Officially, the 303-meter cable stay bridge that spans the Danube in the Slovakian capital is called “The New Bridge.” Locals, however, most often refer to it as “The UFO Bridge,” a nod toward the flying saucer shaped observation deck-restaurant that sits majestically atop its pylon. Both names are perfect metaphors for Jean-Michel Jarre’s inspiring The Bridge from the Future concert, which was set against the backdrop of this iconic structure.
Spanning the breadth of human imagination like some mythical bridge, and opening up possibilities as wide and infinite as outer space, the concert delivered a stunning multi-sensory experience, as its massive 60m wide stage and two 36m towers came alive this summer with brilliant flashes of light and video displays that moved in sync with the expansive music created by Jarre and collaborators, including Queen founding member Sir Brian May. Working with Jarre on the conceptual design of the show was Associate Creative Director Jvan Morandi, who has collaborated with the electronic music pioneer since 2016.
“Our workflow is that I look after the realization and implementation of ideas Jarre and I have developed together during endless zoom calls and meetings,” said Morandi. “While this is going on, I manage a team of lighting, video, laser, fireworks, drone, and scenic specialists and look after the creation of storyboard and the communication necessary to drive all departments.”
The Bridge from the Future show, which was performed before over 100,000 spectators and an international TV audience, was part of Jarre’s multi-year “City in Concert” series that has taken place in Houston, London, Beijing Cairo, and other cities around the world. “Generally, these shows are one-off projects created ad hoc for a specific location,” explained Morandi. “Jarre collaborates with the local authorities to develop a visual extravaganza in an iconic spot of a specific city; The concept and narrative, as well all details of the show are personally overseen by Jarre.”
For the lighting element of the Bratislava concert, Morandi collaborated with Jordan Babev (Lighting director & DOP) and Davide Pedrotti (senior programmer) both of Blearred Milan design studio in Italy. “I truly enjoyed working with them as a friend and a professional,” said Morandi. “The final design came out of the usual process of creative ideas. It worked well to create a space-art installation feel.” Contributing to the lighting design were 220 CHAUVET Professional Color STRIKE M motorized strobe-wash fixtures supplied by Colour Sound Experiment Ltd., which also provided the lighting and video crew managed by Production Manager Adam Burton, lighting crew chief Frank Kelly, and head of video Leroy Murray.
The Color STRIKE fixtures were located throughout the rig but were mainly positioned in banks on the back face of the two towers (called “Castor” and “Pollux” by the crew). “We valued the Color STRIKE fixtures,” said Morandi. “Not only did they give form to the structures, but also when arranged in long strips on front faces, they produced dynamic pixel map effects.”
Babev and Pedrotti, along with Alberto Manzone (programming and network) and Paul Abdula (FOH Manager) ran the Bridge from the Future show on timecode, previsualizing it on Depence3 and Capture, with some live “bump elements”. The show’s key light system was run in an override mode to allow broadcast photography touch ups. Adding a rich dimension to the show was a color palette that seemed to grow organically from the music. “Davide and Alberto are fantastic programmers/LDs that under Jordan’s direction managed, in a week of pre vis sessions, to create the very precise show that Jarre and I were looking for,” said Morandi, who praised the efforts of the entire team.
“A massive effort such as this require many committed hands,” he elaborated. “For video and live cameras we benefited from the work of Jonathan Klahr ( VFX and content), Giulia Sirianni (content and media servers), Mikkel Garro (content, live cameras and Notch artist) and Georgy Molodtsov (editing and content), For Lasers we had Laser Image Holland, including Joel Lemmerling (programmer), Hugo Bunk (project manager), and Ensar Turan (head of technical); while in laser projection mapping we had KVANT Slovakia with Martin Gabco (programming) and Michal Rezak (project manager). HighFiles Studio (Riccardo Franco-Loiri did superb work video content. And of course, we also had a great production team, including Romain Bilowus (executive producer), Steve Spencer ( tech director),Kevin Hopgood (production manager), and Olivier Vadrot (production coordinator).
The collective efforts of this talented global team resulted in many unforgettable moments, as the giant stage and its two towers were transformed throughout the show with dazzling effects that seemed to change its very size and configuration. At times the stage seemed quiet with subtle monochromatic colors, only to erupt a moment later with intense flashes of light and projects in a mind-expanding array of patterns.
For Morandi, one of the most noteworthy moments was during “Rendez Vous Bratislava,” which he describes as “a beautiful electronic opera moment with the choir and symphonic orchestra brass section.” The other was “Bratislava Time,” when Jean-Michel Jarre performed on a laser harp, joined by and Brian May on guitar on a “post-industrial noise fest.” Others gathered for this magnificent concert likely had their own personal favorites, which may have been different… such was the rich diversity of possibilities that awaited all who crossed The Bridge from the Future.”
Photo Credit – M Fang
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