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CT’s Major Breakthrough for Celebrity Big Brother
A veteran of staging Big Brother series for show producers Endemol UK on the Elstree Film Studios lot, Tony worked closely with designer Patrick Watson, lighting director Al Gurdon and video technology suppliers Creative Technology (also BB veterans), to create a set in which the massive 4m x 2m Big Brother ‘eye’ icon was backlit, using 55 of Creative Technology’s Element Labs Versa TUBES.
Both Tony and Patrick were united in emphasising the exemplary level of technical support offered by CT, which enabled them to be more media creative and allow the ‘wow’ factor to evolve exponentially.
The Big Brother logo changes from series to series, explains Tony. “This was an extension of last summer’s design, with an ‘evil’ theme. The new incarnation is a spikey, portcullis logo … almost a laser scan of an eye.”
Al Gurdon knew just how to bring it to life, having worked with CT and witnessed their imaginative use of VersaTubes on the recent The X Factor series.
“Initially we were considering a conventional light box but then we started to think about LED technology. There are a lot of lighting devices you can address from a lighting controller but many offered too much complexity — we wanted something not too sophisticated to which we could send swirls of light; the Versa TUBES fitted in beautifully, as they are PC driven and allowed us to animate the logo.”
One major engineering feat was the double use of giant Barco ILite and DLite LED daylight screens — particularly the display rigged against the house wall, which acted like a ‘window’ into the house itself.
Another major triumph for CT, according to Patrick Watson, was in relocating the studio ‘eye’ and integrating it with the outside dome stage for the final eviction night (which saw Bez emerge victorious). “When production decided to reformat the finale show late on, there was little time to create the necessary event stage and set,” he explained. “However, CT were able to rerig quickly, ensuring a rapid turnaround … and the overall effect was stunning.”
Elsewhere, a series of plasma screens — carefully placed to enhance all camera angles — took a mix of graphics and live feeds, enabling production to split off the house shots with cut feeds.
Finally, big screen display technology was used to dramatic effect on eviction nights to screen large live pictures of the housemates, as they were unwittingly being discussed outside by the latest evictee, in interview with Davina McCall.
“I have done dozens of shows with CT and know that it’s no mean feat integrating tons of equipment into a set, in terms of load-bearing and support restrictions,” the director observed. “Inevitably there is a unique set of logistical problems for each show and Adrian Offord’s team help us to tackle these and are always there to support us. As a result, the whole series worked creatively, technically, on time and on budget.”
8th February 2005
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