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CT Screenco Relay Torch Songs to Masses in The Mall
London welcomed the Olympic flame with one of the biggest free concerts in its history outside Buckingham Palace.
As five-times Olympic gold medallist Steve Redgrave carried the torch up the Mall in front of an estimated 70,000 people Rod Stewart rounded off a six-hour concert to mark the event on June 26, performing with former Faces (now Stones) guitarist Ronnie Wood and the cast of the West End musical, Tonight’s the Night.
Spectators lining the Mall were able to see the show at close quarters via a series of six delay rigs, supplied by CT Screenco, with a further three designed into Mark Fisher’s massive stage set.
Commissioned by production manager Robbie Williams, of RWP Ltd, the big screen specialists supplied three Barco DLite 7 stage displays, in 16:9 aspect ratio. The large upstage centre screen, measuring 9.8m x 5.4m, provided the centre piece at the back of the enormous stage for the VIP’s and television audience, with two flanking D7 screens, each measuring 7.4 x 4m, pointing up and down the Mall.
The delay screens on the Mall consisted of a combination of four new Lighthouse 19mm LED daylight displays, commandeered from CT Screenco’s Dutch based sister company, JVR, enhanced by a pair of 25mm 18 sq. metre displays — all configured in 4:3 aspect ratio to maximise the i-mag facility.
Among the other artists performing were James Brown, Ozzy Osbourne, Emma Bunton and Will Young,
CT Screenco also supplied a three-camera PPU to provide coverage of the warm-up and closing acts not covered by the BBC transmission crew. Sister company, Presteigne Broadcast Hire, provided the equipment and technical support, which grew in complexity in the run up to the event to include multiple hard disk playback, three channels of graphics, including both Aston and Powerpoint systems, along with the facility to show live off air coverage of such things as the rain at Wimbledon and the progress of the flame on its journey around London.
Explained Avesco business development director, Dave Crump: “The idea was that during the afternoon we were able to show coverage of other live sporting events and some of the other Flame activities in London as they happened. The guys from Presteigne really rose to the challenge.”
Final elements in the mix were a four screen multi-channel press monitoring system install in nearby Lancaster House and a number of plasma displays in the artist hospitality and press areas.
Stuart Young project managed the event for CT Screenco, with Blue Leach directing the cameras and Matt Lewns of Presteigne vision engineering.
An exhausted Dave Crump commented after the event: “All of the crew were fantastic; in total we had about a dozen people on site and they all worked long and hard to make this happen. The Mall is one of the best but toughest venues to work — the sheer distances one walks in the course of a day is sufficient to wear most people out.”
Other contractors included site management in the hands of Unusual Services, Stageco (stage), Power Logistics (power), Arena (seating) Neg Earth (lights) and Brit Row for the enormously complex sound system.
Statistically, more than 140 torch-bearers carried the Olympic flame on a 31-mile journey past some of London's most famous landmarks during the day before it reached the Mall — the first time the torch had been in the UK since London hosted the Olympics in 1948.
1st July 2004
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