latest news headlines
XL Video is Dynamite with Jamiroquai
XL Video UK is supplying the current Jamiroquai ‘Dynamite’ world tour with full video production and crew.
The tour’s stunning, innovative visual design has been created by Vince Foster, a leading exponent in the art of video and lighting integration.
The tour is being project managed for XL Video by Des Fallon, who comments: “I’ve known Vince for about 12 years and it’s great to be working with him and with Derek and Zop again on Jamiroquai. It’s a stunning show and there are some really nice people involved.”
Foster has worked with Jamiroquai since 1999, however this is the first time they have woven video into the performance in such an inclusive way. He has also worked with XL Video innumerable times before, including Kylie’s ‘Showgirl’ tour earlier this year.
For Jamiroquai, Foster is using 15 surfaces of half-populated (chequer-board style) Barco O-lite screen onstage, hung in three staggered layers, making a visual electronic backdrop for the stage. This is being fed by a Catalyst digital media server loaded with content custom created by Foster for the show, triggered by the Whole Hog 3 console, run on tour by visual director Darragh McAuliffe.
Using the O-lite surfaces as another lightsource, both mediums (lighting and video) are seamlessly collaged into a dynamic, elegant, colourful and animated ‘visual’ show. XL Video is also supplying a five-camera digital PPU and IMAG package for the side screens, directed live by Gary Tepper.
The stage space is defined by a series of gently angled trusses curving into a U shape upstage. All the lighting and O-Lite hang from these trusses, plus other video surfaces like the 40 James Thomas Pixelline columns in between the sections of O-Lite. This upstage visual wall measures 48 ft wide by 20 ft high.
It comprises five landscape O-lite screens at the lowest level (3 panels wide, 5 high), five portrait ones above (5 panels high, 3 wide) and the final layer at the top, which is five truss-border-style landscape pieces of O-Lite framing the top edge.
It is used in a myriad of different ways, from one large screen to 15 individual ones and various combinations in between: “It’s one canvas,” says Foster. “But it splits naturally into 15 screens, and has the additional advantage of looking great with lighting shining onto it from the front or through it from behind.”
Foster worked on the initial spatial elements of design with Charlie Kail who fashioned the riser and walkway configurations below the screens.
‘Pixel pusher’ Richard Turner came onboard to work with Foster in programming the content onto the Catalyst and mapping the various images onto the O-lite surfaces.
Video runs on the O-Lite for 80 per cent of the show – a molten megamix of texturing, patterns, colouration, block illuminations and the occasional literal image – from an exploding fireball for ‘Dynamite’ to snippets of an adulating crowd with arms outstretched.
Foster used Motion software to create much of the animated content “and other funky stuff”. He utilised assorted different treatments to make his effects including some interesting filmic scratched-up looks, culled from photographed chrome surfaces, converted to greyscale and effected into metallic horizontal moving bands of colour.
With the lighting and video wrapped up in such a collaborated mesh, day-to-day on the road the XL crew is working closely with the lighting crew from Neg Earth chiefed by Brad Imrie, explains XL’s Alastair McDiarmid.
McDiarmid and Oliver Derrynck from XL Belgium are the main O-Lite screen technicians. The high resolution SMD 10 mm pitch O-Lite panels (each mini panel containing 8 x 11 pixels) were purchased brand new by XL from Barco for the tour and are proving incredibly quick to rig and very reliable. They are using Barcos’ new Director Toolset software for traditional screen control and to map the strings of O-Lite to each individual screen panel’s control box. It is driven by Barco’s standard D320 processors.
XL is supplying one of its standard digital PPUs including one of their new GV Zodiak mixer/switchers. There are three Sony D50 cameras – FOH, on track in the pit and hand-held onstage – and two remote operated mini-cams onstage. The IMAG is beamed onto two 12 x 16 ft portrait format side screens, fed by rear projecting Barco G10s.
Other members of XL’s crew are Larne Poland, Gavin Thomson and Gordon Davies.
The VDOSC sound system is being supplied by Britannia Row. FOH is mixed by Rick Pope and monitors by Andrew Thornton. Tour manager is Zop and production manager is Derek McVay.
6th October 2005
HEADLINES
news archive
search stories
FOOTNOTE: Select the news type you require in the red band above; this will enable you to see the current news stories from that section
© 1999 - 2012 Entertainment Technology Press Limited News Stories
