Cinderella

CINDERELLA

Barco projectors star on Christopher Wheeldon’s adaptation of the classic tale for the English National Ballet at the Royal Albert Hall.

When noted English choreographer Christopher Wheeldon hosted Cinderella for the English National Ballet (ENB) at the Royal Albert Hall in June 2019, he was keen to live up to the rich history of the storied venue. Initially, SFL was brought in as a technical advisor. “In all, the project was 18 months in the planning,” explained SFL Director, Craig Lawrence. “ENB’s Technical Director, George Thomson, was looking to stage a largescale production in the round. The production required many different changes of scene and the use of projection seemed the obvious answer. ENB had never worked with projection on such a large scale before, so it turned to SFL to provide that experience.” Ultimately, the design called for multiple projection points, including the floor and sky wall at the rear of the stage. SFL devised the 3D modelling, collated the rig plans and coordinated everything with lighting, video, audio and set/costume designers to ensure all the different technical elements were in sync. The Barco projection system comprised a mixture of 32K and 40K UDX projectors, 16 in total, all flown from a rig. Eight 40K units managed

the floor, with the remainder used for the sky wall. Sharpness, power and easy installation were the determining factors when it came to selecting projectors. These same criteria were used to choose them at the more recent International Swimming Federation events in South Korea. Connecting, calibrating and blending all these in a listed building in a rental situation was time-consuming, particularly as there were multiple shows on some days. Due to vibration, temperature and truss movements, the alignment was tweaked every time before a show. To save time and increase accuracy, SFL could call on the Barco Projector Toolset that comes with UDX projectors. To assist in what was a challenging set-up, Barco dispatched an engineer to help fine-tune the projection. The workflow was analysed and discussed with SFL during the initial setup. As a result, some modifications were made to the PToolset software, which were available for immediate use during the subsequent setups. “The Projector Toolset saved us one third of the time we had previously been spending on doing line-ups,”

according to Lawrence. “Being part of the setup team for a couple of days was invaluable for both of us,” commented Barco Country Manager UK, Ashley Raines. “We c ould point out possible solutions for the production and fix some issues on the spot. Seeing how the alignment went smoother and faster was equally gratifying. What we learnt about the pain points of putting together and managing this level of set-up will also be incorporated into

future updates of the toolset.” Down on the stage, meanwhile, all the work seemed to pay off. Audience feedback was effusive. “A riot of colour and exquisite dancing”, “completely spectacular” and “stunning” were just a few of the words used to describe the production as a whole. TPi Photos: Ian Gavan www.barco.com