the SFX. “Alongside the Sparkulars, we used 8 Stadium Shots to fire gold and white confetti as well as yellow streamers into the crowds perfectly on cue, whilst 4 Look Solutions Viper deluxes and 4 Unique Hazers and 4 Co2 Jets provided the atmospherics.”

For the UK Arena Tour, Boyde opted for “Norm’s show is very 15 small lightweight Beamburst lasers to be positioned pointing down vertically and reflected interactive. His whole thing on mirrors, as well as 4 EX15, full colour all OPSL is getting a reaction out of lasers, which were placed at the corners of the stage to shine out across the audience. For control people. He jumps around, the system was split into two sections with the dances and is constantly four EX15s controlled via a Pangolin Beyond while the 12 Beambursts were launched by a High End mugging to the crowd with Systems Hedgehog 4. a lot of interplay with the The Special Effects technician described cameras. The energy level is up what it was like to work in the Fatboy Slim visuals department. “There are songs and tracks Bob is to that of any rock band.” calling, but sometimes there is a big drop coming so I’ll add a bit of CO2 on there. We are always Tour Director, Mark Ward 26

FATBOY SLIM

communicating on comms so I’ll tell them what I’m about to do. It’s just all about constant communication.”

AUTOMATION One of the elements brought over from the last in-the-round show was an automated lighting rig. “This time, however, we wanted the rig to move continuously through the show,” commented Ward. “PRG started to talk to us about the Movecat system. It was still pretty new for them at the time and there were some concerns if it would be tourable in time. But I’m pleased to say it’s been seamless. Essentially, we are trying to turn the arena into a dance floor so having the lights drop down to the audience was always a look we wanted to create. Moreover the Movecat has given multiple looks able to follow along to Norm’s music.”

Overseeing the automation for the tour was Peter MacDonald. The Automation Engineer used the Movecat system for its UK debut during Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of The Worlds. For Fatboy Slim he was oversaw 12 half-ton motors running 6 lighting truss at 24m per minute. “That’s pretty fast for automation,” enthused MacDonald. “One of the biggest appeals is that it’s the only automation system that is SIL 3 – the highest safety factor you can get. As we were flying the rig over the audience this made Movecat the ideal choice.” MacDonald was also complimentary of the system’s control surface, namely the Expert-T3 system, and said he was excited about how “user-friendly it had been”.

TPi asked the operator how the unpredictable set list impacted his job each night. He answered: “Well, at PRG we have overseen a lot of dance acts, especially with our annual work at Creamfields. We can jump between looks and program your shows accordingly.”

Another piece of automation present on the tour was seen in the depths of the circular stage which gave the DJ 360° rotation of his performance area. The stage itself had been provided by Brilliant Stages. “On the last show we did in the round, the automated stage could also move up and down, but we all thought that was slightly too

Intricate timecode TPI Awards 2019

The Avolites Arena Creative Visual Control

Fluid live

Fatboy Slim 2019 27

FATBOY SLIM

extravagant in what we were trying to achieve,” commented Ward. “Not only that, Norm always want to be in the action with the crowd so to have him moving away seemed counter intuitive.”

Taking on the additional role of Revolve Tech was Stage Manager, Harry Ford. “During the show I’m just checking all the wheels are in the right place,” commented Ford. “I’m another pair of eyes to watch the cables going through the stage to his decks. We only get a few spins before we have to go back the other way to avoid pulling any of the cables out. We’ve all got very good at counting the number of spins.”

Commenting on behalf of Brilliant Stages was Jess Woodward. “We supplied the tour with the 5ft high main stage which was 24ft by 24ft with a revolving 6m diameter turntable which sat on top of the main stage area,” she explained. “We handed everything over to Mark and his team at Wembley Arena ready for their first show. It was a pleasure working with Mark and all his team, great show.”

AUDIO Sonic support for every break and drop came courtesy of Capital Sound which supplied a Martin Audio MLA system for the six-date tour. In 2016 Capital Sound Technical Manager, Robin Conway, designed an audio system for an in-the-round presentation of the DJ at the O2 Arena, using the MLA sound rig and the unique stage design to bring him closer to the audience. When Fatboy Slim later announced his biggest arena tour yet, Capital decided to extend this ‘boxing match meets rave’ concept by increasing the ordnance

of the PA. To pull off this production, Capital Sound - represented by FOH Engineer and Project Manager David Preston and System Tech Marty Beath - had to rise to a number of unique challenges, notably the location of FOH position situated 30m from the mother grid, while fighting with the vast amount of overhead hardware.

“I have used Capital Sound a number of times, especially during my work at British Summer Time in Hyde Park,” commented Ward. “They were very involved from the beginning of this project ensuring the system sounded its best.” Ward was particularly keen to include Martin Audio on this rider. “Norm has always been obsessed with hi-fi purity. The subs in his show are not particularly heavy but they are crisp and clear. The musicality of the MLA gives us everything we need for the perfect Fatboy Slim show.”

Conway outlined some of the highlights of the system. “Whereas last time we fielded 4 hangs of 4 MLA and 2 hangs of MLA Compact, this time we “Norm has always been have had 6 hangs of MLA above the video screen, obsessed with hi-fi purity. as close to the centre as possible, so there is a lot more real estate,” he said. The speakers had The subs in his show are not to be trimmed 10m from the floor to preserve particularly heavy but they are sightlines. But the most complicated element was the subs. This comprised a flown MLX system crisp and clear. The musicality of 4 independent hangs with 5 elements in each of the MLA gives us everything hang, right above the DJ’s head. “These were all we need for the perfect Fatboy positioned close together, firing inwards, to create a perfect omnidirectional sub source.”

Slim show.”

Eight Martin Audio DD12s were also deployed, 2 on each side of the square stage, for front-fills.

Tour Director, Mark Ward 28

FATBOY SLIM

CHAIN HOISTS • CONTROL SYSTEMS • SOLUTIONS

Frankfurt 02. - 05. April 2019

“This design is highly efficient and for this application it was perfect. There’s no comb filtering because it’s essentially one single source. I’m a huge fan of this design, it really works well and Marty managed to achieve extremely good coverage,” commented Conway. However, the efficiency also needed to extend to the rigging process, with the need for shared cable management and 100m looms required for each one of the MLA and MLX hangs.

In terms of sound optimisation, Beath programmed a core design in the dedicated Display software, building 6 cross-sectional files every day from the centre of the room, with all speakers under proprietary Vu-Net control.

With the lights firing inwards from the perimeter trusses on movable motors, this circus was every bit a club rave in all but name, which will have pleased both the artist and Ward. Also helping to ensure a first class production were Capital Crew Chief, Jonny Buck and PA Tech, Ben Turnbull.

Alongside the sound system for the show, Capital Sound provided the DJ’s backline, consisting of 2 Pioneer CDJ-2000 NXS2s and a DJM-900 NXS2 mixer, which he used in conjunction with his Sarato setup. “At his feet we’ve got 2 d&b audiotechnik M2s,” commented Preston who, as FOH Engineer, was also dealing with the DJ’s on-stage sound. “He never really wants any subs in his monitor mix with enough stage volume to use as a reference.”

The role of FOH Engineer is not usually a vacant seat within the Fatboy Slim touring

party. “All of Norm’s tracks are mastered well, so all the systems guy has to do when we do our regular flying shows is keep it flat and turn it up,” enthused Ward. It’s a method Preston has kept to on this tour. The FOH Engineer opted for DiGiCo SD10. “We were originally going to go for an SD11 but in the end we opted to go for a desk with a few more faders to save me scrolling through layers.”

With the circular stage set and the large LED crown flickering to life, the DJ who set the standard for large-scale dance music proved he is still the granddaddy of the decks. Throughout TPi’s time with the Fatboy Slim crew many of his team referred to their boss as the Rockstar DJ. It’s a great nickname, but it made even more sense when the Funk Soul Brother himself hit the stage with the boundless energy of the artists that rivalled the outranges visual shows going on around him. With the Manchester contingent more than satisfied, the production moved onto the next couple of dates to bring the party to yet another region of the country Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat.

TPi Photos: Chris Lazzaro and TPi www.fatboyslim.net www.properproductions.org www.prg.com www.bobjaroc.com www.capital-sound.co.uk www.er-productions.com www.brilliantstages.com www.beatthestreet.net www.stagetruck.com 29

• Chain Hoists BGV-D8/D8+/C1 • VarioLifts up to 42 m/min • JumboLifts up to 6000kg • Control Systems D8/D8+ • Wireless Control Systems BGV-C1 • Computer Controls SIL3 • Load measuring systems • Rigging Equipment • Trainings • Accessories

Hall 12.0 Booth D25 We are pleased about your visit!

WWW.CHAINMASTER.DE

info@chainmaster.de

CHAINMASTER BÜHNENTECHNIK GMBH

Uferstrasse 23, 04838 Eilenburg, Germany Tel.: +49 (0) 3423 - 69 22 0 Fax: +49 (0) 3423 - 69 22 21 E-Mail: info@chainmaster.de www.chainmaster.de

TPi AWARDS 2019 As the dust settles on yet another successful TPi Awards, Jacob Waite chats to the crew entrusted with the daunting task of delivering a production fit for attendees from all corners of the live music and entertainment technology industry.

Since its inception in 2002, the TPi Awards has consistently grown in size and status. Nowadays the event is dubbed by the industry as the premier networking date for the live production industry. Each year, revellers descend on Battersea Evolution donning their Sunday best to acknowledge and reward the achievements of the most talented and successful individuals and service companies working within the industry.

Writing on behalf of the TPi Awards sponsors, supporters and the production team - a brief which requires filling Battersea Evolution with over 1,600 of the live events industry’s most well-renowned companies and individuals is quite a feat. However, this year’s TPi Awards smashed its attendance record with a staggering 1,609 attendees from all corners of the live production industry.

Evolving from the ‘80s hip-hop theme of last year, the TPi events team made up of Sara Walker, Hannah Eakins and Justin Gawne alongside GoTo

Live, transported guests into the throes of a dive bar aesthetic.

Alongside the contemporary look, this year saw the introduction of new suppliers, such as Epson and Quantum SFX, in collaboration with several familiar suppliers to the TPi Awards fold, which included; Robe, NEXO, Yamaha Professional Audio, Visual Edge, Sound of Music, Konnect Crew, MDG, TRUCKINGBY Brian Yeardley, ArKaos, GLD Productions, 3D Set Company, Hawthorn, ShowTex, and Transition Video.

On-stage ex-maths teacher turned TV comedian, Romesh Ranganathan, was on-hand as host come comparé of the TPi Awards. He performed in full comedic force to open the show, seamlessly working the room full of the live production industry’s finest.

GOTO LIVE Leading the production pack was GoTo Live’s Ryan Esson. This year marked Esson’s fourth year as Production Manager. The Yorkshireman took 30

PRODUCTION PROFILE

some time from his busy schedule to allow TPi to pick his brain about his relationship with the suppliers. “I’d like to thank all the suppliers because they make this event possible,” he went on to explain. “We kept on a lot of last year’s suppliers because of the comradery. Everybody had worked alongside each other on last year’s awards and it ran even more smoothly this time around, which is always a big highlight for me. In hindsight, it’s quite clear that each departments piece pulls together really nicely and it’s the best rendition of the event we’ve ever done since I’ve been involved, and it shows.”

Essential to the backbone of the show was crewing company Konnect Crew. With over 20 crew members on site supporting AV, set and stage and providing production runners of the event. Esson elaborated: “Konnect were primarily involved in the pre-production process and they’re a great help to everybody. their crew are fantastic as always.”

For Esson, the task was equal parts exhilarating and daunting. “We consistently strive to make each show run better than the last. Everybody from crew to camera guys and video providers to designers and operators are the top of their game but you’re in a room full of harsh judges and that keeps you on your toes really,” he mused. “In the first year, I questioned why we pushed to do this project because mistakes or problems crop up on every show. Thankfully, most of the time you’re the only person that notices at the TPi Awards there are 1,600 people like me in that room so the chances of nobody noticing a small, technical problem is heightened.”

Despite the pressure, Esson delineated: “The adrenaline rush I get is definitely a part of why the job is still exciting to me. As soon as the lights go down in the time between the opening VT - I get butterflies so it is by no means a paint by numbers exercise for GoTo Live.”

From fields, in the jungle or up a mountain, the GoTo Live team, made up of Project Coordinator, Jessica Webb; Project Assistant, Via Culpan; Production Coordinator, Chris Hill; Event Assistants, Ben Chatterton and

James Corderio work on a range of the UK’s best-known festivals and live productions, helping them to reach new heights each year. In addition, the crew produce a wider scope of events all over the world, from brand activations and product launches, to music projects and corporate awards shows.

Key to GoTo Live’s ethos is developing new people and nurturing talent in the industry. Esson elaborated: “We really love doing that. Via, our project coordinator, came to us through BIMM and now we have a contingent of volunteers from the music college working on this event and a range of projects with us.”

GoTo Live strive to develop young, hungry talent having worked in close collaboration with both at Production Futures and NRG. “Just under three years ago, Chris joined us and has since come along and is in an industry leading job like this, which is a testament to how we develop talent and provide a platform the next generation.”

On the TPi Awards show day, GoTo Live deployed a highly-skilled team to run the stage to an incredibly tight schedule, ensuring stage activity goes off without a hitch - providing event hosts throughout the evening to aid the guest experience.

“Even though this year was the biggest yet with people in the room, it felt eerily smooth. There were a few times I had to think ‘have I missed something?’ and it’s a good feeling to have because we work with such talented and in demand suppliers each year.”

Despite a landmark turnout, the project didn’t come without challenges.

“Each year is a challenge to bring everyone together and get a cohesive consensus of how we’re going to move forward and while that’s not a particularly technical challenge it’s an organisational and logistical challenge to do that. That’s where GoTo Live shows its value to the process.”

Esson explained that experience with the event “had given us team the foresight to navigate and plan demo, programming days and meetings,” 31

TPi AWARDS 2019

Event Assistant, Ben Chatterton; Hollie Doherty; Project Coordinator, Jessica Webb; Project Assistant, Via Culpan; Event Assistant, James Corderio.

Creative Video Design’s Jamie Baker; Transition Video Director, Rhodri Shaw; Nick Clark-Lowes of NCL Editor; Visual Edge’s Andy Taplin, GoTo Live’s Ryan Esson & Chris Hill.

he added: “I remember year one not thinking about that aspect until it was upon me. Now we work it into our timeline. That’s why GoTo Live work on projects year to year to refine and finesse them.”

startling element of surprise. Together with structural partner ShowTex, TPi looked for an exciting new way to kick off the event, while revealing the amazing new stage design to its audience. No better time to bring in the big guns and start the evening with a bang, as with the brand-new HiSpeed Reveal. The innovative reveal system, developed by ShowTex, smoothly and silently rolls-up lightweight drapes to spectacularly unveil anything you want. For this occasion, the swift roll-up was combined with the renowned ShowTex Kabuki drop system, not just to uncover the impressive new set design, but to reveal the entire ceremonial space in a blink of an eye.

A stylish black drape out of ShowTex Satinac Crunch separated the guests in the foyer and bar from the actual award venue at the start of the evening. When suddenly all lights went out and music started playing, everybody could sense something was about to happen, but nobody could have guessed the kick-off which followed. The Kabuki dropped the Satinac curtain, which instantly got sucked up by the HiSpeed Reveal, unveiling the impressive event venue behind it. As the 60m² Satinac drape disappeared in a split second, it seemed to be vanishing in thin air.

The HiSpeed reveal was carefully developed in-house by ShowTex and allows for great and unique reveal effects. The brand-new and high-tech roll-up system offers a ton of possibilities. Compatible with different kinds of light-weight fabrics, it can be used in different directions, suspended or grounded and features a unique configuration that makes the curtain ready to shoot in all possible directions. Furthermore, it is very straightforward to unroll the fabric during tests or after a show, using the handy slow feed function. ShowTex Marketing Manager Bo Bettens stated: “We were so proud to show the latest roll-up technology and unveiling effects to the entertainment industry, leaving them with a lasting impression. Congrats to all the winners! We look forward to next year’s show already!”

THE WELCOME PARTY Upon entry at Battersea Evolution, guests were greeted by an up-lit line of trucks from transport supplier TRUCKINGBY Brian Yeardley. In total, the company provided 3 production trucks comprising of 2 45ft Mega Cubes and a 26-tonne ridged truck. Each of the vehicles were Euro 6 low emission eco-friendly engines, as well as being FORS for London Transport Silver accredited.

Kevin Hopper, Managing Director of TRUCKING Brian Yeardley commented: “It was great to be asked to do the production trucking for the 2019 TPi Awards again this year and be involved with such a successful well organised awards ceremony for the industry, GoTo Live put together a great spectacle and the presentation just seems to get better every year and for TRUCKINGBY to run off with Favourite Trucking Company made our night complete.”

Bringing the heat to Battersea, Quantum Special Effects supplied 6 Wireless Galaxis G flames for the event, wowing guests as they entered the venue. Mick Fletcher, QSFX Project Manager exclaimed: “As 2019 sees Quantum Special Effects 10-year anniversary we were keen to attend the prestigious awards ceremony to showcase our proven decade of industry leading special effects. We were over the moon to be chosen to supply the special effects and it was an honour to play a special part in the event.

Despite not walking away with an award, we endeavour to take the crown next year!”

Esson said: “We always thought that additional production touches to the outdoor area, adding an extra layer of drama, makes all the difference.

Ultimately, we want people to have an experience from the arrival all the way down to the departure of the event.”

This year’s TPi Awards called for something completely different: a

VIDEO The visual elements of the TPi Awards were very much a showcase in crosscompany collaboration; Transition Video provided the LED infrastructure 32

TPi AWARDS 2019

and the camera package in conjunction with Polecam.

“Working on the TPi Awards is always a bit of a nerve wrecking experience!” exclaimed Rhodri Shaw, Transition Video Director. “You have all of those industry professionals that are at the top of their game in the audience watching the show, everything has to be perfect.”

Having been video supplier for the fourth consecutive year meant that the crew were familiar with the production team and understood the brief, as Shaw explained: “We’ve worked with the guys at GoTo Live for a number of years on various other events, so working on a high end, top pressure show like this was made a little easier.”

Esson retraced his history with Transition Video. “I’ve got a really good relationship and I’ve never been let down by them. They’re always improving the people and their equipment. I always find that company’s like Transition Video that provide a whole service - screens and cameras - can see the end product better and they can envisage what it’s going to look like as a whole piece.”

The upstage and banner LED was made up of ROE BP3 3mm LED panels, while the LED floor comprised ROE Visual Black Marble 4mm LED panels.

Visual Edge and NCL Editor produced the video content, brought in by Jamie Baker of Creative Video Design.

Shaw stated: “It was great to work with Visual Edge and NCL Editor on the content element of the show,” he concluded: “We also brought in Jamie Baker of Creative Video Design to look after media servers and he fitted in well with the team and ensured the show ran seamlessly.”

Esson commended the video content. “I loved the opening VT this year. Visual Edge did a great job with content which reflected the theme of the event, they foster a great attention to detail and they’re amazing at delivering their job is invaluable to that show,” he continued. “I really loved the subtle elements that made a big different like the transition from neon dive bar to the wooden panel effect. To be honest, there are thousands of little touches in the VT, such as replicating Romesh’s beard on the neon skull that made it so special.”

Green Hippo Hippotizer Taiga+ joined a handsome collection of equipment and ensured that operator Jamie Baker had access to the level of real-time technical excellence required to impress a technically savvy audience.

In addition to the pair of Green Hippo Taiga+, Baker’s set-up also included: three Rosendahl Studiotechnik MIF4 professional MIDI Timecode interfaces; a CVD Reaper digital audio workstation; a custom Akai controller; and a lot of ROE Visual LED screen - quite a collection.

As per the event aesthetic, one of GoTo Live’s ideas was to replicate the TPi Awards logo skull and wings of the TPi Awards 2019 logo with the ROE Visual LED screen. “We could have masked the wings in software in processing but to get a better effect if the look was achieved physically so you couldn’t see blanked out video panels.” To achieve this, 3D Set Company at “the very last minute” constructed some flats that were cut into the shape of the wings. Esson enthused: “It was another layer of detail that contributed to the overall production.”

Reflecting on the event, Baker said: “We used the timeline component extensively on this show, as everything was scripted it was easy to duplicate awards timelines and reinsert them with different media ensuring perfect consistency on playback. Using pin bridge and multi controller for the mapping of cues and certain specials aspects of the show really made this project a breeze.”

The stage design boasted an LED thrust, marrying on-screen visuals, which award winners, presenters and Ranganathan could make use of. “The addition of the ROE panels on the floor allowed us to change the shape of the stage and the dynamics of the comedian’s performance onstage and the room itself.”

The camera package comprised 3 Ikegami HDK 79 EX II Broadcast camera channels, 3 Panasonic AW-UE70 4K PTZ cameras. This year also marked the debut of the Polecam SkyJib, which instead of being mounted on the floor was mounted on the roof. Shaw explained: “The SkyJib is a remote operated jib that is flown above the audience, so you can get those

DIAMOND DM2.6 THE BEST LED SCREEN NOW WITHIN YOUR REACH

Looking for an excellent small-pitch LED display? The Diamond DM2.6 LED screen offers an affordable solution with a vivid viewing experience. The Diamond DM2.6 screens caters for visual brilliance and a flawless finish in a lightweight panel. The impeccable quality makes it the ideal choice for corporate and live event solutions.

Diamond DM2.6 - Cost-effective and cutting-edge LED design and technology.

Interested? Request a demo.

33

ROE VISUAL EUROPE Leek, The Netherlands www.roevisual.com europe@roevisual.com

TPi AWARDS 2019

Owen Yelland, Georgia Wren, Nathan Wan, Espen Karlsen, Tomáš Kohout, Ben Linwood & Jasmine Williams.

Bottom Row: Alex Merrett and Andy Webb.

lovely jimmy jib crowd shots you can’t normally get when space is an issue.”

Esson added: “This allowed for more floor space for tables and gave a completely different perspective combined with the runway allowed us to pick out some really cool angles of the winners walk up to the stage.

Transition Video see the whole picture, they’re not just providing camera tool alongside their video tools which allows us to think more holistically about how it’s going to looks like on the night for the audience.”

For control, a Blackmagic ATEM 2m/e PPU live production switcher was specified.

Robe utilised the event to give NRG (Next Robe Generation) initiative students the opportunity to work hands-on during a pressured, high-profile gig and join the experienced Robe production team onsite. Esson said: “The fact that Robe are willing to support the event with the amount of lighting and new products is brilliant. Working with Robe has been a massive advantage and I can see parallels between the way GoTo Live and Next Robe Generation.”

Wan, who was tasked with lighting the event for the third time, picked up the story: “We totally appreciate this is a high pressure, high profile opportunity for students to get involved in when they are still in the midst of their studies, but we love the fact that those who took on the roles rose to the challenge. Their overall approach to the project and the roles we gave them was exceptional – and their enthusiasm to present their design and technical skills to a ‘highly opinionated’ audience was contagious.”

This year’s team of six NRG crew included Alex Merrett, in his final year at University of South Wales, Owen Yelland also in his final year from Rose Bruford College, Ben Linwood from Guildford School of Acting and Espen Karlsen from Rose Bruford College. It was also encouraging to welcome two female crew members – Jasmine Williams, a final year student from Royal Welsh College Music & Drama and LIPA’s Georgia Wren.

Yelland, who reprised his role as Systems Tech for the production. He said he “didn’t think twice about applying” for the latest TPi Awards. He explained: “I saw it as a further opportunity to expand my experience of looking after the systems being used on the event, and to work for a second time with Kling-Net by ArKaos. In addition to which I was head RoboSpot operator and so I now have hands-on experience of configuring the RoboSpots – I can honestly say I was bowled over by how easy they are to set up and operate – what a great piece of kit!”

The challenges of lighting the space included dealing with the low headroom, especially with the amount of production in the space as well as being judged by the who’s who of the technical production industry in the room.

To this end, four long diagonally flown lighting trusses were installed in the roof, following the contours of the ‘winged’ video screen design, meeting up in the centre of the room, and Wan approached it as a multi-

VIDEO MAPPING In the bar area, a 3m x 6m x 3m box designed by 3D Set Company, which has featured in the last three TPi Awards, was hung above the main bar.

Impressive video mapping was once again achieved by sponsor, ArKaos who projected 7680 X180 pixels content via 4 Epson EB-L25000U 25K Laser Projectors from a 4K ArKaos Professional Media Server. An additional Avolites TigerTouch II console ran ArKaos Kling-Net protocol to pixel map 16 Robe Tarrantulas and other pixel-fixtures. Esson quipped: “The combination of quality between Epson’s projection equipment and the technical knowhow of ArKaos was brilliant.”

As sponsors of the Awards, NEXO and Yamaha have also provided a fullbodied STM Series system for the after-show DJ session, to entertain and delight those still standing after the main event.

In addition to illuminating the main space, two other areas were also imaginatively lit for the occasion – the reception / foyer and Robe’s own VIP room which proved popular for special guests. While Vari-Lite also provided a neon-style bar area, along with rolling out the Neon Sign Glow Stick Challenge entrants at its bar area.

VISUALS The lighting rig was a Robe spectacular, with over 300 fixtures specified

by Robe’s in-house Lighting Designer Nathan Wan and Associate LD Andy Webb to ensure that over 1,600 attendees and TPi Awards winners were treated to a dazzling visual extravaganza, working in close collaboration with Visual Certainty.

34

PROUD VIDEO SUPPLIER TO THE TPI AWARDS 2019 LED Screens | Video Projection | HD Cameras & PPUs Creative Video Design | Experienced Touring Crew info@transitionvideo.com | +44 (0) 207 101 3942 | www.transitionvideo.com

TPi AWARDS 2019

zoned space, with a nucleus of fixtures in the middle area that was available to pull the visual focus to the stage at any time.

Sixty Robe MegaPointes and 50 Robe Spiiders were at the heart of the rig chosen for their versatility and multi-functionality, giving Wan plenty of variety for the big spectacular signature looks. While 50 of Robe’s new SuperSpikies were also light sources on the rig, and these were used for making razor-sharp beamy contrasts and accents cutting across the washes together with 64 Robe LEDBeam 150s.

Vital and elegant key lighting was provided by 20 of Robe’s new T1 Profiles, an LED source with a rich high-quality output and a range of excellent tuneable whites – among other features – that are perfect for camera.

“Overall coverage of the room was also tricky and required lots of detail” elucidated Wan. “It’s very easy to go with what you know works, but we make every effort to push the parameters each year.”

Four Robe BMFL Blades running as a RoboSpot remote controlled follow spot system were positioned around the room, each optimised for pick-ups in their particular quarters of the room, so those accepting Awards could be easily picked up as soon as they stood up from their tables and followed on and offstage.

In the reception area, the Robe crew worked with ArKaos who provided the dynamic video mapped central screens forming a large box above the bar. This also dictated the positioning of the lighting trusses and the fixture choice by Espen and Linwood, who deployed a combination of Pointes, MegaPointes and Tarrantulas – Robe’s biggest LED wash beam.

This ensured they could get the bright-and-ballsy ambience needed for this space, the hub of the pre-show anticipation and excitement.

Upstairs in the Robe VIP area, Williams and Wren created a total contrast with a tranquil and more sophisticated environment to provide respite from the freneticism and action of the main room.

Lighting control for the main room was an Avolites Arena console running with a TigerTouch II as backup, with TigerTouch’s in both the Bar / Reception area and Robe VIP. Mick Hannaford, Managing Director Robe UK continues to be impressed by the calibre of the NRG students who take on the roles at TPi. He commented: “NRG is now an established and growing community for the next generation of young technicians. This is the third year we have offered some NRG crew members the opportunity to get involved in this high-

profile industry event. It is an extremely important showcase for Robe, and so we are putting our faith in their skills and abilities. And every year they have exceeded our expectations. I am struck by their enthusiasm, their maturity, their energy and their knowledge. They are determined, and they are focussed on their career choice. It provides a sense of confidence that our industry’s future is in good hands.”

Wan had the final word. He said: “Working with the young technicians who are engaged with NRG has been a pleasure – they have been inspiring themselves – with their energy and their determination. They brought fresh perspectives and vitality to the team and I wish them luck in their future careers.”

MDG supplied the ATMospherics for the awards evening with theONE. MDG’s Matt Wiseman said: “theONE uses MDG neutral fluid and because of this combination it enables the output of a super even haze without residue, which means it compliments the large number of lighting fixtures and gives good transparency allowing the guests to see clearly what’s going on up front, where the main action is.”

MDG also deployed its Ice Fog Compack - HP to provide low fog for the stage entrance. “Because the ice fog really chills the fog by using liquid Co2, it stays low to the ground so the performer isn’t surrounded or obscured by fog,” Wiseman added.

AUDIO The TPi Awards sonic experience was delivered by the audio production team from Derby-based rental house, Sound of Music, in conjunction with NEXO and Yamaha. The collective bravely returned for the second year running to face an audience of its peers, debuting a brand-new PA system in the event space.

Esson commented how Sound of Music was exemplary through a series of trying conditions. “For all of the great things about Battersea Evolution, one of the most challenging things is its location in central London because there are some fairly difficult noise restrictions and external noise parameters, that we as a client, have to contend with on the night, and because the stage position was different this year we had to move around the speakers and line them up a different way.”

The TPi Awards marked the second time Esson and the GoTo Live team had collaborated with the audio supplier, though the PM was more than complimentary about the service they provided. He stated: “Sound 36

TPi AWARDS 2019

of Music’s expertise coupled with the quality of the sound system itself is vital to making sure the event meets its sound requirements as well as the audience’s. A great sounding show makes the difference from guests having a good night or not.”

NEXO’s latest line array system, the GEO M12, was unveiled to the world at NAMM 2019. To provide coverage throughout the full width of the Battersea Evolution big-top, Sound of Music utilised a smaller line array module from NEXO’s GEO M Series – the M10 and M6 systems to handle delays and fill duties – and S118 subs from the STM family. The show was mixed on a Yamaha CL5 digital console by Toby Chevis from Sound of Music.

Those who attended Daytime TPi had the pleasure of listening to NEXO’s compact M6 line arrays, while the lucky VIP guests got up close and personal with the ID Series speakers in the exclusive AAA bar.

Esson went on to praise the inclusion of NEXO’s latest technologies. “It’s such a crucial part of it. Almost on every level, being able to experiment and debut new technology and products on this gig is still so exciting to be a part of the production process.”

for lighting. In addition, Barco S3 Event Master processor, a laptop for PowerPoint, backgrounds in addition to stage comfort monitors.

The On Event Production team was made up of Sound Engineer, Ryan Berry (Sound of Music); Video/Lighting Engineer: Chris ThorntonSmith (On), Five Star Crew with freighting delivered by TRUCKINGBY Brian Yeardley.

ONTO THE NEXT ONE… With 27 awards down and a sea of champagne bottles sunk, the 2019 Awards officially called it a night. A familiar outcome at the TPi Awards in recent years, GoTo Live and the merry band of suppliers excelled in their showcasing of the creative limits of the brief. “Overall, it was another successful year and we achieved what we set out to do. I really enjoyed it. We love working with Mondiale Media on the TPi Awards, which has become a flagship event for GoTo Live.

“It’s not an exaggeration to say it’s a project we’ve started to build the company around – almost everybody who works for us strives to work on this project,” Esson concluded. “It’s the most fun, production-focussed job we get to play on really.”

TPi Photos: TPi, Lindsay Cave & Joe Okpako www.tpiawards.com www.gotolive.co.uk www.brianyeardley.com/truckingby/ www.transitionvideo.com www.robe.cz www.pahire.com www.visualedge.media www.nexo-sa.com www.yamaha.com/2/proaudio/ www.on-productions.co.uk www.mdgfog.com

DAYTIME TPi In addition to sounding the Awards ceremony, Sound of Music provided 6 NEXO Geo 6, a NEXO 4x1, a Yamaha QL5 mixing desk for control and 6 Ways of Sennheiser G3-300 Radio Mics to the Daytime TPi event.

Lighting was supplied and achieved by a range of Chauvet Professional fixtures. In particular, 5m x 2m F3 LED Video Wall with VIP Drive 43Nova processor; 4 Maverick MK2 Spots; 8 Maverick MK2 Washes.

Daytime TPi Production Manager Adam Dewhurst (On Event Productions) commented: “On have a great working relationship with Chauvet and have worked with them several times within this kind of arrangement, where they provide kit and we install/operate/breakdown.”

On Event Productions also supplied 20ft x 8ft Litedeck stage finished with carpet and felt covered fascia, a ground support to video wall, a truss

AS SEEN AT THE TPI AWARDS

The ultimate element of surprise

Is called HiSpeed-Reveal!

Discover this ultra-fast reveal system on our website! Morpheus, Macau © Activation Group - Hong Kong T: 0032 3 236 84 40 // HELLO @ SHOWTEX.COM // WWW.SHOWTEX.COM 37

GEORGE EZRA In line with the undeniable popularity of his first two albums, the English singer/songwriter croons his way through sold out UK arenas, serenading audiences with his trademark bass baritone singing voice. TPi’s Jacob Waite gets the full story...

PRODUCTION PROFILE

With two number one albums under his belt and an established name in the UK music charts, you’d be forgiven for forgetting George Ezra’s latest live offering was his inaugural headline arena tour, performed entirely from the comfort of his on-stage living room.

However, in the four years since the release of his debut album, Wanted on Voyage, the 25-year-old has encountered a tremendous rise in popularity. The Hertford boy has successfully transitioned from academy venues to headlining festivals, selling out arenas across the continent and scooping the highly coveted title of Best Male Solo Artist at the 2019 BRIT Awards. His second studio album, Staying at Tamara’s, was Britain’s bestselling album of 2018. You’ll already know its third track, Shotgun, was the biggest hit of the summer, spending four non-consecutive weeks at number one in the UK Singles Chart.

“Shotgun is one of the reasons we’re sitting here today,” declared Production Manager, Jake Vernum as he greeted TPi at the Manchester Arena, several dates deep into the UK tour. Vernum was initially brought in by Tour Manager, Trevor Plunkett to tech a lighting system for the artist’s academy tour in early 2018, shortly after that he made the astronomic leap to the role of a Production Manager

assigned with the task of guiding an ever-expanding Ezra entourage.

“The campaign started in academy venues and each night he was increasingly sought after,” he mused. “In the blink of an eye, he was selling out arena shows and headlining festivals all over the world.”

Absent of regular interjections from frantic crewmembers, the uncharacteristically static door of the Manchester Arena production office reflected the relaxed nature of the George Ezra camp. “I like to keep a positive attitude across the tour and ensure that we have a happy crew, I like to think of this as a well-oiled machine when everyone is happy and I believe that the machine runs best when your crew are at their happiest,” Vernum reasoned. “If people are unhappy it isn’t going to move as well or as efficiently as it could.

People management can be challenging, but it’s a huge part of the role and you have to get on with it and do your best.”

When it came to suppliers, Vernum doffed his hardhat to reputable suppliers such as Lite Alternative that provided the lighting and rigging elements. PRG that supplied video, while All Access Staging & Productions UK and Popcorn Catering joined the fray. KB Event and Phoenix Bussing handled logistics and transport. Whereas Bryte Design were brought in to formulate the show design.

Having provided a rolling stage, tech wings, onstage rake, and

GEORGE EZRA

performer risers, as well as a crew of onsite professionals. Matthew Bull, All Access Staging & Productions UK Sales Manager commented: “It has been fantastic working with a new client and the relationship has grown as we progressed through the project. All the reviews have been amazing. It has been a great pleasure working on the tour. The hard work put in from everyone has paid off.”

On site crew communication was achieved by Motorola GP340 twoway radios from Radiotek, while a Clear-Com HelixNet Digital Network Partyline System with multiple HMS-4X base stations was used for show communication. Audio coverage was split between Adlib for PA and Stylus Productions who provided a control package and audio infrastructure.

This was helpful throughout the process as we have a great design team that are also considering how we were going to build the show along every step of the way,” he added. “We also had a week of rehearsals at Production Park which helped iron out any creases.”

As show designers, Bryte Design were tasked with translating George Ezra’s vision for the tour into a functioning production design, including staging, lighting, set design, visual content, props and special effects.

Carter elaborated: “We studied all of the songs from his first two albums.

We treated them like a libretto, analysing what they were conveying and trying to brainstorm what could support them visually, be it video, lighting or set.”

To prepare, Smith and Carter, along with the latest addition to the Bryte Design team – Set Designer, Flora Harvey - watched and read countless interviews about George Ezra and his music to connect and relate with him as a musician. “We immersed ourselves in his music and engaged fully with the brief, so that we could produce an honest design of the story he wanted to tell,” Harvey informed TPi. When it came to show design, George Ezra was hands-on as Carter outlined: “He knew he wanted to create a living room onstage and make it feel like every audience member in the arena was onstage with the band and to create a really intimate atmosphere. He also knew he wanted the show to start at sunrise and track the course of a day. A combination of this creative direction and narrative made it a really interesting and exciting brief for us.”

A nod to the comfortable, living room aesthetic, the stage was adorned with several decorative lampshades – large and small, house plants and Persian rugs. During the set, a Kabuki drape formed a wallpaper behind a back wall of three windows with floodlights and impressive video content aplenty, which reflected the morning portion of the show. It was a day in the life of George Ezra and all 20,000 plus screaming fans are invited.

PRETTY SHINING SHOW DESIGN Opening the show, IMAG screens made up of Absen 5mm LED panels showcased a digital clock reading 06:59 left and right of the stage. As it turned 7:00, a recording of Radio 1 Breakfast Show host Greg James – a fellow Hertfordshire native – introduced George Ezra, who took to the stage illuminated by considered lighting and his own childlike glee.

“Everything is pitch perfect in a musical and visual sense on this show. The audience get an amazing show for a great ticket price. There are magical moments packed with good music and beautiful content throughout the show,” Vernum elucidated.

Nevertheless, it takes a lot of hard work for this effortless display, the PM confirmed, highlighting timing as a challenge. Show Designers Mike Smith and Cate Carter of Bryte Design were brought in “quite late in the day” to formulate the aesthetics of the show. Vernum explained: “By the time we got the drawings back, it was mid-January, so we only had a month to put the show together. However, having Bryte on board was one less thing to worry about. Bryte Design come with heaps of touring experience and boasts a great technical department as well as being fantastic designers.

40

GEORGE EZRA

The Kabuki drape dropped to reveal a back wall of lighting and a whole new dimension of the show.

The synchronicity between the show design, lighting and video departments was a result of Bryte Design’s ethos of approaching projects as a collective to ensure a visually coherent show, a convention that was very much employed in the George Ezra camp.

Thus, lighting the way on the road was Dom Adams who has worked with Bryte Design on a number of projects. “The nice thing about the way the company operate is that Mike and Cate have done a treatment and mood board per song and it’s left for Joe Lott [Media Server Programmer] and I to program something to go alongside it. Typically, a lot of operators are told to click buttons whereas we’re given creative freedom within guidelines to make something brilliant or tweak it accordingly.”

The show was pre-visualised in WYSIWYG lighting software beforehand, which gave Adams “a lot of free reign” in developing his initial programming. “Having worked with Cate before, I’ve got an eye for what she does and doesn’t like so it’s been easy to collaborate and modify things.”

Total Fabrications provided custom built aluminium window frames, complete with one way mirrored Perspex riveted onto each frame to form the base of the set with each window positioned equidistant from Ezra on stage. Flown slightly upstage of the windows were ROE Visual MC7 LED screen panels.

Vernum told TPi the creative concept was a living room, he added: “When you look at the windows, you don’t see the black video screen, you see a reflection. You can shine lights at them and the designers have managed to create some amazing effects.”

Rigging for the windows and the video was another part of the show that needed a collaborative outlook. This time for rigging purposes between set and video. The three windows and screens were hung across 18 points in total that needed to be both motor upwards and in specific places. Instead of hanging 18 points of rigging and motors for the set at each venue, Vernum outlined the approach. “The solution was to use Lite

Alternatives LAD pre-rig truss as a mother grid and sub hang the motors inside it. This meant that we had a super quick and a solution that was tidy and efficient.”

Carter walked TPi through the discussion process behind the set design.

“George had specifically asked to have Victorian sash windows within the set to give it a homely feel. We were really excited about the challenge of using these objects within a show and for it to feel cosy but for it to still read as a pop concert, so we played around with scale and the various ways in which they could be used; we wanted them to be versatile and to be a focal point of the show.”

The three windows were utilised to mirror light. In one striking scene, a spotlight from the window highlights the George Ezra. “The three windows generate some nice effects for Barcelona. The content is almost like a ray of light coming through, which we simulated by bouncing light off the window and making use of the IMAG screens to reflect George,” Adams said, dubbing the effect “lovely”.

Carter added: “We designed the windows to feature a two-way reflective mirror surface and with LED screen behind them. When the LED was off the windows reflected the audience, George was really keen to make this an immersive show so with the audience being able to see themselves reflected on stage they would feel part of the performance.

Then when the screens played any video content of live content from the show the mirror became invisible and the stage was instantly animated.”

Specialz created three giant custom lampshades featuring Par CP95 and custom LED fittings to illustrate the soft, homely and intimate feel of the set design. Three half-tonne Liftkets running on Kinesys vector motion control system for automation were used to fly the lampshades. An innovative, never seen before concept, Vernum explained the inner workings of the props: “Each lampshade is complete with both downlights to light the stage and LED RGBW tape to colour the lampshade itself”.

In addition to the lampshades, 4D Chinese lanterns manufactured

by Fisheye created a series of “never seen before effects” in a live gig

41

GEORGE EZRA

environment.

All 48 lanterns were coated in fireproof parachute fabric and handmade by an old-school sewing machine. With only 10 days to develop the unique lanterns, Fisheye CEO Kris Goubert reflected: “This kind of rock ‘n’ roll job is exactly what Pieter, our technician, loves.”

Vernum outlined the concept: “Each lantern has an LED ring around it with a Multi Cell RGBW LED fixture, in order to accurately replicate the flickering light output of authentic Chinese lanterns.”

Carter talked about the thought process behind the lantern gags. “We wanted to create a moment that reflected the songs we’d been studying.

By analysing the content of the songs, we interpreted that a lot of them addressed and explored anxiety and the issues of the world we live in yet were played with positive, resolving overtones. We wanted to mirror this interpreted content visually.”

All 48 lanterns were deployed from trusses both over the audience and overstage using Wahlberg DMX winches. “It’s a special moment in the show.

The fixtures were travelled in pre-rig truss and are designed with a built-in magnet to close them up into a travel position. Each lantern featured a custom drape hide so that the audience couldn’t see them until they were deployed,” Vernum furthered.

Harvey elucidated: “We felt that the lanterns complimented the resolving part of this process, acting as the light in the dark. Hold My Girl is the first song in which the lanterns are used, from which we inferred the message, ‘it’s okay not to be okay, and being there for a loved one’. The lanterns reach out into the audience, creating an immersive, beautiful and connective moment between viewers and the performance itself. As the brief specified no B stage or cat walk but wanted something immersive, we thought the lanterns would suit this perfectly.”

Aerially, the lighting rig was built on three rows of truss. A total of 40 Harman MAC Viper Profiles made up the back wall and floor. Overhead boasted 26 Claypaky Scenius Unicos and 34 TMB Solaris Flares were situated on both trusses and on the floor, utilised for both its strobe effect and wash fixture capabilities. “We sidelight the band with 10 MAC Aura XBs

at shin kicker height and a further 22 on the audience trusses to enhance the stage,” commented Adams.

Moreover, the Lighting Director praised the tour’s lighting and rigging supplier. “The MAC Viper Profiles on the back wall played a big role in the eye candy, while the Flares are great for the hits and accents. Unfortunately, when Vipers aren’t looked after you can tell. However, as soon as we got to Production Park and turned on the Vipers Lite Alternative provided, we saw they were crisp, bright and well maintained. It was so refreshing. All of their kit is wonderful, and they’ve been good at troubleshooting.”

A total of 12 Claypaky Sharpys along the second truss were over rigged to “provide further aerial effects” which Adams said, “makes the set feel and look bigger by bringing the lights up to the audience”. A further 12 MAC Viper Performances for the band and “a bit of front fill” handled the front truss key light for George Ezra.

Carter interjected: “The Claypaky Scenius are a brilliant profile fixture, packing plenty of punch and beautiful optics for those tight beam looks and big gobo breakups.”

Also, on the rig were 2 Robe BMFL Robospot remote follow spot systems should the singer move around stage, a likelihood Adams measured as “fairly minimal.”

A litany of GLP fixtures also provided big looks, including 36 GLP impression X4 Bar 10s and 36 x GLP impression X4 Bar 20s. Meanwhile, 50 Molefay 2 lights and 19 Molefay 4 lights provided additional illumination.

“The GLP X4 20 Bars allowed us to both illuminate the living room wallpaper based on George’s artwork and create light curtain effects,” Carter stated.

At FOH, Adams operated 2 MA Lighting grandMA2 full sizes for lighting control along with a grandMA2 Lite at dimmers which he purposed for “tech’ing while loading in or as a backup should anything happen to the multi at FOH”. Thankfully, he smiles, it’s never happened. It’s probably the reason MA Lighting has been his go-to console for the last three years.

During the show Adams made use of timecode to transition through various scenic elements of the show. “Timecode really helps because, even though the setlist doesn’t vary, the lighting levels from venue to venue do.

42

he only you need

GEORGE EZRA

FOH Engineer, Mike Timm; Monitor Engineer, Oliver Weeks; Systems Engineer, James Coghlan; Video Director, Phil Woodhead; Lighting Director, Dom Adams; Media Server Programmer, Joe Lott.

It makes the show a lot easier to run.” On whether timecode hinders the human aspect, Adams “would argue not”, because he is “still hands-on and controlling things mid show, such as balancing key light and using audience Molefay” to improve the picture where necessary. Timecode is key to achieving continuity and every crowd should get to experience the same level of show. Obviously, there are elements throughout, such as drum stabs and snare hits, which are timecoded to make sure they’re perfectly timed and link in with certain video accents.”

But it’s part and parcel of a great audience experience, Adams reflected: “The show attracts a wide array of people who can all sing along to the music. It’s been a wonderful production to be a part of. Every night is a sell-out and the crowd love it. George interacts with the crowd a lot through stories of the songs are taken on a journey through the setlist.”

“It’s nice to be in a team where everyone’s creative ideas are in the pot together.”

Shooting content for the IMAG screens as well as live feeds showcased in all three windows, Woodhead walked TPi through the aesthetic requirements. Firstly, there’s what he calls “the money shot” in which “George is strutting his stuff with beautiful light behind.” But they also need to include the band, he continued. “We’re looking for really nice, clear, considered shots. They don’t have to create urgency as the music does that for us. You have to work out how to make it tidy but exciting. The brass section come and dance, as does the keyboard player, so it’s easy to film.

You just need to be aware of George’s needs, as we try to make sure every shot reflects the positive vibe.”

The visual elements of the show combined a mixture of custom animated content with the integration of multiple live camera feeds.

The design of the content was led by Carter and Pablo Beckett of Bryte Design, who worked closely with content production houses: Observatory, Atticus Finch, Northouse Films and Fabrique Fantastique to deliver the visuals – which under the creative direction of Bryte Design’s in-house team – resulted in an interesting and diverse range of content, while simultaneously sticking to a coherent theme. Simon Harris of Bryte Design coordinated the delivery of the content alongside Media Server Programmer Joe Lott. “With constant revisions and updates coming during production rehearsals from the five different creators there was a lot of data to manage,” Lott explained.

Everything was programmed to timecode on MA Lighting grandMA2 consoles for video control, which during the show allowed Lott to “focus on balancing the visuals”, he continued: “I’m constantly making adjustments to the brightness, contrast and colour of the camera feeds to balance them within the entire stage picture.”

SPECTACULAR RIVAL In the FOH hot seat was Video Director, Phil Woodhead of TouringMiniCams, who told TPi the creative team designed the IMAG style early in the design process by “choosing a long form style of show rather than effects as it suits the music and the vibe”. Indeed, he added, Ezra’s tours are “very relaxed”, an atmosphere everyone enjoys which is filtered down “from above”.

But that’s not to say the crew isn’t working hard to make a great show for audiences.

Woodhead noted: “I’ve never seen venues this packed in my twenty-odd years. Even behind FOH it has was packed. Glasgow was unbelievable – I’d never seen that many people. It’s such a diverse demographic too, ranging from 8-year-olds to people in their 80s.”

The VD outlined the role of video on the “colourful and varied” tour saying it “either contrasts or compliments the lighting”. Subscribing to the notion that two – or five – heads are better than one, Woodhead continued: 44

GEORGE EZRA

Production Manager, Jake Vernum & Stage Manager, Toby Dennis; Popcorn Catering’s Carla Morris & Steffy Head.

Lott manned the show via 2 Green Hippo Boreal+ media servers. Lott explained: “The Green Hippo Boreal+ servers have been great on this project. The hardware allows us to take in four SDI camera feeds while introducing minimal delay to the signal flow. Hippotizer also gives us lots of flexibility in how we can manipulate and control the assets we bring into the server. With only a selection of songs having fully custom content I worked with Cate and Phil to bring together custom assets and the multiple

camera feeds to create the visual backdrop for various songs in the set.

“I found myself really utilising the colour blocks feature on Hippo. This allowed me to break up the sections of the window frames into individual blocks which I could control from the MA2 as if they were an RGB lighting fixture, giving me the ability to build effects to mask and reveal the content within the sections of the window frames. Something that we use multiple times throughout the show.”

• Event Production Managers • Event Project Managers • Crew Chiefs • Event Crew • Stagehands • Steelhands • Production Runners and Drivers • Festival and Concert Site Managers

OUR STRENGTH IS YOUR SUPPORT • Specialist Drivers (counterbalance, scissor lift and telehandler operators, 7.5 ton truck drivers) • Follow spot operators • 1st AID, PASMA, CSCS & SPA certified • Vehicle, Plant and equipment rental service Locals in the UK and Europe 45

GEORGE EZRA

The camera setup comprised 86x long lenses at FOH with 2 Sony cameras in the pit on a track and dolly using 24x lenses. On stage there was a single handheld camera with wide-angle lens and 3 Marshall HD lipstick cams on the drums and keyboards, supplied by TMC and an Agile PTZ camera.

Lott explained the huge camera selection gave way to “a mix of close up shots” including “George in the centre flagged by reaction shots of the audience”, as well as musicians in the band and support vocalists.

For control, Woodhead turned to a Ross Carbonite switcher and thanked PRG for supplying the kit and crew. He concluded: “It’s a beautifully crafted show. Speaking from a creative standpoint, it’s a considered light show with a couple of little gags that look really nice. Expect to see him rocking out as well. It has a great rhythm. You can see the audience bouncing and it can be infectious. It’s inoffensive, easy to listen to, and I love it. I’m always tapping my foot.”

Lott echoed Woodhead’s sentiments: “It’s a big scale pop show but it feels like you’re sitting in George’s living room listening to him play from morning to night, surrounded by standing lamps and a gramophone.”

MGO. The Ferrofish A/D – D/A converter also fed 2 UAD Apollo Quads via ADAT running plugins for inserts on drums, guitars and brass inputs/groups.

Timm said: “I’m mainly using the UAD Distressors, Sonnox Dynamic Eq, Neve & API channels and Studer A800 tape emulation.”

The Ferrofish A/D – D/A converter was connected via its analogue i/o to an IGS S-type compressor for the drum subgroup, an Elysia Xpressor > Elysia Xfilter for the band subgroup and a DBX160X for the bass. All the 500 series units were housed in a Radial Engineering workhorse rack. The analogue outs of the Ferrofish also fed an SPX990 for snare reverbs and an old MOTU MTP AV to convert SMPTE to MIDI timecode. “The MGO is used with Waves Multirack and a redundant pair of servers for backing vocal, brass and key groups and a couple of H-Reverbs for Toms and BVs and H-Delay for George’s vocal,” Timm explained.

George Ezra’s vocal chain was achieved via an analogue line from stage through XTA DS800 – which boosted level and reduced noise in the 150m multicore – to a Focusrite ISA220, a Lindell Audio 7X500 VIN compressor and finally, a BSS DPR901 MK1. An additional Lexicon PCM-91 connected via the console’s AES ports was dedicated to Ezra’s vocal reverb.

Timm delineated: “Each song runs to timecode to which I sync a PC running Cubase to send MIDI program changes to the SPX990, PCM-91 and Waves Multirack which runs on the same PC. It also sends Timecode to the SD12 and MIDI program changes to the SD12 to fire some macros. The console had at least one snapshot per song, each of which fires at preset timecode events, mainly for mutes and the odd VCA ride.”

The FOH Engineer utilised a DiGiCo SD12, sharing an SD-Rack and an SD-Nano Rack with monitors via Optocore at 48k. “The SD12 has a Waves DMI card which I use to record around 60 channels to a Macbook Pro for virtual soundcheck and to give the MD a board mix with added ambient mics to review,” he stated, gesturing to the mixing console.

As per Timm’s request, Adlib supplied L-Acoustics ‘racks-and-stacks’ to

LISTEN TO THE MAN Making sure the sonic pace and quality reflected the buzz surrounding George Ezra was Mike Timm, a veteran sound engineer who has worked with the likes of Pulp and James and Richard Hawley, to name but a few.

Timm picked up the story: “This is probably the most pop thing I’ve ever done, in that I’ve never worked with a band which plays the same setlist every night,” he reminisced. “It’s also the first time I’ve done something where it all runs to timecode because there’s a lot of automation and programming involved.”

A Directout Technologies Split.converter connected to both MADI ports on the SD12. Port A fed a Ferrofish A16 Ultra Mk2, while port B fed a DiGiGrid 46

OWN THE ROOM www.digico.biz DiGiCo UK Ltd. Unit 10 Silverglade Business Park, Leatherhead Road Chessington, Surrey KT9 2QL. Tel: +44 (0) 1372 845600

Quantum SD7 Total Production TPi.indd 1

20/08/2018 14:26

GEORGE EZRA

sound out the talented chart-topping young artist. Having really pushed for his “favourite sounding” system, Timm spoke fondly of its capabilities: “As soon as I throw pink noise through L-Acoustics I know I’m going to be able to get my snare drum to really smack.”

System Engineer James Coghlan interjected: “On the last run we were touring an L-Acoustics K2 system of which Mike is a big fan. The obvious choice is to jump up to K1 on the main hangs and K2 on the side hangs, which has worked brilliantly,” he remarked. “Mike has also never been a fan of a massive sub array on the floor in the pit because you end up with the front row being overpowered with sub, so you then have to bring up your lip fill sends to match, and when you get to the back of the room, all of the sub energy has tailed off.

“Thus, it was quite an important decision Mike and I made while looking ahead at this tour, was to fly subs, to avoid killing the front row, and also giving the audience in the seats the same sounding show as those stood on the arena floor, this is something that Vernum quickly jumped on board with as he was keen to work with us to ensure we provided that best audio experience possible.”

The main speaker arrays comprised 14 K1 with 4 Kara down with 8 K1SB flown behind, which Coghlan said “carries that impact to the gods which really helps in spaces like Manchester Arena”. The PA rig also boasted 12 K2 on the side hangs, supplemented with an addition 4 K2 per side for the O2 Arena dates in London.

To cover the upstage, a 270° hang boasted of 12 Karas per side.

Additionally, 12 KS28s were placed on the floor in a broadside array, with 4 ARCS II per side as infills and 5 X8s in the pit as lip fills. An additional 8 K1 boxes were deployed per side as delays in The O2 Arena.

Vernum reflected on the move: “Adding the additional 270º hangs was an absolute no brainer for this tour. The demand for tickets was extremely high and this gave us the opportunity to sell every seat possible across the tour while offering every member of the audience an enhanced audio experience.”

A total of 55 LA12X amplifiers drove the PA rig. For hands on system EQ tweaks, Timm fed a Lake LM44 processor from the DiGiCo SD12 matrix with outputs for L, R, sub and fills which was then sent as AES to Coghlan’s system processors with an analogue backup.

“I’ve got an Outline Newton as the console matrix at FOH, which takes AES and analogue from both the main and support consoles at FOH, and also some ancillary inputs from my tuning rig for tuning and safety announcements,” Coghlan said, signalling to the kit. “This Newton then spits out Dante and an analogue backup down to 4 LM26’s on stage via a Tac4 Fibre multi, which we use to convert from Dante to AES and analogue which goes to my amps. I use the LM26’s on stage for PA EQ.” Coghlan ran Outline Dashboard on an Apple Mac Mini at FOH to control

the Outline Newton, and another Apple Mac Mini running L-Acoustics Network Manager, both housed in a Sonnet Rackmac. He used both Smaart 8 and Live Capture Pro to tune the system, choosing a Roland Octacapture and a Line 6 XD-75 with an iSemcon iSEMic 725TR as his wireless measurement mic, along with a set of 4 Rational Acoustics RTA420 mics.

Using L-Acoustics Soundvision, Coghlan was “able to get a massive head start” on his tuning process with the FIR mapping and array morphing in the software. “It really speeds up my workflow when I come to tune the system, which is great on this tour because it’s a pretty full day,” he enthused.

Adlib worked alongside Stylus Productions who supplied the audio control package consisting of a DiGiCo SD12 at FOH and an SD10 for monitor world, two SD Racks and two SD-Nano Racks fed from a Radial Engineering transformer isolated split system, a networked Shure Axient system for the wireless brass and Shure PSM1000 IEMs, plus a variety of mics. Timm rhapsodised about the collaboration with Stylus Productions Managing Director, Oliver Weeks. “It’s convenient to have the supplier on the road. If there’s something we can tweak to improve the show while we’re on the road, he’ll go ahead and introduce it.”

Weeks first jumped on board as Monitor Engineer in January 2018 during the academy venue run. Weeks mixed with a DiGiCo SD10 at his fingertips. “I chose the SD10 because I enjoy the workflow and we needed some extra channels at monitors which wasn’t available on the SD12 at the time. The custom macro buttons on the 10 are great. We have multiple talk mics onstage, so I have macros programmed to route these in various combinations to suit the scenario. We have different macros for soundcheck, rehearsal and show for example. The multiple groups function for snapshots is also very powerful – an example would be if George needs one of his guitars louder that day, I can make that change across all the relevant songs in a couple of button presses,” he said.

Weeks waxed lyrical about his approach to mixing the show. “I approach George’s ears mix like a broadcast mix with plenty of vocal and ambience.

He really likes to hear the crowd and feel the room. The biggest challenge is giving him as much of that as possible without compromising the mix and adjusting for the different rooms. This involves lots of fader rides, as there’s plenty of audience participation. The success of this also relies on a consistent FOH sound, which of course we get from Coghlan and Timm out front. I use a pair of Sennheiser MKH416 shotguns for the ambience mics.”

Weeks, Ezra, and Musical Director, James Wyatt all utilised Jerry Harvey Audio Laylas IEMs, while the rest of the musical cohort used Cosmic Ears CE6Ps, a Stockport-based company that received great praise for its creative flair. “They do some fun artwork and the band, who have all gone on to Cosmics IEMs are loving it. A couple of them had limited experienced with in-ears but they’ve taken to the CE6Ps really well.”

48

GEORGE EZRA

Phoenix, I am his point of contact. It’s been great to play a part in George Ezra’s first headline arena tour. We are also supplying the same for the European leg in May and then for the festival leg we are supplying an artist bus along with two additional 16 berths.”

PARADISE In the midst of George Ezra’s toe tapping live offering, an army of attendees spanning generations hinted at the universal pull of George Ezra’s music. Fundamentally, the artist is uninhibited with the quasi rock ‘n’ roll ideologies of conventional arena billed guitarists, instead adopting an understated and widely appreciated boy next door charm backed up with expert storytelling and musicianship. Vernum summed up: “The demand is super high. The SSE Hydro show was the highest-selling indoor show in Scottish history. Overall, it’s been a fun couple of weeks and I appreciate how hard everyone has worked. Touring three days on and one off is a tough schedule but the entire crew have pulled out all the stops to make it happen.”

TPi Photos: Andrew Benge & TPi www.georgeezra.com www.productionpark.co.uk www.prg.com/uk/en www.kbevent.com www.phoenix-bussing.co.uk www.adlib.co.uk www.stylus-productions.com www.allaccessuk.com www.specialz.co.uk www.totalfabs.com www.brytedesign.co.uk www.lite-alternative.com www.fisheye.eu www.touringminicams.com www.popcorncatering.com

For mics, Weeks and Timm deployed a mixture of Shure, Sennheiser, Audio Technica, DPA, Beyerdynamic and Neumann KM184s for drum overheads. “We’re also using Neumann U87s alongside the dynamic mics for both the guitars which is an unusual thing to do these days but it’s something new we’ve brought in because it sounds much better and really smooth.

Ezra’s drummer has recently expanded his kit setup to include some percussion, so the engineers added extra mics for congas and percussion toys to accommodate this. “We’ve now added a third overhead for a cymbal that has a tap chain attached, It’s a quiet source so it requires its own spot mic,” Weeks explained.

“We also have 8 channels of Shure Axient Wireless for the brass as they run around the stage a lot and dance, occupying various position during the show. We’re using the ADX1m micro-packs with DPA 4099 mics. We chose the micro packs for maximum discretion, they’re very lightweight so they don’t interfere with how the musician holds their instrument.”

He concluded: “It’s a lot of fun working on this tour, there is a special interaction between George and the audience.” Weeks credited the atmosphere to the concept of the living room but mulled over how production made it work in a 20,000-capacity arena, before answering: “Well, the stage set and George’s chats with the audience draws them in and you certainly feel like you’re in his living room - which is a huge part of it.”

WORLD LEADING 4K LED PROCESSING

Bigger. Bolder. Better.

RIDING SHOTGUN KB Event supplied a total of 10 KB Event mega tractors and trailers. Lead driver, Steve Crawley, who has a wealth of experience on music tours, ensured the smooth operation of the beginning of the tour in the UK, before it moves on to a more challenging schedule in Europe.

Loading on 1 May 2019, the scheduling of European leg, which requires double drives and driver swaps, was overseen by KB Event MD, Stuart McPherson. “It was important that we found the best, and most costeffective solution to the European schedules, without compromising on the quality of our service. I worked closely with both Steve, my Operations Team and PM, Jake Vernum, to ensure that what I was proposing was both achievable by my team and acceptable to Production.”

McPherson continued: “It became immediately apparent to me that Jake’s trust in our ability to deliver what we promised him - both in terms of our service and his budget – gave us the scope to be able to utterly fulfil our role, involving him when we felt clarification on our proposed solutions might be needed. Jake and his team have been great to work for and we look forward to our relationship developing and growing as time passes.”

Phoenix Bussing were also brought onboard to ensure the journey was smooth, supplying a Kassbohrer Setra 431DT model artist bus with 8 bunks and an artist suite and 3 x 16 berth double decker busses. Phoenix Bussing’s Sean Gerrard, who worked in close collaboration with Tour Manager, Trevor Plunkett and Vernum, commented: “They are both a pleasure to work with and nothing is an issue, I have worked with Trevor for quite a while now, firstly on the road as a driver and now, from the office at

Tessera SX40 Featuring: Redundancy - For perfect back-up Chromatune - For colour control at your fingertips OSCA - Fast and intuitive colour correction for seamless video walls

Find out more at bromptontech.com +44(0)20 7471 9444

49

MASSIVE ATTACK: MEZZANINE XXI TPi’s Stew Hume witnessed the elusive musical collective for their 21st anniversary tour, celebrating the seminal record Mezzanine. True to form, Massive Attack broke every convention by creating a production equal parts awe-inspiring and challenging. The visual onslaught echoed the hope and fears of 1998 and brought them screaming into 2019‌

50

PRODUCTION PROFILE

With an album as revered as Mezzanine, you might expect a band to lean on the nostalgia cash grab when touring for its 21st birthday – but Massive Attack are not most bands. The Bristolian hometown heroes presented their European fans with a celebration both uncomfortable and beautiful to witness, courtesy of a production overseen in intimate detail by the enigmatic ‘front man’ Robert Del Naja. In practice, Mezzanine XXI had more in common with a visual art installation than some other touring counterparts.

Not only was this tour ambitious in concept, it was also one of the largest tours the band had attempted. Setting-up in the country’s largest arenas as well as a two-night homecoming show in Filton, Bristol in the iconic Steel Yard structure. TPi visited the crew on the band’s O2 date to learn about the method behind the mystic.

Working tirelessly behind the scenes was long-time Tour Manager, David Lawrence. The TPi Award-winning Tour Manager’s career dates back to 1999, when he hopped on board the tour bus while Massive Attack were first promoting Mezzanine. Twenty years later and he is still helping the band push the boundaries of ambitions stage shows. “I’ve always had the

same mentality when it comes to the artists I work with. I want to be ‘all in’ and I’ll do my utmost to make sure everything works, which goes a long way for these guys who always want to go the extra mile with their tours. I’ve always tried to be as open as possible so people know they can speak to me, whether it’s technical, logistical or personal.”

Lawrence recalled the first documented murmurings of a tour began in January 2017 – at least according to his email chain, he joked. The Tour Manager had the task of pulling all the pieces together for the project, featuring more than a few familiar faces in both the crew and supplier roster: Wigwam Acoustics delivered the PA, CS Audio provided control, Lite Alternative supplied lighting and Universal Pixels handled the LED and video packages. For logistics the crew enlisted CSUK for bussing while trucking was handled by Fly By Nite. “I’ve known these suppliers for many years,” stated Lawrence. “Phil Mercer from Universal Pixels has been with us since 2004 when he was with XL Video. The same goes for the guys at Wigwam and CS Audio. I’ve got a great relationship with all of them and they constantly deliver a great service.”

But the Tour Manager admitted it was time to bring some new people 51

MASSIVE ATTACK

into the fold. “2018 was a busy year for me with far too many trips back and forth across the Atlantic. I wanted to bring someone on who could handle the Production Manager duties.”

Enter Chris Kansy, Mezzanine XXI’s Production Manager, whom TPi last saw in the searing heat of Rome for Roger Waters’ Us + Them Tour, which scooped a TPi Award. “This show is very much from the mind of Robert Del Naja,” he began, this time from the Production Office of the O2 Arena. Kansy credited Video Director Icarus Wilson-Wright for leading him to the Massive Attack camp, adding: “We’ve been friends for many years, having worked together on Roger Waters Dark Side of the Moon tour in 2006 and Muse 2nd Law in 2013. Artistically we see things in a very similar way. We’ve always talked about doing Massive Attack together so when it was announced they were bringing Mezzanine to arenas I was asked if I wanted to join.” Likewise, Lawrence had also had his eye on Kansy for some time. “What do I say about Chris?” he mused. “We first spoke of him coming on-board in 2013.

We always wanted to work together and this time the schedules fitted.

When I called him he was loading in Roger Waters to Maracanã Stadium in Rio. You know if someone can handle that show, they will be set for anything!”

Kansy made it clear this was more than a professional decision. He’s a big fan. “But as many know, it’s dangerous to work with an act you’re a fan of,” laughed Kansy, who discussed the age-old dilemma. “I have to say, this tour has enhanced my passion for both the band and the album. The show is such a beautiful art piece. It’s truly the live embodiment of Mezzanine. It’s immersive and it’s heavy.”

From the point of entry, audiences were brought into the era in which Mezzanine was conceived. They were greeted with a playlist of purposefully distorted tracks from the late ‘90s such as Cher’s Do You Believe in Life After

Love, repeated for hours until the band hit the stage. “The set list they play also pays homage to the songs which helped craft Mezzanine,” explained Kansy. “For example, they play a cover of The Cure’s 10:15 Saturday Night right before they play The Man Next Door which samples 10:15 - the idea being playing them back-to-back you get to hear those influences.”

DESIGN The core team which helped bring Robert Del Naja’s vision into the realms of reality included Video Director Icarus Wilson-Wright, Lighting Designer Paul Normandale, Lighting Director Hunter Frith and famed film-maker Adam Curtis. The band have collaborated with the film-maker a number of times over the years, most notably during the project Massive Attack v Adam Curtis, which was performed at the Manchester International Festival in 2013. Curtis produced bespoke content - seven original films played throughout the show alongside Massive Attack’s signature text and politically motivated slogans - for the milestone tour in his role as Visual Director.

Video Director Wilson-Wright greeted TPi at his video hub at FOH to walk through the implementation of Curtis’ content. Having first worked with the band in 2002, he has seen the band pioneer the utilisation of video in the live touring setting. “My first role was as an LED Tech working with the inaugural pixel mapped screen,” began Wilson-Wright. “Back then, the smallest pitch you’d see was 15mm and it was very expensive. But that run, the 100th Window tour, really changed things. United Visual Artists were formed around the project which eventually led to the creation of disguise [formally d3 Technologies]. It’s great to look back 16 years later and to see the progression of the technology still so entwined with Massive Attack.”

For this recent run, Wilson-Wright, joined forces with video supplier 52

MASSIVE ATTACK

Universal Pixels which provided him with a disguise package consisting of two gx2s. “Historically Massive Attack don’t play much video content, instead streaming words and symbols to the LED screen,” said the Director, adding that has changed for this tour. “Another departure has been moving away from completely bespoke set ups. This time we are using some more traditional video formats as well, so we’ve opted to use some on-board disguise effects and software products - specifically Notch.” Wilson-Wright explained it was vital to have a flexible video set up to enable quick updates of the text based show content with local language translations.

For control, the Director took a remote fibre link to FOH to connect to all the servers back on the stage. “There is always an argument to having the video PPU operating position based behind the stage,” mused WilsonWright. “However, at FOH I find you’re able to hone the look of the tour because I’m seeing what the audience sees every night.” Undoubtedly, this was key, as production constantly adapted to notes shared from Del Naja himself.

The on-stage screens from Universal Pixels utilised 2 LED video wall products. The first was a rear wall made up of Leyard CLM 10mm – comprising an 8m wide by 6m high central section, and two outer wing sections 3.5m wide by 6m high outer sections. The Leyard CarbonLight CLM Series is a line of see-through mesh LED displays designed for rental, staging and flexible-fixed applications in indoor and outdoor environments. Leyard CarbonLight CLM Series features a lightweight, mesh design for a highly transparent appearance with low wind resistance, which maintains stunning performance in any application.

Downstage left and right, 2 ROE Vanish 18mm screens measuring 4.8m wide by 6m high, expanded the visual footprint, while adding versatility to the setup. “Both products are daylight screens so they can meet the lighting rig head on,” said Wilson-Wright. “But one element vital to both

products was their transparency. Behind the Leyard we have a rear lighting rig which had to be able to blow through. I’ve enjoyed working with the ROE Vanish 18mm. We’ve also used it in this design as a lighting editor. When it’s off, it gives a nice tonal graduation of the visual show as your eyes move to the edge of the stage.”

When asked to describe the look of the video content, the Director referred to one of his main briefs. “The term ‘discomfort’ has always played an important part in the band’s vocabulary,” he explained. “This goes for their visual look, with both lighting and video, which can be glitchy and disorientating. There are jarring moments during which the audience might think something is going wrong. It’s unusual and very unique.” The director was quick to praise the tolerance of both the band and the rest of the stage crew, whose high tolerance for withstanding disorientating effects was important, giving the visual crew the loose reigns to create something special.

To close, Wilson-Wright gave special mention to the video supplier for the run. “Universal Pixels have given us great support,” he enthused. “The whole team would turn on a sixpence and, on this run, we have given them a fair share of curveballs – I’m pleased to report they caught them all, and always did it with a smile.”

LIGHTING Paul Normandale’s lighting design complemented the video elements.

This was Normandale’s second time out with the band alongside Lighting Director Hunter Frith. “I had met Hunter on a Placebo tour,” explained Lawrence. “I spoke to Paul about getting him on the next Massive Attack tour. Since then Hunter has collaborated a number of times with Paul and his company Lite Alternative.”

“One of the most important things about this design was the interaction

53

MASSIVE ATTACK

Video Director, Icarus Wilson-Wright; Production Manager, Chris Kansy; FOH Engineer, Robert Allan and Monitor Engineer, Paul Hatt; Lighting Director, Hunter Frith.

of lighting and video,” began Normandale. “Robert also has a very specific keylighting in the set in the form of the Ayton MagicPanel 602s which are take on lighting in that it should be dysfunctional. It’s a very different way of “part of a wider trend of moving away from circular fixtures for this band.” working, producing a look where you might have one light flickering on the Also included on the rig were 42 GLP impression X4 Bar 20s which were rig.” placed on two straight trusses down the side and two trusses overhead.

As well as producing a visual for the classic tracks from Mezzanine, “We used 5 Novalight Super Nova Flower fixtures for one important Normandale also had to create looks for the covers the band were look during the track Teardrop,” commented Frith. The crew also used 8 performing throughout the set, such as I Found A Reason by The Velvet ProLights Arena Cob Halo for audience lighting. Then 4 Martin by Harman Underground or 10:15 Saturday Night by The Cure, which proved a Atomic 3000 LED strobes were placed on the downstage edge and pointed different challenge. “They are very different to the at the band to help them feel the energy. songs from Mezzanine. They are less busy, and There were a selection of fixtures which stood purposefully so, meaning you can really separate out from the usual suspects on the lighting spec – them from the Massive Attack tracks.” namely the smattering of sodium lights arranged Normandale outlined the tour and its constant on the upstage. “They are more at home in the roof transformative nature. “For a show like this, you of a warehouse than a live tour,” laughed Frith. “We can’t simply walk out of rehearsals with a final used them during the title track. They create an product. In my opinion it should be an evolving interest as their colour changes when they warm “I was actually part of the beast. Rob will constantly come to us with notes up.” giving suggestions about how he’d like to see the For control, Frith used the new MA Lighting design team which lead to show adapt. It’s great to be part of a tour where the grandMA3. “They are brand new to Lite the creation of this desk [Avid artist is this involved.”

Alternative,” commented Frith. “They came VENUE S6L]. It’s funny to think Taking up the conversation was Hunter Frith straight out of the box and then we got hold of who talked TPi through the highlights of the rig. them for previsualisation. This is the first time I’ve 6 years ago I was sitting in a “Behind the rear LED wall we have 20 Solaris Flares used one. Obviously we are still using the MA2 room surrounded by white with a further 8 on the floor in front to silhouette software but the desks themselves have been the band,” he began. “We also have 22 Martin by great.” boards and I would one day Harman MAC Aura XBs with 6 Vari-Lite VL3500 be behind the very same WashFXs on the floor which work very hard during AUDIO the show.” Despite the show being back lit, the Handling the heavy sonic soundscapes of Massive console at the O2 Arena.”

Programmer explained this was the first time Attack was Robb Allan. The FOH Engineer first Robert Allen, FOH Engineer they had convinced the band to include some joined the band in 2005. After some time away 54

dbaudio.com

More than a venue.

Royal Albert Hall, London, UK

“To enlighten the people”, proposed Prince Albert. And so they came.

For art and science, music and meetings, sport and politics. To this national treasure. A world of cultural exploration. An artist’s dream.

Today, the capabilities of a new loudspeaker system are helping shape this vision. In which sound is not technology, but transformation.

19195 RAH-A4-Advert.v2.indd 1

25/03/2019 16:38

ARENA SIZE REHEARSAL VENUE PRODUCTION & PERFORMANCE SPACE 3 year winner of …

TPi Awards Favourite Trucking Company 500 tonne UDL Roof Capacity Over 6 x 400a 3ø Supplies 21 En-suite Bedrooms Green Room | Catering Floor 42m x 40m x 18m | 4 Loading Docks 5 Dressing Rooms | Production Suites FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.FBNSTUDIOS.CO.UK EMAIL: INFO@FBNSTUDIOS.CO.UK TEL: 01527 962 963 FLY BY NITE REHEARSAL STUDIOS | BROAD GROUND ROAD, LAKESIDE, REDDITCH, WORCS B98 8YP

MASSIVE ATTACK

in the late ‘00s the engineer returned to the fold in 2014 and has held the position ever since.

TPi met the Engineer at the tail end of sound check when he was making the final adjustments on his Avid VENUE S6L – a desk with which he has a very long history. “I was actually part of the design team which lead to the creation of this desk,” began Allan, who is a full-time Avid employee along with handling audio duties for the likes of Radiohead, alt-J and of course, Massive Attack. “It’s funny to think 8 years ago I was sitting in a room surrounded by drawings on white boards and I would one day be behind the very same console at the O2 Arena.” Allan explained how Avid had always been the console of choice as FOH Engineer for Massive Attack, moving from the Profile, to the S3L to the current set up.

“Our approach to this run had more in common with sound design for a theatre show, or a movie, than a live tour,” explained Allan. “For example, there is one cover track, See A Man’s Face, which is one of Horace Andy’s songs. It’s an old reggae tune that was probably recorded on a four track in its original form. So when we play it we put the drums through an amp simulator a get a distorted, compressed sound. The whole setlist is full of little moments which require us to keep true to the original recording on Mezzanine and the covers.” For all these effects, Allan used a combination of Sonnox McDSP and Waves Plugins. “In total we have over 100 snap shots for the set which are all triggered via timecode,” he said, pulling up one of the track lists and demonstrating how the snap shots controlled everything from changing channels parameters to crossfades. “In the song Group Four, there is a 10 second crossfade between an amp simulator and the real drum sounds. The show file is dense and has been somewhat of a work in progress since I came back on board in 2014.”

Having the sound design elements in place gave Allan the ability to really focus on certain elements of the mix, namely the vocals. “I would say that 50% of my work on show-day is making sure the vocals are loud enough. Dee’s whisper vocals are such a major part of the sound along with the voice of Liz [Elizabeth Fraser] which is very beautiful but quiet.”

One element consistently aiding Allan in this endeavour has been Massive Attack’s wedgeless stage. However this time around, Allan had another

trick up his sleeve to keep the stage as quite as possible. “For this run we have the d&b audiotechnik GSL system. There were two reasons I chose the PA. Firstly, I think it’s the best sounding system on the market. Secondly, it is silent behind the boxes. It’s yet another way I can push the vocals harder without any issues of spill.”

Providing the PA for the tour was Wigwam Acoustics. Geoff Muir was Wigwam’s Project Manager for the Tour and spoke to TPi of his involvement with production: “Robb had specified the d&b GSL at the outset and from the very first rehearsals it was obvious to us all that this was the right system for the tour. We also saw it as an opportunity to try the new KSL box for the outhangs. We only took delivery the week before rehearsals but Rob and the rest of the production team were very open to trying it. They were delighted with the results and the way that KSL integrates with GSL. “Wigwam has supplied Massive Attack pretty much continuously since 2006 and it was great to work with Tour Manager Dave Lawrence once again. This was the first time I’d worked with Production Manager Chris Kansy and it was an absolute pleasure.”

Michael Gazdziak, Audio System Tech for the tour, listed the various speakers utilised. “We have 16 GSLs per side then a centre cluster of 8 KSL12s and 8 KSL12s per side as outhangs . For subs we’re using 18 SLGSUB.” On the stage for the barrier dwellers, there was also a selection of d&b audiotechnik V7Ps. For the O2 performance the audio crew made used of the venue’s inhouse system to act as delays for the farthest seats. “But those GSLs go for miles,” stated Allan. “The in-house delays are for the upper circle to fill the back corners. The sides of the arena are completely covered by our hangs.

What’s also fantastic about the system is the consistency in EQ which doesn’t change as you move further away.”

MONITORS Taking on the mantle of Monitor Engineer was Paul Hatt. For this run, the engineer mirrored Allan’s console also opting for the Avid S6L. “The S6L is a new addition for monitors for Massive Attack,” began Hatt. “Prior to this we had been using a Soundcraft Vi and, as the show files and scenes 58

MASSIVE ATTACK

were so big, not to mention never having elongated rehearsals periods, we stuck with the system for many years.” However, Mezzanine XXI’s many new cover tracks gave the audio duo of Hatt and Allan a chance to rethink their console set up.

“It’s important to mention, with this current iteration, both the S6Ls are gain sharing,” impressed Allan. “There’s no analogue split before the stage boxes so we’re only using two rather than four. It has sped up our workflow considerably and maintains audio quality as you don’t have to go through any additional electronics before the signal gets to the pre-amp.” Hatt was equally enthusiastic about the package. “We could get rid of the big copper split which means less cabling as well as splitting our number of stage boxes in half. It’s a lot tidier and seriously reduces our trouble shooting.”

The Monitor Engineer turned his attention to the stage to talk through the IEM set up for the tour. “Since I first joined the team in 2013, they have always been on in-ears,” began Hatt. “Right now the only speaker on stage is my talk back to Robb. For this run we are using Sennheiser 2000s. They have always been on Sennheisers and used G3s prior. But I really like the 2000s as they have a great noise floor and are very robust. The inbuilt power supply has also been a blessing over the years.” For IEMs, Ultimate Ears UE11 PROs were used by all the band, save the two drummers who made used of the Fischer Amps Hardwired In-Ear Body Pack XL system.

Designed from the ground up specifically for bass players, drummers and DJs, Ultimate Ears 11 PRO features extended low frequencies with a

dedicated sub delivering tight and punchy bass, 4 proprietary balanced armatures, and a 3-way crossover for substantial bass which sounds clear.

“Obviously, Massive Attack have some fairly weighty tracks but I find the UE11s do a great job reproducing it,” commented Hatt.

Handling RF management for the tour was Audio Stage Technician Dominic Gallagher. Due to the wide selection of LED panels, Hatt explained there was a need for a constant overseeing of available frequencies and commended Gallagher on his efforts in keeping on top of the clear bandwidth.

Sennheiser was also the brand of choice for vocal microphones using a selection of E935s. “There are no RF mics on the stage,” said Hatt. “Having singers wondering around the stage with radio mics is not really how Massive Attack do things. Instead we have very fixed vocal positions for the various vocalists.”

A pair of Sennheiser MKH-416s were used for audience mics, a model Hatt “just keeps coming back to.” He elaborated: “The MKH-416 seems to be the best mic for this application. I have them on one VCA and continually fade it up and down between songs, depending on the room. It’s the only real-time mixing I really do day-to day-with most of the cues and fades triggered by timecode.”

Along with Monitor Engineer duties, Hatt also had a part to play as the Managing Director of CS Audio, console supplier for the tour. “As a company we’ve been going since the ’70s,” began Hatt, giving a brief history of the

AUDIO LIGHTING RIGGING VIDEO AUCTIONS 59

MASSIVE ATTACK

family business. “When my dad retired I took over the reins during the transition from analogue to digital desks.” Along with bands like Clean Bandit and Groove Armada, CS Audio has provided packages for Massive Attack from tours to festival stages over the years.

In monitor world, TPi also met a long-time vet from Massive Attack, Henry Cross. The Keyboard and DJ Tech has been with the band since 1998, seeing behind the veil for the last 21 years since the first Mezzanine tour.

Despite over two decades having passed, Cross said the set up was similar in many ways to the original. “We used to have a central DJ which is not part of the set up with the addition of a second drummer. But otherwise it’s not to dissimilar. Things have come full circle,” Cross reflected. “Massive Attack are very much a players’ band. They are all fantastic musicians and the set is live with very few tracks coming via timecode.”

put together for them in terms of truck size and venues, especially with the large hometown show in Bristol.” Fly By Nite’s lead driver on the tour was Arran Kenyon who, according to Jackson, was very complementary of the crew on the tour. “It was also fantastic to see Dave be recognised at the TPi Awards a few days after the O2 show,” concluded Jackson. “It was very well deserved.”

Another key component of the tour’s infrastructure were Radiotek. “On Massive Attack we became immersed with all things Radiotek,” commented Kansy. “We navigated the UK and the continent care free with the Motorola DP4600E radios and the ability to dial our frequencies regionally. That made life easy for both the tour and the promoter.” Backstage the tour was also covered with Radiotek Wi-Fi. The system is outfitted with repeaters giving them the ability to blanket the entire production and dressing room area with high speed. “Radiotek also supplied us with a full colour A4 printer/copier to cover our needs. Adding to that the VOIP phones give us the freedom to manage our own long distance needs without involving the promoter or increasing show costs. This stuff is essential!” he commented.

Following several hours of audio ‘torment’ with the distorted playlist of late ‘90s pop hits, the band hit the stage. Despite the milestone, this was still very much a Massive Attack event – no overwhelming speeches stating how they couldn’t believe ‘it had been 20 years’ or any overblown encore segments. Just a continual barrage of audio-visual stimuli for two hours then off they went. And according to the fans within the touring party, that’s how it should be. Giving the last word was Wilson-Wright. “When Mezzanine was first made, the content with simultaneously optimistic and dark. Twenty-one years later and we still face with the same problems and challenges. It’s great all these years on to have yet another take on the world.”

TPi Photos: Lindsay Cave @loosplat and TPi www.massiveattack.co.uk www.unipix.tv www.lite-alternative.com www.sseaudiogroup.com/wigwam/home www.csaudio.co.uk www.csuk.coach www.flybynite.co.uk www.radiotek.co.uk www.acorn-events.com

HOMETOWN SHOW For the band’s Bristolian shows, the production utilised Acorn Event Structure’s recently introduced its temporary Mega Structure which has been designed and engineered to meet increasingly ambitious production specifications for live events. Modular by design, Acorn’s Mega Structure can be customised on an event-by-event basis to meet site specific event briefs, in this case Filton Airfield in Bristol.

To meet the requirement for a temporary venue large enough to accommodate Massive Attack’s home crowd in Bristol, Acorn designed the Mega Structure to 60m in width, 110m in length and 20m high at its apex. Acorn’s design flexibility was able to accommodate Massive Attack’s arena touring rig, thereby recreating the arena audience experience in a temporary venue.

Managing Director Andy Nutter said: “In an ever-evolving industry, we continue to invest in new products and we are dedicated to developing unique concepts to meet growing demand and push the boundaries of structural design in temporary event structures.”

LOGISTICS Keeping the tour safe on the road were CSUK and Fly By Nite. Matt Jackson from Fly By Nite said conversations with Lawrence started at the end of 2018, whereupon the trucking specialists put together a fleet of 5 vehicles to service the whole European run. “We’ve worked with Massive Attack for many years,” stated Jackson. “The contract pre-dates my time with the company which is over a decade now. But this was the biggest tour we had 60

FINALLY A CREATIVE FIXTURE AS BRILLIANT AS YOU ARE

A variety of powerful visual effects with an output you wouldn’t expect from a fixture its size.

Meet the VARI-LITE VL10 BEAMWASH.

VL10_BW_A4_advert.indd 1

VA R I - L I T E . C O M

21/3/19 11:23:31

INTERVIEW

ABSEN’S CHRISTIAN CZIMNY TPi’s Jacob Waite speaks to Absen’s European R&D Director, Christian Czimny about the company’s rental prowess…

Having spent the last 15 years at LANG AG looking after the group’s LED products, Christian Czimny made the decision to move to Absen, taking on the role of European R&D Director. “As one of the largest and most reputable LED manufacturers, moving to Absen was the logical next step,” began Czimny. “The role allows me to put to good use my experience and knowledge of dealing with our European rental customers and ensure that this gets fed back into the product development process at Absen’s China-based HQ and manufacturing facilities.”

With over 1,500 employees working across eight international subsidiaries, as a relatively new starter Czimny was amazed by the “strong spirit and culture of the company” which places a lot of emphasis on training and development. He explained: “I always saw Absen as a very stable and dynamic company, and the last nine months have confirmed my impressions,” he continued. “I am able to work effectively with different colleagues from across the organisation to develop and bring new products to market.”

Assigned to focus primarily on Absen’s European customers, Czimny’s goal is to further strengthen and expand its position in the market,

supported by an extensive range of rental staging products, working in close communication and cooperation with the company’s counterparts in the R&D department. “Communication is absolutely essential, but it obviously has its challenges at a Chinese company. Not everyone in the R&D team speaks English and cross-cultural collaboration requires patience and understanding. On top of that, you also have the time difference to factor in to your daily schedule.”

Having earned the title of number one Chinese export brand for 10 years running, Czimny sees the mantle as a benchmark for Absen’s European operation. “We are very proud of this achievement and it is a testament to the dedication and hard work that goes into developing products that meet the ever-changing and stringent requirements of our European and global customers. That said, we are not about to rest on our laurels. Anyone with life experience knows that it is a special challenge to hold this kind of position, so we have to constantly reflect on which things lead to success and which must be improved, in order to remain relevant.”

Czimny went on to expand the European market portfolio and its increased presence on the continent. “There is plenty of space for everyone to play and if you look at Europe from an international perspective, in terms 62

NEW GENERATION ELECTRIC CHAIN HOIST LP

WEATHERPROOF LIGHT ROBUST

Power Steering (Standard on All Models)

Introducing the new ICONYX IC-Live X series of Full Range Steered Arrays from Renkus-Heinz.

Voiced for enhanced musicality and boasting increased horsepower, the IC-Live X series includes two Full Range enclosures plus Low Frequency and Subwoofer modules.

These combine to deliver affordable Power-Steerable solutions that make it easy to navigate even the largest and most challenging acoustic environments.

Designed to exceed expectations, the new ICONYX IC-Live X system provides the balanced and consistent listening experience that only Renkus-Heinz can offer.

QUIET POWERFUL DURABLE 3 YEAR WARRANTY

GIS AG I Swiss Lifting Solutions I CH-6247 Schรถtz I Phone +41 41 984 11 33 Fax +41 41 984 11 44 I tel@gis-ag.ch I www.gis-ag.ch

Visit www.Renkus-Heinz.com now to learn more.

CHRISTIAN CZIMNY

of LED applications and installations, we believe that there is still ample room for growth. We just need to ensure that we have the right products within our portfolio, targeting the right verticals, in order to ensure we stay on top.”

Part of Absen’s success is down to its growing range of rental staging products, which have become a cornerstone in the world of live touring.

Czimny delineated with pride: “What many people do not know is that our rental products represent over half of our business in Europe. We have over six series and 21 products designed to meet the needs of the live event industry and we have also been fortunate enough to receive numerous awards for our rental series,” accolades which include Best Entertainment and Live Events Technology at the InAVation Awards 2019.

In recent years, the Absen brand aligned itself as a familiar face in the LED market for its rental and staging products. The R&D team demand both rapid construction, ruggedness and maximum quality. Czimny explained: “There has also been a growing demand for sub-2mm fine pitch LED in rental staging applications, so we were pleased to release our first NPP display with our new Aries Series, which has a 1.5mm pixel pitch and features IMD and Common Cathode technologies providing over three times the strength of traditional LED screens whilst consuming 20% less power.

For the world of live touring, Absen has rolled out its Altair series - a light LED display which was recognised as the best new rental LED product at ISE by rAVe Publications - boasting up to 4500nits with black face SMD and HBB technology for extreme contrast. “We have consistently seen doubledigit growth in Europe. Much of this success is obviously down to providing high quality products at an attractive price point. However, something that certainly sets Absen apart from its competitors is the strength of our partner network,” he enthused.

Through its Value Added Partner Programme, Absen has built up a

network of trusted resellers, distributors and integrators that are able to provide in-country support and service to ensure our customers get the most out of their LED deployments. “Not only are these partners able to help channel partners get easy access to Absen LED locally but they are also there to offer an enhanced level of technical and sales support, as well as providing training, local stock and payment terms.”

Czimny outlined the importance of feedback from European customers in liaison with Absen staff in China, when it comes to the R&D process. He said: “We will always involve our customers from the early stages of product development, so we are able to work together on even the smallest details,” he added: “It is also important that all of the information is passed on to the R&D department at HQ in China, where product development naturally requires not only feedback from Europe, but also from the American market and the local Asian market. For economic reasons, it only makes sense to have products in the portfolio that can cover all markets at the same time.”

When it comes to the importance of LED over projection and LCD. For Czimny, there’s only one winner. “The last couple of years have seen LED display technology make huge strides, offering many benefits over conventional LCD displays. The number one benefit of course, is that LED is completely seamless with its bezel-free and modular design, giving customers enhanced flexibility to be able to offer creative solutions for their end users; almost any shape and size of videowall can be created with LED.” He concluded: “The fact is that end users are favouring the improved visual performance of LED displays, with their superior contrast ratio and higher brightness. Moreover, as the performance and reliability of LED continues to go up and the total cost of ownership continues to go down, we see LED as becoming the true technology of choice.”

TPi Photos courtesy of Absen. www.absen-europe.com 64

MORE HEADROOM. LESS DROPOUT.

PSM 900 In-Ear Personal Monitoring System

PSM 1000 Dual-Channel In-Ear Personal Monitoring System

NEW BODYPACK RECEIVERS RAISE THE BAR FOR IN-EAR PERSONAL MONITORING SYSTEMS Artists and engineers around the world depend on Shure PSM In-Ear Personal Monitoring Systems to deliver a great performance. Now new P9RA+ and P10R+ bodypack receivers* significantly enhance the industry’s favourite in-ear monitoring systems with even more headroom, better stereo separation and higher fidelity, along with strengthened RF stability, increased protection against RF dropouts and extended battery life. * Backwards-compatible with existing PSM 900 and PSM 1000 systems.

www.shure.com/psm

Improved sound quality

Better RF stability

Increased battery life

©2019 Shure Incorporated

#43188 - PSM A4 advert.indd 1

25/03/2019 11:26

MARKET FOCUS

REHEARSAL FACILITIES This month TPi takes a look inside some of the UKs leading rehearsal facilities to talk through some of their spaces and the advantages they bring to those hitting the stage and the crew behind the curtain.

Set within the Worcestershire countryside, it is easy to relax and enjoy your rehearsals. The nearby Arrow Valley Lake offers a scenic and calming distraction, boasting running circuits and cycle routes around the lake. The town itself is very close and offers a variety choice of shops, restaurants and bars. www.flybynitestudios.co.uk

FLY BY NITE STUDIOS Located just South of Birmingham in the UK, FBN Studio is a state of the art, purpose built production rehearsal studio.

This world class facility, purpose built from a blank canvas in 2015, offering major domestic and international acts the best incentive to see the UK as the starting point for European tours. It provides a vast, highly specified rehearsal space for concert touring, theatrical productions as well as television and film projects.

It has the floor space, height clearance and rigging capacity to rival any European arena sized concert venue. This is, quite simply, the closest you can get to a full on rehearsal space for a large scale tour.

It is ideally served by the main national motorway networks (M5, M6, M40, M42), and benefits from being a stone’s throw away from Birmingham International Airport and national train hub - you can get to London on average in an hour and a half.

It has a floor space of 138’ x 130’ (42m x 40m) and a true clearance of over 60’ (18m) to the underside of the fully enclosed roof space. There are 6 x 400a 3ø power services, and multiple Ceeform outlets in all corners of the Studio. The roof has a weight capacity of over 500 tonnes, and there is under floor heating in the Studio to ensure comfort in even the coldest months. There are 4 loading docks – 3 of which are sunken to allow a push right onto the studio floor.

In addition to the impressive technical specification, the studio also offers three fully equipped production offices (WiFi throughout as standard), five dressing rooms, a wardrobe/green room, laundry facilities, rooftop terrace, gymnasium, sauna and 21 on site, en-suite bedrooms. 2019 sees completion of the Helipad – the cherry on the cake!

66

TPI_Kevlar-UK.indd 1

6/5/2018 9:38:28 AM

REHEARSAL FACILITIES

offices and green rooms and the convenience of being in London. It is an extremely versatile space for all levels of artists.

With unbeatable facilities and service from the most helpful team in the business, Production Park studios can claim the unique position of being the only player in the business to have an unparalleled location connection between the North of England and London.

The studios team know that their clients are looking for facilities that allow them to build and test their productions before taking them out on the road, so aim to provide them with the blank canvass to achieve this in the most comfortable and painless way possible.

The team is super friendly and conscientious and they all know what it is like to be on the touring side of the deal which is why we know what our clients need and how best to provide it.

Being part of the Production Park Group the studios work directly with the multi award-winning Brilliant who provide amongst the best of the stage designs and builds on the planet. Having the obvious advantage of being on each others doors step puts them in a unique position of being able to amalgamate builds and logistics in order to save their clients time, money and stress.

The Production Park studios team are always happy to hear from new clients and offer tours of the facilities. www.productionpark.co.uk

PRODUCTION PARK Production Park studios offer world-class production rehearsal spaces and with studios in London and Wakefield the spaces cater for all levels of the entertainment industry across the UK. As part of the Production Park Group, the studios brand is the culmination of the mighty LS-Live studios in Wakefield and Cato Music’s highly acclaimed production studio - The Mill in Wimbledon, SW London.

The last 12 months have seen the likes of The 1975, Kings Of Leon, Little Mix, Sam Smith and Kasabian through the doors of Studio 001 and Eric Clapton, Biffy Clyro, Kylie Minogue, Jungle, Phil Collins and Deftones gracing The Mill.

Studio 001 boasts a 17,664 sqft arena sized production studio for unlimited production builds from the worlds leading artists‌ a breath taking space complete with production offices, catering hall, star and dressing rooms, on-site hotel, bar, cinema and dance studio.

The Mill although smaller at 4618 sqft is still an impressive facility capable of hosting full flown productions with all the trimmings of the

68

REHEARSAL FACILITIES

package, monitor system, Yamaha digital consoles and have 32a & 63a mains distribution with customer parking available for clients.

John Henry’s facilities can also be combined and utilised for various purposes including recording/mix rooms, changing rooms, gear checks, presentations and workspaces.

Studio Manager Andrea Westwood looks after the rehearsal client’s needs for everything from a full band, production or dance rehearsal to writing sessions and showcases along with the daily support for anything that’s required. They regularly supply crew and technicians from its roster and transportation for studio customers.

Also available on site is the huge inventory of rental equipment. It also hold over 8,000 products across its audio, backline and staging departments. The Pro Shop and Showroom on the top floor is 5,000sq ft of accessories heaven with a large selection of drumheads, tape, strings, spares and backline equipment to try including the latest boutique guitar amps, keyboards and guitars.

Transport links are also a bonus at John Henry’s with London Underground and Overground on its doorstep. A short drive gets you to Kings Cross and St Pancras Railway train stations.

With so much to offer and reputation for quality service its no wonder that John Henry’s rehearsal studios have serviced over 80 different bands already in 2019! www.johnhenrys.com

JOHN HENRY’S Founder John Henry opened his first rehearsal studio in Islington, London back in 1976 and today the facility has over 48 employees and seven fully equipped spaces within its huge 60,000sq ft building located right on the edge of Kings Cross, London.

Incorporating equipment rental, storage, crewing, transportation, its own in house Café, pro shop and showroom floor they have a wide range of resources for working bands to draw upon while rehearsing there.

The John Henry’s facility has been the backdrop to a couple of notable music documentaries recently aired on the BBC and used for a number of photoshoots.

The main studio building itself dates back to the pre-1900s so externally it has a unique character and vibe that can’t be compared to other industrial locations – internally the building is fully modernised to the highest standard.

The studios range from 400sq ft up to 2,900sq ft and are all fitted with quality sound insulation, air con, dedicated fibre-optic Wi-Fi, microphone 70

REHEARSAL FACILITIES

Owned by professional drummer, Mark Roberts, Panic Music continues to be a popular choice for those looking for a quality rehearsal studio in London. Trading for over 15 years, the idea was always to use Roberts’ many years of experience in the music industry, to create a space offering high standards in a friendly and vibrant atmosphere. This still remains very much the focus today – to provide great sound, great service and great value.

Spread comfortably over a 5000sq ft space, Panic offers six wellmaintained studios, all of which are air-conditioned and come with full backline as standard, and attracts a diverse range of artists, bands, record labels and management companies. Its clientele include the likes of Idles, Bastille, Apre, The New Coast, Mono Club, Lyla Foy, Cymande, The Shires, White Lies, Sister Sledge, Snuff and CBeebies, to name a few.

As well as six rehearsal studios, Panic also offers a designated drum

PANIC MUSIC practice studio, a smaller teaching studio and storage cages.

Conveniently located just off both the A40 and the North Circular, in the North Acton area of London, Panic is easy to reach from both other parts of London, and surrounding areas. There is free parking available directly around the building, a rarity in London. Alternatively, North Acton tube is just five minutes’ walk away. www.panic-music.co.uk

Specialist Suppliers to the Entertainment Industry

John Henryʼs Ltd. - 16-24 Brewery Road, London N7 9NH www.johnhenrys.com | email: info@johnhenrys.com | Tel: +44 (0)20 7609 9181 Instagram | Twitter | Facebook - @johnhenrysltd

71

REHEARSAL FACILITIES

artist lounge. The company also tackled the age-old ‘dry throat’ issue that standard AC units emit through our near silent, state-of-the-art, AC system.

Music Bank can offer every service desirable to touring artists using its facilities. It has its own huge inventory of backline, risers, radios and production/wardrobe cases available for use at top rates on site. On top of this, it offers artist storage not to mention stocking all artist touring needs with an onsite supplies shop. Studio One and Two can accommodate any act whether stadium band, dance company, or theatre/orchestra production.

The third studio can work for all productions also but is ideal for academy/club venue sized rehearsals or as a dance studio. Each studio has an in-house PA rig including a digital desk with DiGiCo, Allen & Heath, and Avid desks available. Also included are side fills, wedges, microphone box, stands and cables.

Each space has the ability to run SourceConnect, haze, PA and lighting packages making all of them perfect for filming, showcases or programming.

Over the years, Music Bank has had some of the biggest acts in world through its doors including: Stevie Wonder, Drake, Oasis, Spice Girls, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Tom Jones, Stormzy, Snow Patrol, Little Mix, Madness, One Direction, Take That, and Muse - to name a few. www.musicbank.org

MUSIC BANK Established in 1994, Music Bank was set up as the live side of Trevor Horn’s SARM companies. Beginning as a backline rental business, the company quickly expanding into the world of rehearsal studios. The first act through the doors were none-other-than Oasis. From then, it has hosted the biggest, most influential, acts in world as well as being involved with the most iconic music moments from the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, the Silver and Golden Jubilee’s and Live 8, among many other projects.

Originally based in Bermondsey, South London, from its birth in 1994 until 2018. Music Bank moved to secure a property with a long-term future.

After a long search it located the perfect property in North Acton, NW10 and opened our brand-new custom-built facility in the summer of 2018.

The new facilities feature three large creative spaces for artists to refine their sound before any performance. A big focus of the build was aesthetics and comfort which is why rooms are complimented with a kitchenette, a dedicated front of house room, production manager’s office, WCs, and an

72

REHEARSAL FACILITIES

studio clientele.

On site, SW19’s studios are equipped with d&b PA systems, private control rooms, kitchens & lounge areas. It also offers secure weathertight storage spaces of varied sizes for touring artists and alike. The two studios available on site, Studio One (1,900sq ft) and Studio Two (1,600sq ft). The facility is also opening the third studio later this year (452sq ft).

To ease loading in and out the studios also have easy access for large trucks and busses, as we have them covered with our 25 space car park along with three phase outdoor power.

Having been around since 2012, SW19 has recently been taken over by new owners and management that have put a huge amount of effort to breathe new life into SW19 Studios - upgrading equipment, refurbishing the building, a brand new studio and new cages. The new team have even been working with the council and community to enhance the area, in order to give all of its clients an all round great experience when they are in their hands. www.sw-19.net

SW19 STUDIOS Located just 10 minutes from Wimbledon Park Underground, SW19 Studios is a premium London rehearsal space for world class clients from across the globe.

Catering for anything from solo acts to full band rehearsals to dance, theatre or film rehearsals and anything that has the need for large, professional and spacious rooms.

Over the years, the studios have been lucky enough to be used by Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Sam Smith, George Ezra, Queen, Billie Eilish, Bryan Ferry, Noel Gallagher, 5 Seconds of Summer, Little Mix and many more as 74

REHEARSAL FACILITIES

MILLENNIUM STUDIOS Millennium Studios is a dedicated tour production rehearsal facility.

Situated on a privately-owned site in Bedfordshire, just under an hour out of London.

‘A’ Stage is a large, acoustically treated space of 27.5m x 18.8m, with a height of 10m. Clients also benefit from a large production office, two ensuite dressing rooms, 400a powerlock, drive-in access, on-site catering and 24/7 security. Prices start from £900 p/10 hour day. ‘B’ Stage is a very tall warehouse (20m x 20m x 20m), great for tech builds and testing.

We’ve been lucky enough to have some amazing names walk our corridors. Newbies to veterans and everyone in between… from Katie Melua to Anne Marie, Bastille to Kasabian, Editors to Enter Shikari, Suede to Placebo Primarily the space is used for tour rehearsals but we have also hosted video shoots, commercials, audio demos and even a new ITV programme just recently. Not forgetting our stadium rehearsal size stages at Cardington Studios, only 20mins from Millennium.

Our successful approach has been all about creating a relaxed ‘family’ atmosphere, so that when our guests come back they feel like they’ve returned home.

We think our ‘outside-of-London’ location has really been a benefit as tour managers and their production teams search for better value and greater flexibility And that’s what we’re all about. Offering value for money and the flexibility to only pay for the services you need. www.millenniumstudios.co.uk 75

REHEARSAL FACILITIES

REAL WORLD STUDIOS Real World Studios is a residential recording facility founded by Peter Gabriel in 1986 and set in the beautiful Wiltshire countryside just outside the city of Bath in England. Famed for being one of the best recording studios in the country, it also houses a 15x5m rehearsal room suitable for all level of bands. It comes complete with a Turbosound PA system, monitor wedges and microphones, with further gear available on request. It’s essentially a self-service room but onsite engineers are available to hire in if required.

Additionally, the Big Room, Real World’s main recording space, is perfect for larger bands for full production rehearsals. It comfortably accommodates a full band setup and monitor rig, while the conjoined Wood Room studio allows the FOH team to monitor in complete isolation.

And to cap it all you have beautiful views out over the Mill Pond while you work.

Real World boasts full residential facilities including six luxury bedrooms, an excellent French chef and a standalone one-bedroom cottage. Their recent client list includes Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Elbow, Robert Plant, Jorja Smith and The Vamps.

The space is looked after by a team of experienced and dedicated engineers, technicians and support staff who ensure the ‘can do’ attitude instilled by the founder is at the forefront of everything they do. www.realworldstudios.com

76

IN PROFILE

IN PROFILE: PROTEC GROUP This month, TPi takes a deep dive into one of the world’s largest technical and staging solutions companies in Europe and the Middle East.

With the establishment of its European operation, the Protec Group has fielded a home run of successes recently, which includes additional investment and increased opportunities across the board. The company’s services to the live event industry include technical expertise, state of the art equipment and a highly skilled crew of live event design and technology professionals.

Priding itself on consistency in exceeding expectations and delivering slick and unforgettable event experiences across the UK and Europe, the company has detailed exciting times ahead, as TPi finds out...

technologies, Protec have significantly added to an already enviable inventory of brands including L-Acoustics, DiGiCo, Claypaky, Robe, MA lighting, SGM, disguise, Christie, Barco, Blacktrax, Notch and Watchout, to name but a few of its regular suppliers. Not to mention that the company was also the first in the Middle East region to get its hands on a full suite of new MA Lighting grandMA3 consoles.

Protec, it seems, are not afraid to take the leap when it comes to new technologies and in doing so, push the industry as a whole to evolve and offer exciting new solutions in the world of events. Especially having introduced its advanced technologies which include robotics, drones and automation to all of its new locations.

A GROWING EUROPEAN OFFICE The Protec Group ramped up its expansion in early 2018 and has certainly put its foot on the throttle since. Its growth in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East region has been especially successful. Furthermore, the company’s European branch, based in the UK, has been impressing the industry by scooping awards, aligning itself a major player capable of competing for large scale events and shaking up the industry. The group’s expansion and investments has placed them as one of the largest companies of its kind in the world - showing no signs of slowing down.

As a reflection of the company’s ethos of pioneering the latest

SAUDI SUCCESS STORY Protec has been a cornerstone of the events industry in the Middle East since 1999. Established by industry leader Stephen Lakin, Protec has grown into the region’s most committed and consistently reliable event equipment rental company, producing live events that are truly spectacular, leading edge, and globally acclaimed projects.

With additional purchases especially for its new warehouse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Protec KSA now offer the same preferred, trusted, reliable 78

PROTEC GROUP

brands and service that it is revered for in Dubai. This professional service made available from within Saudi Arabia has seen Protec land some very impressive events this past year.

Saudi Arabia is making giant leaps to diversify and progress its economy and its vision of the future. Formula E, which Protec was an integral part of, was a historic event for the region. Not only was it the first Formula E event held in the region it was also the first major international sports event to take place in Saudi Arabia - with the whole world was watching in real time.

This required technical support that was second to none. Protec’s audio team chose an varied range of L-Acoustics pro audio equipment to cover an extensive area across six grandstand viewing areas, two hospitality areas, a podium, a gaming area and an e-village stage.

For video, the team turned to Barco’s S3 and Luminex networking to livestream to 140 screens across the venue which required 19km of fibre to ensure 4K video with less than one frame of delay.

Lighting for the event was provided using the company’s range of new SGM P-10 and Claypaky lights for the E-Motion club and hospitality village.

Another mega event in Saudi Arabia that Protec provided a complete package for was the ground breaking of the new tourism destination, Al Qiddiya. It is planned to be 334 sq km in area, dwarfing Walt Disney World in Florida (110sq km) to become the world’s largest entertainment destination. Based in the desert with no infrastructure in place, Protec was invited to supply the temporary structure - its 36m x 88m Supa Dome with full technical support inside the auditorium including audio, lighting, 3D video projection mapping, and rigging as well as scenic, staging and

automation for this lavish, and extraordinarily complex ceremony attended by royalty and VVIPs to celebrate the beginning of an estimated two year build project.

At the time of writing, Protec are currently shortlisted for three Middle East Event Awards in recognition of its contribution to the event industry across the region including Best Technical Support for BAO Festival in Dubai and the Al Qiddiya Ground-Breaking Ceremony in Saudi Arabia, and Best Event Technology for its robotics stand at GITEX 2018.

Protec was called upon by its clients Envie Events to provide full AV support for Bao: The Final Frontier EDM festival at Meydan Racecourse, Dubai. Working with Envie before on Sensation and Unite with Tomorrowland, Protec was delighted to continue this partnership and rise to the challenge on what, according to baofestival.com, promised to be a “two-day extravaganza of unrivalled entertainment and music,” and “a production of unparalleled show-stopping grandeur.”

Marked as one of the biggest EDM music festival from a production standpoint ever put on in Dubai, many of the world’s top ranked DJs made up the Bao Festival lineup.

Protec got the opportunity to provide a full-size MA Lighting grandMA3 and grandMA2 console along with over 200 moving Claypaky and Robe fixtures. This was complemented by L-Acoustics K1, V-Dosc and Kara PA operated via a DiGiCo SD5. Video used its Barco E2 along with 12 30k projectors and a large amount of LED. It required some impressive processing power to supply the 4k feeds.

These high-profile live events speak volumes of the trust Protec’s clients

79

PROTEC GROUP

have in its service.

Instilling even more confidence in the upward trajectory of the Protec Group is the return of several key staff members who have re-joined the company bringing a renewed energy and invigorating the team with its ambition and creativity. Well known in the events industry with decades of experience Protec welcome back Rick Wade, Nick Groves, Simon Travis, Abi Bates, Andy Cooper, Nina Badr, André Opperman and Jason Strange.

Fulfilling roles from project management to business development these high calibre staff signify a strong confidence in the Protec brand and have people excited about what’s to come. Investment in these strong, experienced professionals tells us that founder and CEO Stephen Lakin has no plans on slowing down and if anything, bigger things are on the horizon.

clients the benefit of his diverse events background.

This expanded space also means job opportunities. Protec have brought in some new employees already to help the UK branch make the transition but are opening up some exciting opportunities for project managers, senior riggers and senior audio, lighting and video technicians. It will be looking for experienced and ambitious people who share the vision of the Protec group.

Protec European Events have already made impressive strides in its first year having won an AV award for ‘AV Production, Staging & Rental Company of the Year’ and made the shortlist for ‘Event Tech of the Year’ at the EN Awards. The company turned heads at this year’s Event Production Show with its stands showcasing advanced technologies. Offering drones and robots, the company certainly has its finger on the pulse of the current event trends.

Its technology had the desired effect on attendees with many taking out their phones to share images and video of the robot playing darts or were delighted to be able to engage in a hands-on way with the technology.

It was also a great opportunity to find out about the many ways drones are gripping the event world immersing audiences and enabling brands and event professionals to tell their story in more creative and unique ways.

These are exciting times for the Protec Group. Already a trusted name in the Middle East, it is now ready to take the next step in the European market. Expect big things in the coming months as it increase its capabilities and bring on board new staff - its certainly be one to watch.

TPi Photos courtesy of Protec. www.productiontec.com

NEW OPPORTUNITIES Following Saudi’s successful expansion, focus is moving to the UK based Protec European Events. With access to the group’s massive inventory of industry preferred equipment already at hand, Lakin has now acquired a new premises more than doubling the warehouse space and offering a huge 68,000sq ft of storage which he is planning on dedicating to a new, comprehensive staging and scenic department and storage for his growing inventory. This new department will be led by the best in the industry.

New recruit André Opperman brings his impressive background in film, theatrical set building, and fabrication to the department joining Jason Strange – also with decades of experience in scenic and staging – to make Protec European Events a very desirable option capable of supplying large scale events with creative and state of the art options. Protec veteran and creative, Eddie Andradé will join the team from Dubai where he currently holds the position of marketing director but goes beyond that role to offer 80

As seen

After the successful introduction in 2016, the Verto truss is a hit. It is a revolutionary system, making truss connection fast, silent and safe.

This year Prolyte introduces two new series: Verto H40V and Verto H40R. www.prolyte.com/verto40series

Building your LED screen from ground level is now easy, with Prolyte’s Universal LED Stack system (LSU), a very stable system to support you LED screens in various configurations and offers flexibility in height as well as width. www.prolyte.com/LSU

nd

on

P r o li g

ht

+ Sou

The dimensions of LED systems often cause either unbalanced loading or unstable LED walls. The new Prolyte Middle Beam truss series keep the total load in the middle of the truss section and guarantee safe and easy suspension of LED walls. www.prolyte.com/MBtrusses

Helping you build great things www.prolyte.com

facebook.com/Prolytegroup

Instagram.com/prolytegroup

OLLY WALKER PRESENTS GENESIS

Burgeoning DJ talent Olly Walker brought his unique vision to Bedfordshire’s Quarry Theatre with the aid of VJ Rob Brown and LD Elliot Baines. TPi spoke to Baines about the experience.

A production completely crewed and designed by a team all aged under 20 years old, Olly Walker presents GENESIS saw the young DJ bring together a group of motivated individuals to create this unique showcase in the Quarry Theatre in Bedford. Key to the visual look of the show were VJ Rob Brown [VJ Robbie B] and LD Elliot Baines.

The LD - and winner of the TPi Breakthrough Talent Award in 2018 - spoke of his experience with the project. “The idea was to create a futuristic audio-visual experience,” he began. “Rob found me while searching for Avolites tutorials on YouTube around a year ago and we started talking about collaboration.” Walker, Brown and Baines met for the first time at PLASA 2018 and, as the award-winner put it, “the rest is history.”

The trio had big ambitions of the project which saw them take down all the theatre lights and re-design the rig. “Most of the crew was made up of Olly’s friends who had been involved with productions previously in the theatre, so they knew their way around the venue,” explained Baines.

The entire crew were aged 18 and 19, except for Baines, who is only 15. The stage crew included Max Deacon, Andy Wong, Blue Galtos, Jasper Cumming and Demis Sukys. The sound engineer for the project was Olly Dwight with Stage Management, handled by Josh Nethersole.

Chauvet Professional supplied 4 Maverick MK1 Hybrids with Colour Sound Experiment supplying 4 Rogue R1-FXBs. LCH Production Services also provided 2 Chauvet DJ Geysers. The rest of the rig was featured lights already on site. Baines also brought his own personal fixtures, he told TPi, including Chauvet DJ Intimidator Spot 100 IRCs, Intimidator Spot LED 350s and Minizoom-712s on the rig. “Laserworld were also incredibly helpful in suppling 2 DS-1000RGBs which took the show to a new level,” he enthused. The whole show was controlled by an Avolites Quartz lighting console.

Far be it for talents of this young age to be disinterested in the concept of time passing, Baines said the challenges on the project centred around the clock. “Most of the issues we had were to do with timing as we wanted to rig everything at a fast pace to allow for rehearsals and final programming,” commented Baines.

“On the video side of things, we had to figure out on how to make the image from the projector brighter as the content was being washed out by the smoke.” But, after “lots of experimentation” they got the balance right, he was pleased to report, adding: “In the end, our expectations were exceeded as the crew managed to set the stage in under three minutes following the supporting acts.”

The LD concluded by listing some of his highlights from the project. “One of my favourite looks was the timecoded intro as the timing has to be absolutely spot on. We also had a song where the lasers did a spotted effect on each of the fills, along with the visuals, which looked really satisfying and was most of the crew members’ favourite look.”

After the success of the project, crewed by the young and hungry industry newcomers, Baines said this is just the beginning with more events in the pipeline.

TPi www.productionfutures.co.uk www.spiralstagelighting.com 82

E V I T A V O INN TIONS U L SO

RACKNTABLE MOU

ABLE LOCK SIS CHAS

ED RUGGING HOUS PUT/ 2 x INUT OUTP

NA2-IO-DLINE

Line I/O Dante Interface ®

Connect your legacy audio gear to the Dante world. The NA2-IO-DLINE Line I/O Dante Interface is a 2-channel end-of-network device that simultaneously converts analog signals to Dante® and Dante to analog signals. Professional-level connectivity is provided via lockable NEUTRIK XLR and etherCON connectors. Designed for both harsh stage conditions and fixed installations. www.neutrik.com ®

®

® ®

NA2-IO-DLINE_E_190x136+5mm.indd 1

07.12.2018 10:37:26

GEAR HEADS

ER PRODUCTIONS TYPHOON

ER Productions’ David Holmes, Technical Manager, talks to TPi’s Jacob Waite about the company’s Typhoon.

When did the development for the Typhoon begin?

We started developing Typhoon in October 2018, when we were commissioned to deliver lasers and SFX for Ozzy Osbourne’s New Years Eve show at The LA Forum. Lighting Designer, Terry Cook, wanted to include an indoor snow blizzard into the show design, and it was down to ER to step up and make it happen. With the stage already being occupied by the tour rig we didn’t have any more room to place confetti cannons. We had a square audience truss to work with, so whatever happened, our solution had to fly, and we had to deliver lots of confetti from above, in less than two months.

transformers, ultimately with the aim to be the ‘go-to’ solution for any size event or World Tour. It was important to us that adjustable fan speed worked alongside an adjustable flow of product, meaning the machine could offer a small amount of product quickly, or a lot of product slowly.

CO2 also generates a lot of noise so for the subtler confetti hits we wanted silent fans. Taking into consideration the trucking aspect, we required it to be stackable and manoeuvrable, making it easier for techs to get equipment on and off-site. Alongside all of these features, we wanted it to be wrapped into a frame that could roll on and off stage, fly both above and under trusses, and could go from a flutter to a blizzard in seconds, making Typhoon the most versatile confetti blower on the market.

What were the original goals in its development?

Since we started the SFX side of our business at the beginning of 2017, we have found some creative and third-party reliability issues in using CO2. It’s also very expensive, heavy, awkward, and environmentally unfriendly.

For ER, the Ozzy gig felt like the perfect opportunity to create a new product that could achieve what we wanted and more. Building a product that could hold a lot of confetti with controllable output was important to us. It also needed to work in different continents without having to use

What are the mechanics of the product? How does it allow for great control of confetti distribution?

A rotary paddle delivery system controls the quantity of the confetti delivered into the air stream. The air stream is controlled by 4 high volume fans that deliver air movement of 3200cmh (cubic metres per hour) to 3560cmh.

84

E R P R O D U C T I O N S’ C O 2 - F R E E C O N F E T T I B L O W E R

Photo: Andrena Photography

TYPHOON is ER’s new CO2-free confetti blower, which made its debut at the very beginning of the year as part of Ozzy Osbourne’s NYE show at the LA Forum. TYPHOON is not only CO2-free and therefore ‘greener’, it is compact, stackable, easy to control, adjustable and versatile. TYPHOON’s innovative and adaptable design allows it to not only be rigged on top of truss but also flown. TYPHOON weighs 90kg and holds 10kg of confetti, and can be adjusted to how much and how far you want the confetti to be distributed.

For more information, or a demonstration contact ER Productions: London +44 1322 293 135 | Las Vegas +1 702 330 8530 | Australia +61 403 703 731 | Ibiza +34 938 000291 info@er-productions.com

www.er-productions.com

ER PRODUCTIONS TYPHOON

How does the Typhoon compliment live production?

Being self-contained is a huge improvement with ‘on the day’ planning. Not having to rely on a Co2 delivery company to deliver the large heavy bottles means we can be load in quickly on the day. From a Health and Safety point of view, we are no longer moving heavy high-pressure cylinders and running high-pressure hose all over the place. It just makes everything more streamlined and efficient.

Within the hopper, a rotating agitator works in conjunction with the rotary paddle, to keep the confetti loose allowing it to remain in the air for longer. The hopper can hold up to 10-15kg of product, depending on the confetti type. The system gives the ability to direct the output horizontally from 0 to 45° upwards.

Can you talk through the Typhoon’s ability not only be rigged on top of truss but also flown. How can this help show designers?

Typhoon can be set up on floor space, and specially designed bolted rigging points enable underhanging. We have included a small frame that attaches to the underneath for rigging on top of truss.

Depending on trim heights and budget, you can either rig the Typhoons underhung and fly them out on their own independent truss, or rig on top of existing truss locations, out of view from an audience perspective, and not interfering with the stage design aesthetics.

In terms of confetti distribution, how does the product work?

Powerful but silent fan, which push confetti out through a specially-designed tunnel, and a controllable-hopper distributes the confetti evenly.

“Typhoon can be set up on floor space, and specially designed bolted rigging points enable underhanging.

We have included a small frame that attaches to the underneath for rigging on top of truss.”

ER Productions’ David Holmes.

86

What were some of the challenges in its creation?

The most straight forward part was the fan and creating the air tunnel. The challenge was creating a delivery system capable of delivering all types of confetti efficiently and under control.

We began by creating a screw feed distribution hopper with a 150mm diameter output, which was partially successful, but only worked well on certain types of confetti. As we moved forwards the vertical screw feed design was replaced with a horizontal paddle design. The horizontal feeder almost worked too well and could empty the hopper in seconds which could cause the confetti to clump on occasion.

The next step was introducing the 360° agitator which keeps the confetti fluffy inside the hopper and controls the feed into the horizontal paddles.

These 2 mechanical designs have been the perfect

EVENTS. ENHANCED. From customized design solutions to maximize live performances, projection mapping for mesmerizing visuals, and powerful sound systems that deliver rich acoustics – InfoComm has the latest innovations to take your live events experience to the next level.

Learn more about the power of integrated AV experiences at infocommshow.org.

YOUR FREE EXHIBIT HALL PASS IS WAITING Register Today With VIP Code TPI

CONFERENCE: JUNE 8-14 EXHIBITS: JUNE 12-14 ORANGE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER ORLANDO, FLORIDA

infocommshow.org

ER PRODUCTIONS TYPHOON

solution for the Typhoon delivery system.

It’s stackable, and easy to move around, making load-ins and load outs quicker.

What sets the Typhoon apart from other confetti blowers in the market?

It’s more compact, it doesn’t require CO2 so no heavy bottles to move around, it’s user-friendly and easy to control. It can be rigged above an audience, so it’s versatile, it doesn’t have to be placed on the ground, the confetti hits can come from above.

When using CO2, you also have to consider the health and safety issue, the gas containers are heavy, high pressure and can cause whipping injuries from hoses and cold burns from the CO2 gas.

Why is the Typhoon considered a ‘greener’ alternative to other products?

It’s run using electricity instead of CO2. As we know, CO2 is a harmful greenhouse gas, so using less as an industry will help preserve the ozone layer. We all need to do our bit.

The product holds 10kg confetti. What looks can be achieved with this feature?

Full control on how the confetti is delivered means it can go from a soft flurry to a blizzard very quickly.

It’s versatile so you can choose to have lots of product moving quickly, or a small amount falling slowly.

What makes the Typhoon ideal for the live touring market?

What has the reception been like? Has it already been used for any live events?

As we hoped it would, Typhoon made its successful debut at Ozzy Osbourne’s NYE Ozzfest show, 25 units were positioned on a U-shaped truss, over the audience, which delivered a 200kg hit of white confetti, creating a snow blizzard effect during carefully-planned cues for tracks Mr Crowley and Mama.

Lighting Designer Terry Cook commented: “The snow effect was spectacular and looked truly special. I was really surprised at how quick the system came together in LA. We didn’t have long and the ER team worked really hard to deliver what was required.”

And in general, we are getting a very good “It’s run using electricity response with new enquiries. Shows are getting bigger and better, but people are now more instead of CO2. As we know, educated about being greener and seeking CO2 is a harmful greenhouse environmentally-friendly alternatives, and if you choose to use biodegradable confetti with gas, so using less as an the Typhoon, then you have the ultimate green industry will help preserve machine!

TPi the ozone layer. We all need Photos: ER Productions, Dina Douglass, to do our bit.”

Andrena Photography www.er-productions.com ER Productions’ David Holmes.

88

Free registration now open!

14 - 15 May | Royal Armouries Leeds

plasaleeds.com

The North’s dedicated entertainment technology event

20 19

unveiling a new standard of whites and colours...

prolights.it

#raisingthestandard

CLOCKING OFF

PHIL MERCER, UNIVERSAL PIXELS UP’s Phil Mercer is swapping video world for runner’s world, as he prepares to tackle the London Marathon in support of a charity that’s close to his heart

I’m running the London Marathon to raise funds for TRACKS autism, who are providing ongoing support to my friend and former XL Video UK colleague (we started there in same week in July 2004) Tracey Donnelly’s son Thomas, who was diagnosed at three-years-old with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Many of you will remember Tracey, initially as XL’s crew booker, then as the late Des Fallon’s assistant, and finally as a project coordinator.

TRACKS autism provides early intervention for children with autism and related conditions from the age of two until the term they turn six.

All the children show difficulties in communication, social interaction, play and related sensory issues. The charity aims to provide children with the means and motivation to communicate with others, teach them to play and become active learners, and give them basic skills and a better understanding of the world around them.

Thomas has been going to TRACKS for over a year now. Staff there say it is an absolute pleasure and a privilege to support him and watch him blossom and grow. Tracey told me: “I cannot speak highly enough about TRACKS - down to each and every member of staff that works there - they are so invested in the children, making sure they feel safe and happy. Thomas loves going into TRACKS and has really flourished in this environment.”

My training for London began with a nine-mile run on New Year’s Day and has continued by following the Hansons Marathon Method, which has seen me running six days a week and completing over 500 miles to date. I enjoy a challenge and my preparations for London have pushed me harder physically than anything I’ve attempted previously. Being able to raise money for Thomas and TRACKS has given me a real focus and provides lots of motivation. www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com/PhilMercer2 www.tracks-autism.org.uk

DONATE HERE

https:// uk.virginmoneygiving. com/PhilMercer2

90

EXPERIENCE THE POWER

THE WORLD’S BRIGHTEST PRO AV DLP PROJECTORS Raising the bar once again with the all new 37,000 Lumen 3-Chip TITAN LASER and the 21,000 Lumen 1-Chip M-Vision Laser with

.

The Visionaries Choice www.digitalprojection.com TPI MAGAZINE HALF PAGE SEPTEMBER.indd 1

07/08/2018 12:26

DOWNLOAD THE TPi APP Search “TPi Magazine” on the App Store and Google Play.

WWW.TPiMAGAZINE.COM

PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE

ILMC PRODUCTION MEETING For the past 12 years, the organisers of the International Live Music Conference (ILMC) have hosted an annual day of production related discussion, choosing the hottest topics, assembling panels and inviting the great and the good of global production to engage and hopefully, move forwards with improvements.

pressure on crews to work longer hours. A normal working day for crews, said Vaughan, begins at 6.30am and ends 20 hours later.

“If we don’t do something about this, the government agencies will,” stated Vaughan.

Dr Kate Bunyan discussed the consequences of chronic sleep deprivation for workers’ physical wellbeing.

“We have a group of highly qualified professionals whose lives are shortened just because of their work patterns,” summarised Bunyan, apologising for being the “bringer of glorious doom”.

Deptford John moved the conversation to mental health: “When I started, rehab was for quitters and sleep was for babies,” said the touring guitar tech. “If it’s a weakness to admit you’re depressed, who can you turn to?” The loss of friends and colleagues to suicide is a sad reality, which Armitage revealed is all too common for those working in the industry: “no one on tour is getting the care they should get ,” perhaps having missed the PSA’s work to fund Mental Health First Aid training for self employed members.

However, some help is on offer, as Chula Goonewardene, clinical consultant for Music Support, explained. “It is possible to find people that pathway into care,” said Goonewardene, speaking of the importance of well-handled crisis intervention. The psychotherapist also stressed the need for a “dual-pronged approach”, with preventative measures facilitating a culture shift and helping people to spot warning signs.

Production Manager, Joanna Hartle, explained the need to educate crew members, allowing them to capitalise on specialist skill sets and move industry if desired. “I could see that my former colleagues weren’t able to get out of the industry,” said Hartle.

Vaughan suggested that a “guideline document” outlining good working practices could be put together by IPM members, although crew welfare issues had already been addressed in the purple guide and safe working hours were also prescribed in the Working Time Directive, currently largely ignored in favour of working fewer people for longer. Dr Kate mentioned several other industries that have similar guidelines and that there is, as we say, legislation in place that could be referred to.

We can never be sure what’s discussed during coffee breaks and over lunch, but we do have a run down of what was openly discussed during the 3 main sessions. Guest host Rachel Haughey, of Four Corners of the World oversaw proceedings.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON, BUT AT WHAT COST? Chaired by Chris Vaughan, Production Manager (UK), with panellists ‘Deptford’ John Armitage, Guitar Hospital (UK); Dr Kate Bunyan, MB Medical Solutions (UK); Chula Goonewardene, CM Therapy & Steps2Recovery (UK); and Joanna Hartle, Hartle O’Hare (UK).

Not the financial cost, the human cost, that was the opening discussion of the day, a crucial debate because, as Chaiman Vaughan stated “A disproportionate amount of friends and colleagues are not making it to their 60th birthday,” with Deptford John expressing the same view; way too many funerals requiring the purchase of more than one dark suit in a lifetime of touring.

Vaughan explained that the move from theatre to arena shows has put 92

Strutture Soluzioni Sinergie

Superbly crafted, high quality truss for an extraordinary range of needs.

Manufacturer:

Distributors:

Litec Italia

Area Four Industries Direct UK

Area Four Industries Direct Germany

Area Four Industries Direct America

Via Martin Luther King, 70 31032 Casale sul Sile (TV) Italy Tel: +39 0422 997300 info@litectruss.com www.litectruss.com

Unit 5-6 Beechwood Estate Cattle Dyke, Gorefield Wisbech Cambridgeshire PE13 4NR Tel: +44 (0)1945 410700 info@areafourindustries.co.uk www.areafourindustries.co.uk

Johann-Krane-Weg 27 48149 MĂźnster Germany Tel: +49 251 2024014-0 info@areafourindustries.de www.areafourindustries.de

5421 N. National Dr. Knoxville, TN 37914 950 Lawrence Drive, Suite B Thousand Oaks, CA 91320 Tel: 1-800-411-0065 info@areafourindustries.us www.areafourindustries.us

PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE

CHALLENGES IN INTERNATIONAL TOURING Chaired by Martina Pogacic,cShow Production Ltd (HR) with Panellists Alberto Artese, Assomusica Associazione (IT); Paddy Hocken, Paddy Hocken Productions (UK); Renatas Nacajus, Falcon Club (LT).

By way of introduction, the panel recalled notable incidents where, in general, the needs of international tours and local production crews failed to align – with the response from the latter being, invariably, “What did you expect? This is [country name]!”

Nacajus said promoters often feel ashamed to ask if they don’t understand something on the production side, especially in the Baltic region. Hocken agreed, saying his company’s approach is to “use lots of drawings and pictures. In the documentation we send out, we also don’t use any colloquial terms that might be common in North America or Britain but not understood elsewhere.”

Pogacic asked if there should be a standardised list of terms common to production crews anywhere in the world, saying she remembers (in the pre-Google era) receiving technical riders and being bewildered by some of the jargon. The key to working together successfully, suggested Hocken, is open and transparent communication from both sides, with local crew being honest about what’s possible, and incoming tours being realistic in

their expectations.

Speaking from the floor, independent Production Manager Keith Wood said he’s disappointed to hear that there’s a culture of being too scared to ask questions – saying if one of his tours arrives and the staff and infrastructure aren’t there, “I’ve failed in my job, in advancing that show properly.” “It’s about sharing the problems,” echoed promoter-turnedProduction Manager Artese. “Sometimes it can be tricky if you don’t know the other guy, but it’s essential that everyone tells the truth, 100% of the time.”

Talk then turned to the difficulties of planning for events which, in many cases, have been oversold beyond what would be the optimum configuration for the venue. One audience member suggested that – with demand for tickets at an all-time high – agents are trying to extract the maximum revenue by making the show as big as possible, posing difficulties for local crews.

Another said they’d like to see promoters step in to dictate the boundaries of their shows. “This is one of the few businesses in the world where you agree on something without knowing what you’re even signing up to,” he commented. “It should be down to the promoters to say, ‘Here are the parameters, and that’s that’”.

I LIKE TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT Chaired by Rick Smith, Rule Out Loud (UK) with Panellists Lester Dales, Dales Evans & Co Ltd (UK); Sebastian Tobie, eps holding gmbh (DE); Ceri Wade, Arcadia Spectacular (UK); Richard Young, Catapult Productions Ltd (UK); Steve Zapp, ITB (UK) The ILMC Production Meeting’s (IPM) third panel mused transport and travel, as the expanding global touring market, miscommunication and short timescales complicate the movement of goods, people and money.

Chair Smith opened the panel speaking of the growth of mega-events, particularly in the EDM sector, meaning that acts and touring festivals are travelling to “countries that were never on the touring map. For successful touring, the most important thing is to “manage expectations early on and call on the relevant experts,” said Smith.

Steve Zapp, reportedly the first agent to sit on an IPM panel, revealed that agents encounter the same problems surrounding miscommunication and last-minute changes that plague the production industry. “There needs to be conversations between the booking and production sides of tours,” stressed Zapp.

“No-one wants to cancel a show,” added Richard Young, explaining that, in times of crisis, it is crucial to have good partners as suppliers. ”It’s important to get everybody on board from very early on,” said Young.

Lester Dales, spoke of the impact of insufficient tax planning. “Pretty much every country has the right to first taxation on a show and the artists’ earnings,” said Dales. Tax can become a huge touring cost for some artists, and “before you know it, there’s no profit left”.

Talk turned to the movement of people with Arcadia’s Ceri Wade, who spoke of the “duty of care” she has for her team. “It’s about logistics and planning but also your duty of care with people; with timelines this is a huge challenge,” said Wade, who received 12 weeks’ advance notice for the

Arcadia New Year’s Eve show in China.

The lack of communication down the line from event promoters to those working on site also proved a main subject of conversation.

“Vendors wait desperately to find out which materials we need for different tours,” said eps Holding Gmbh’s Sebastian Tobie, explaining that his team always plans for multiple scenarios due to lack of information.

Young responded, highlighting the many unpredictable factors that exist early on in the production process: “vendors and crew need to understand that, if they’re going to be engaged earlier, it’s all tentative.”

Smith closed the session urging increased input and cooperation from all agencies involved in the ever-expanding world of touring.

94

VIDEO PRODUCTION HIRE & EVENT SERVICES “Their passion, attention to detail and visionary approach to product development, along with creative interpretation, put the company above the competition” Festival Supplier Awards Judges

“It’s great to work with a team we can trust 100% and a company that values pushing the boundaries of creative production as much as us!”

Boomtown Fair

01227 368867 info@videoillusions.net www.videoillusions.net

PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE

ADVANCING & SHARING: OOPS, THEY DID IT AGAIN Chaired by Tony Hayes (Arena Birmingham, UK) with Panellists Allen Cook, TOURtech (US); Andrew Craig, Live Nation (UK); Octavia Harwood, The O2 (UK); Sophie Ridley, Safents Consulting Ltd (IE); Kevin Walker, National Events Intelligence Unit (UK).

In the wake of the infamous “logistical issues” that plagued Mumford & Sons’ scrapped 2018 UK arena tour, IPM’s final panel looked at advancing and information sharing, and how the industry can keep things moving in an era of late rider requests and hit-and-miss safety information.

Cook said 16 years into his live career, he’s “still finding it hard to get and give information. There are hundreds of reasons [why that flow of tour info can break down] but the question is, how do we get and give that information efficiently? There’s often just not time to jump on a conference call… Why isn’t there a guide?”

It’s a similar situation when it comes to show safety, said Ridley.

With safety information, “it’s the same as production information,” she explained. “There isn’t a system.” Although many European tours start in Ireland, she said, “there’s often no one to give it [safety info] to.

Chair Hayes addressed the Mumfords situation (which saw every other date of the arena tour cancelled as the build/break timings had not been correctly factored in), saying the first his arena – slated to be the tour’s third venue – knew about the tour being partly cancelled was when trucks that should have been in Manchester turned early up in Birmingham.

“Somewhere down the line, mistakes occurred,” said Hayes, though

he noted that the Mumfords tour is an “extreme example” and a “very, very rare case”. An audience member spoke on the importance of artists’ expectations for stage design being managed. “It’s too easy to just say yes,” he said.

Craig elaborated on his role as a promoter rep, with Hayes praising Craig and other good reps’ ability to act as a “conduit” between venue and production, while Octavia Harwood from the O2 spoke on the logistical challenges involved in her role as head of venue management at the world’s busiest arena.

In response to a question from the floor that asked if, with increased sharing of information, there comes a risk of overload, Harwood said: “I’m aware we have a lot of shows coming in, and there’s often too much email chains going round… we need to make it as simple as possible in terms of the info we as a venue ask for.”

Intelligence officer Kevin Walker outlined the work of the UK’s National Events Intelligence Unit (NIEU), which, he explained, is missing crucial security information from arenas, as large venues are reluctant to send data to the NIEU owing to commercial considerations. “We often get 20 pages of information from police, then two paragraphs from the venues,” he explained.

TPi Photos: Carolina Faruolo www.ilmc.com www.psa.org.uk

96

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

Sponsored by www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

ADJ’s Laurent Paulussen; Allen & Heath’s Jamie Ward; KB Event’s Cliff Zenker

ADJ has recruited Laurent Paulussen as the new Director of Finance for the company’s European division.

“The new Director of Finance role at ADJ Europe is significant as we continue to develop our brands and extend our market share in this key territory,” commented Toby Velazquez, President of the ADJ Group of Companies.

Paulussen stated: “Having met Laurent, I am confident that he is the right person for the job and will very quickly become an important part of the ADJ team. He has a true wealth of commercial experience and is both a strategist and results-driven team motivator. He is also down to earth and a team player who I am sure will very quickly enhance our existing European management team which is already very strong.”

He continued: “I am excited and proud to start working as a member of the ADJ Europe team,” said Paulussen. “My first meeting with the company was informative, then when I met with the European management team I instantly warmed to them and my final meeting with Toby Velazquez was nothing short of inspiring. I feel honoured to step aboard, and want to get the best out of myself and also my co-workers.”

Allen & Heath has appointed of Jamie Ward as Sales Director APAC. Having held key international sales positions with The Stanton Group, Harman and most recently, Community Professional, Ward also has extensive history with Allen & Heath, having previously been with the company from 2000-2007.

“I cut my teeth at Allen & Heath, so in many ways this feels like returning home,” said Ward. “Over recent years, I’ve watched the brand growing and growing and feel incredibly excited to be able to bring my experience back to the fold to help it reach new heights in the dynamic, fast evolving APAC market.”

Markus Sinsel, Sales Director at Allen & Heath, commented, “As our APAC business continues to grow, finding the right person for this role was critical. With his extensive international experience and solid history with Allen & Heath, Jamie proved to be the perfect fit. Jamie’s enthusiasm for the business of pro audio is infectious and I know that he is looking forward to working with all our partners to continue to build on the strong successes we have seen in the region to date.”

KB Event has brought Cliff Zenker into the position of General Manager.

Having worked closely with KB Event over the years on and a wide variety of projects, Zenker is now delighted to be part of the KB Event team. “My plan is to blend my Management, Production and Technical skills in this new, General Manager position, to assist Stuart and Leanne and the rest of the KB Event team in furthering its growth and success.”

Stuart McPherson, KB Event Managing Director, commented: “Cliff’s previous experience, his can-do attitude, and his determination to see projects through to conclusion are attributes that made my decision in asking him to join us an absolute no-brainer.working closely with him as the business continues to thrive.”

98

Future-Proof Technologies / Reliable Solutions / Safe Investment /

Visit us

BOOTH C6537

&

HALL 8, BOOTH D28

THE ONLY INTERCOM THAT... talks all audio standards including AES67 SMPTE2110-30/31

THAT...

THAT...

THAT...

supports the SMARTPANEL concept

integrates BOLERO, the state-of-the-art wireless intercom

loads a full conďŹ guration in less than 3 seconds www.riedel.net

www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

The team at PRG K.K. Ayrton’s new exclusive distributors in Japan; The TechPro team; d&b audiotechnik’s Christian Orcin.

Stuart McPherson, KB Event Managing Director commented. “Cliff’s previous experience, his can-do attitude, and his determination to see projects through to conclusion are attributes that made my decision in asking him to join us an absolute no-brainer. Leanne & I are extremely pleased that he accepted our offer, and we both look forward to working closely with him as the business continues to thrive.”

Arena Events Group has welcomed Chris Morris as Chief Executive of UK and Europe. Morris has over 20 years’ experience in the Sports, Leisure and Hospitality sectors and will join Arena on 19th March.

Morris was most recently Managing Director of the Events and Destinations Division of CH & Co, a leading catering and hospitality group and spent 9 years working with the Rugby Football Union as Managing Director of Twickenham Experience Ltd. Greg Lawless, Chief Executive of Arena said: “We are delighted to welcome Chris to the Arena team. He has held a number of senior executive positions within the sports, leisure and hospitality sectors and is very well known in the industry. Chris brings a wealth of knowledge to his new position and I believe he will be a great asset to the Arena Group as we continue to grow the UK Division over the coming years”.

Ayrton has confirmed of PRG K.K. as its new, exclusive distributor for Japan with effect from 1 March 2019.

Ayrton’s full range of products will be promoted and supported on a day-to-day basis by PRG K.K.’s technical sales team.

“We chose to become an Ayrton distributor because their renewed focus on an innovative, lightweight and quality product line is an excellent

fit for the Japanese marketplace,” said PRG K.K.’s Yuji Tanaka. “We believe the new Ayrton product range offers unique advantages in terms of their high output, full set of features, and remarkably compact, light-weight housings.

“PRG is very excited to be a part of this next level in our relationship with Ayrton,” said John Swain, PRG’s CEO of Asia and Australia. “We recognised the innovative solutions that Ayrton lighting products offer clients across a broad range of professional environments. The ingenuity of Ayrton’s product solutions is ideally suited to PRG K.K.’s client base in Japan.”

TechPro has opened its first site in Continental Europe, with the opening of a newly built 2,000sq ft warehouse and office unit in Ridderkerk, close to the city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Although long in the planning, the potential for logistical disruption following Brexit helped TechPro’s management team with their decision to open up in the Netherlands and mitigate any impact on the company’s ability to meet the growing demand for European-based live events.

TechPro Director Rob Stokes, commented: “UK-based event agencies rely on TechPro to deliver truckloads of AV equipment throughout Europe with smooth efficiency.

“With over 60% of our work now taking place at event venues throughout the EU and beyond, our new branch in the Netherlands will allow us to continually meet our client’s expectations, whilst removing any future concerns for logistical disruption or potentially costly import/export legislation.”

100

www.tpmeaawards.com

Recognising Production Talent In The Middle East

24 APRIL 2019

Hard Rock Café, Festival City Mall, Dubai For sponsorship opportunities and to book tickets, please contact Hannah Eakins or Justin Gawne.

CATEGORY SPONSORS

DRINKS SPONSOR

SUPPORTERS

www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

EM Acoustics’ Greg Clarke; Solotech’s Stéphane Laverdure.

Clear-Com has confirmed the appointment of ABSIS as its local partner for Belgium and Luxembourg.

ABSIS is a new company formed by two audio engineers, Frédéric Jakus and Gaëtan Crenier, who bring a combined 50+ years of hands-on industry expertise working with companies including NEP Belgium (formerly Outside Broadcast), VTM, Videohouse, Alfacam, RTL and Canal +.

Frédéric Jakus, Founder and Co-Owner, ABSIS, said, “ABSIS is pleased to be working with Clear-Com because it is a very strong brand with a reputation for manufacturing excellence and a mature product line that offers a wide range of communications options.”

Nicki Fisher, EMEA Sales Director, Clear-Com, said: “The combination of local market knowledge and hands-on, real-world experience means that ABSIS is ideally placed to support our new and existing customers in this region.” d&b audiotechnik has appointed Christian Orcin to drive strategic growth at d&b Spain.

Orcin said: “My role will be to maintain the leadership d&b has established in the Spanish mobile/rental market. The brand’s potential for growth in the fixed installation market is huge so developing our install partner network will also be a major focus. I’m inspired by the opportunity to implement this ambitious growth strategy and I’m eager to work with the team in Spain and around the world.”

Phill Coe, d&b EMEA Territory Manager added: “Spain has always been an important market for d&b, which is why we established a subsidiary there in 2011. Today, not only is our mobile and installation business growing in Spain, the influence of local specifiers and integrators is also increasing internationally, and this is something we intend to take full advantage of. We have great confidence that Christian is the right person to lead d&b Spain into this significant period of growth.”

EM Acoustics confirmed the appointment of well-known British sound designer, Greg Clarke, to the team. Clarke will be responsible for system

design and client liaison on behalf of EM Acoustics. Clarke regularly designs Broadway and West End shows in addition to his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre and many others.

“I’ve been an advocate of EM Acoustics for years; I believe fundamentally in their products, their attitude and their philosophy,” declared Clarke. “As we continue to expand, I’m thrilled to be able to put my relationship with the company on a formal basis and share my experience of this exceptional equipment. I’m also really looking forwards to getting to know EM’s broad and diverse customer base.”

EM Acoustics operations director, Mike Wheeler said; “Having Greg on board is a huge asset for us,” he said. “As a both a highly respected sound designer and a key user of our systems in the theatre market, it’s an incalculable benefit for us to be able to make his expertise available to our customers. In addition to offering help and advice on system design, Greg will also be taking on the role of client liaison and after-sales service.”

Rent-All, with its head office in Bemmel, has taken over Phlippo Group, based in Lier, Belgium. This concerns Phlippo Productions, Phlippo Showlights and its branches in Germany and the Netherlands, including the total rental stock.

With this acquisition, Rent-All is taking a further step in its strategic policy of being “Your equipment supplier in Europe”.

Solotech’s Philip Giffard, President of its Sales and Systems Integration Division, has announced the appointment of Stéphane Laverdure as Director of Operations for the Division’s Quebec City office, effective immediately.

Directly under Giffard’s direction, Laverdure will be responsible for the planning, enhancement and management of the operations to ensure the overall performance of the Division in Quebec City.

“His vision, leadership and analytic skills make him a considerable asset for our company”, commented Giffard. disguise has assigned WorldStage as its certified solution provider in 102

www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002

Biamp’s David Woolf.

North America.

“We have a long-standing relationship and are very pleased to be developing this further. It is an exciting time for us at disguise seeing how Worldstage will develop and implement us into new spaces, especially utilising the new workflow tools that will be on show at NAB, that we are developing for TV & Broadcast industry,” said Hans Beijer, VP Key Accounts at disguise.

“Our partnership with disguise reinforces the reputation WorldStage has earned for being the industry’s leading provider of innovative solutions,” said Gary Standard, WorldStage President & CEO. “We choose to work with the very best people and equipment and, just as importantly, with companies willing to collaborate with us to optimise their offerings to meet clients’ needs. Disguise fits all of those requirements.”

Biamp has appointed David Woolf as the company’s new senior director, global marketing. In this role, Woolf oversees all elements of the company’s corporate communications, product marketing, demand generation, web properties, public relations, and social media to ensure a unified voice and strategy as the company grows through internal product development, geographic expansion, and company acquisition.

“Biamp acquired two companies last year and made seven major product announcements in the last month alone. Our rapid growth and entry into new product categories and market segments requires us to strengthen and expand our marketing activities significantly. Building a team to tell our story effectively to these new audiences and integrate the brands we acquire is essential,” stated Rashid Skaf, president and CEO for Biamp.

Woolf added: “Biamp is an exciting company in the midst of a tremendous period of growth. It’s moving fast and doing great things and I’m excited to be taking over leadership of the marketing function during this critical period,” he stated.

TPi www.tpimagazine.com/category/industry-jobs/ 103

TPi PRODUCTION GUIDE

THE PRODUCTION GUIDE The ultimate support act

The new Gerriets LED Supertitle System

INTERNATIONAL AWARD-WINNING LASER & SFX SPECIALISTS

Production Support • Stage Design Rigging Manpower UK +44 1322 293 135 USA +1 214 2700665 AUSTRALIA +61 403 703 731 SPAIN +34 938 000291 info@er-productions.com

For more information call

on +44 (0)1253 894688 or email karen@knightrigging.co.uk knightrigging.co.uk

Gerriets Great Britain Ltd. 18 Verney Rd, London SE16 3DH UK

+44 20 7639 7704 +44 20 7732 5760 info@gerriets.co.uk www.gerriets.co.uk

www.er-productions.com

Travel M anagem for the Live Mu ent Services sic Indu stry

Temporary Power Specialists

• Saving you time, money, stress and hassle • Help with planning, budgeting and routing • Hotels, flights, ferries and other travel products • Various budgets and expectations catered for • Trade only prices with financial protection • Detailed itineraries provided for all tours • Free travel advice and 24 hour support

Power for Events, Festivals & Broadcast Sync & Twinset Units Full Site Power Design & Implementation Nationwide Service

Contact our specialist team today!

E: info@travel4tours.com

North West Wales -

T: +44 (0) 1904 777 217 (UK) F: +44 (0) 1904 777 172

www.eurogenerators.co.uk hire@eurogenerators.co.uk

W: www.travel4tours.com

CELEBRATING 15 YEARS

Total Production Solutions Corporate - Live Events Touring - Broadcast

SOUND VIDEO

LIGHTING RIGGING

NOW AVAILABLE:

01565 654 004 01758 713 100

E NTEC SOUND & LIGHT

517 Yeodlng Lone Northoll Middlesex U85 6LN T•I 020 8842 4004 Fox 020 8842 3310 E moll solesOentecLIVE.com Web,ite www.entecLIVE.com

SPECIALISTS IN THE ART OF TOURING & ENTERTAINMENT

01565 652202 rental@vme-uk.com www.vme-uk.com

www.tourtravel.co.uk T: +44 (0) 20 7434 7408

104

TPi PRODUCTION GUIDE

Equipment we offer: • Cable Ramp - Rental & Sales • ADA Disabled Wheelchair Cable Ramps - Rental • Event Power Distribution - Rental • Cable - Rental • Powerlock Cable Systems - Rental • Lighting & Adaptors - Rental

Tel: 0845 606 6049 Email: hire@tempower.co.uk www.tempower.co.uk

To advertise here enquiries should be made to Lauren Dyson & Lyndsey Hopwood Lauren Dyson - Tel: +44 (0) 161 476 9119 Email: l.dyson@mondiale.co.uk Lyndsey Hopwood - Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Email: l.hopwood@mondiale.co.uk APRIL 2019 ADVERTISERS Chauvet Professional ,77

GIS AG ,63

Pro Tapes ,93

10k Used Gear Limited,59

GLP ,41

Production Park ,69

Absen ,11

Harman Professional,IBC

Prolyte Group,81

Adam Hall ,6

HighLite ,83

Protec,79

Adamson ,67

Infocomm,87

RdeO Event Production Support,45

ADJ ,IFC

John Henry’s,71

Renkus Heinz ,63

Allen & Heath,17

L-Acoustics,3

Riedel Communications ,99

Area Four Industries ,93

Le Maitre ,95

Robe,43

Avolites ,27

Leisuretec ,4

ROE Visual ,33

Brompton Technology,49

Look Solutions,7

ShowTex,37

ChainMaster Buhnentechnik ,29

Millennium Studios,75

Shure UK ,65

CLF Lighting,15

MOVECAT,23

Sound Of Music ,35

d&b Audiotechnik,55

MTFX ,13

The Custom IEM Company,96

DiGiCo,47

Music & Lights ,89

Transition Video ,35

Digital Projection,91

Music Bank,73

TW Audio,9

Duratruss,103

Neutrik ,83

Universal Pixels ,53

Elation Lighting ,5

PLASA Events,89

Vari*Lite,61

ER Productions,25 & 85

Polecam,19

Video Illusions,95

Fly By Nite Studios,56 & 57

Powersoft ,BC

105

BACK CHAT

GARY ROSEN Vice President of Global Sales, Pliant Technologies

Frequency-hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS)-based RF techniques allow us to have hundreds of beltpacks in a single facility, which we have implemented at a major broadcast facility in NYC with over 350 packs in operation.

Our unique built-in conference architecture allows us to provide complex intercom routing for users, without the expense or complex operation of a matrix style intercom.

Also, our beltpack design has been recognized as the easiest to use in the industry.

What do you see as some of the greatest challenges facing communications technology in 2019?

The constantly evolving wireless landscape will continue to make using RF devices a challenge worldwide. The demand for wireless devices in productions continues to grow exponentially as does the pressure for bandwidth for consumer handheld devices. In general, RF noise floor problems from all RF and non-RF devices, like LED walls, will continue to be a challenge for operators.

When did your interest in the live events industry first begin?

I started on the recording side of audio -- building studios, engineering, producing, and working with artists on tour.

After some time in the studio world, I went on to work at Sony Pro Audio. At the time, the company’s wireless division was producing high-quality, ground-breaking wireless technology, such as the original WRT-400 and WRR-400 ½ rack VHF mic series.

How has Pliant combated these issues?

Our CrewNet distributed network allows us to place RF locally, wherever it’s needed. We have intelligent roaming, which allows users to have coverage where it’s specified, ensuring that users connect with only the people that they intend to, without issues caused by other crew members stealing the needed connection.

How did your relationship with Pliant Technologies start?

I was looking for something that was challenging and different. Pliant Technologies (previously known as our parent company CoachComm) had just developed the Tempest Wireless professional intercom system, a revolutionary solution, being the only scalable licensefree wireless intercom available. Pliant was looking for someone with broad experience in business management, spanning both the broadcast and live industries. It was a natural fit.

What does the rest of the year look like for Pliant?

Our U.S. and international markets continue to expand.

Many professionals in the production space are seeing the power and value in our design, leading to high user acceptance. The best predictor of Pliant’s success is our customers returning to expand their systems, purchase additional systems, and replacing obsolete UHF wireless with CrewCom. We are receiving strong orders for our new series of SmartBoom headsets and we have a few surprises to present at NAB this year.

What have been some of the biggest developments you’ve witnessed since taking the role of VP of Pliant?

Pliant Technologies was formed to specifically focus on building products and supporting the needs of professional users of wireless communications. We designed the CrewCom wireless intercom system from the ground up, pioneering techniques in several areas.

For example, our redesigned RF has an amazing ability to be virtually immune to multipath signals. Our unique

Finally, when you’re not behind your desk, what are TPi readers likely to find you doing?

You’ll find me on my way to or from an airport, traveling the world on business for a trade show or a training seminar, or with my wife and family exploring new destinations. It’s always fun getting to spend time with my many friends in the pro audio community. I also enjoy keeping up with high-tech car forums and remain active to help people there wherever I can.

106

WE LISTENED, NOW IT’S YOUR TURN Compatible Rigging System with all VTX-A Series Products New JBL Transducers for Best Sound Quality and Output Multiple Horizontal Coverage Options (90°|110°|120°) Best-in-Class Rigging System for Fast and Safe Deployment Compact, Truck-Friendly Dimensions Full-Range of Innovative Accessories Complete Solution Including Software and Amplification Small-Format Application Subwoofer Improved Linearity and Wider Dynamic Range Full Series Compatible Rigging (8” and 12” arrays) Reduced System Amplifier Requirements

Learn more now at JBLpro.com.

Contact us: European.Marketing@harman.com

A12

A12W

A8

B18

NEW

NEW

POWERSOFT.COM

JUST ADD MUSICIANS

BRAND NEW T SERIES AMPLIFIER PLATFORM ARMONIA

DRIVING HUMAN AUDIO EXPERIENCE

PS_TSeries_BACK COVER.indd 1

29/03/19 09:43