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SPS Supplies Video for Toyota Launch
Show Presentation Services (SPS) supplied PCI:Live with video equipment for the spectacular launch of the new Toyota Corolla Verso at Birmingham’s ICC recently.
PCI:Live’s account director for Toyota, Jeff Gale, collaborated with SPS’s project manager Gerry Francke, and Jeff’s staging ideas were taken up by leading set designer Martin Sutherland. Martin utilised a large LED screen that divided into several different configurations showing both abstract and informational content and effects during the presentation. The screen was also used for the dramatic reveal sequence.
Due to an incredibly tight get-in and set-up timescale and the complexity of the technology, SPS provided up to 14 crew, who worked continuously in shifts from Tuesday night/Wednesday morning to show time on Friday at 10am Gerry worked together with PCI:Live’s production manager Paul Fryer to ensure that all elements were rigged and working ready for the 10am technical rehearsals on the Thursday morning. Gerry says: “Given the incredibly short time and the vast undertaking for the whole show, it is a credit to all departments that we were able to start a full tech within two hours of the demands of the schedule. Meticulous pre-event planning was the key to ensuring the event ran smoothly during the tenancy at the ICC.”
The 192-panel Barco D-Lite 7 LED screen was designed to be split into two and four sections as well as to function as one complete surface. The four section split option left exactly the right width to allow the three Toyota Versos to be driven through each column of screen for the main reveal.
Each 4-way block of the screen was four tiles wide and 12 high. When combined, this gave a 1024 x 768 pixel resolution, ensuring that everything that was seen on the presentation’s programming monitors would be mimicked exactly on the LED wall. Bryan Leathem, SPS’s Head of LED operations worked closely with PCI:Live’s creative team to advise them on how best to display their imagery both in full and split screen modes.
The screen automation system was designed, supplied and rigged by Summit Steel.
SPS also supplied two Barco SLMR10 performer series projectors for the front ‘soft’ projection screen that flew in and out on house bars during the show. This screen was used to display the main graphic and video content of the show.
Video content material for this surface was stored on two Doremi hard drives and two Betacam players, all feeding into an Extron SGS 408 vision/data switcher. A second Extron SGS408 vision/data switcher was provided with its own betacam players to send signals to the LED Wall. Specific computer generated graphics (one feed for projection screen, one for the LED wall), were then fed into both switchers for outputting to the various screens. The Doremis were used to run seamless and instantaneous VT playback for one specific section in the show, when the presenter needed to have a ‘conversation’ with himself on screen.
SPS also supplied a three camera Ikegami Triax system, complete with GVG110 vision mixer and full digital PPU to record the show for a post event DVD. Two cameras were located at the FOH position, both with Canon J33 lenses, and the third was a handheld onstage with a standard lens. The show was recorded on four Betacam machines - three ran ISO from each camera and one took a TX recording. Jonathan Chard directed the live shoot for SPS, with SPS working closely throughout the whole event with video producer Tamsin Herbert. Additionally, SPS supplied four plasma screens below the stage for graphics and prompting relay and two Sanyo XP46 projectors for prompting, situated at the rear of the hall.
13th April 2004
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