Reeling Them In
If you haven’t heard of RVS, you no doubt will. The full-service live event video production house has made impressive gains in two short years in the live event industry. They offer indoor/outdoor LED video technology, HD projection, cameras, multi-screen routing, playback and recording services. They are also capable of complete video production from the ground up with both high definition and standard definition video camera and switching rigs. They can intermix multi-camera live video with pre-produced media content to create professional quality video. Their team of graphics specialists can also help develop complete media and animation packages for any event.
“The idea in starting Reel Video is the unique opportunity that Mark and Wanda Dodd saw when their team of engineers at Tyler Truss developed the mechanics of the roll up LED screens,” says Andy Gerber, visual display manager. As an early adopter of the technology, Reel Video has run with the concept and has the largest inventory of roll-up screens in the U.S. “We actually have 12 in various sizes, and we’ve gotten involved into some neat projects because of them.”
Since Gerber graduated from college in 2004, he’s had a hand in video work either as a technician or camera operator. He was an LED technician for several bands and worked on the 2010 Olympics. A native Hoosier, he joined RVS last year, pleased with the opportunity to “work in my backyard.” Dodd Technologies is the parent company of both RVS and Tyler Truss, Gerber explains. “They brought me on to get it lifted off the ground and use my experiences and relationships.”
Roll-up Advantages
Gerber outlines a number of advantages to roll-up screens. First, there’s less need for labor on site to assemble a video wall from panels. “Our screens come rolling in, and you just rig them to the motors, plug in power and a signal, and you have a show,” he notes. “We’re able to set up and tear down in significantly less time than traditional LED screens.”
Of course, on everyone’s mind these days, more than ever, is safety.
“If we’re at an outdoor event, we can monitor inclement weather, and the moment we think there’s a chance of a problem, we press a button and the screen goes away in 20 seconds. This is important because we know that with sudden, hard winds, LEDs become one of the most dangerous aspects of that outdoor event. Now we’ve taken that dynamic out of the equation.”
The screens, which weigh about 25 percent less then traditional screens, feature Cree LEDs. “It’s a 3-in-1 surface-mount pixel, all contained in one LED. And even though it’s a lightweight screen, we have high resolution.” Another important feature: the roll-up screens run on DC power, not AC, which requires less voltage and makes the displays more energy-efficient than other screen options.
More Applications
As they become incorporated in more events, the roll-up screens are proving to be an asset for a wider variety of applications. Gerber says they are particularly well-suited for reveals — with RVS’ roll ups, if there’s no fly space, no problem. “Because it’s a smaller footprint, there are so many situations it can be used in.”
The attraction of the roll up screen aside, and knowing that they handle other videos needs including projection, there’s still the challenge any newer company in this business face — a tough competitive market.
“We’ve been relying on the reputation of those who work here and Dodd as a whole, and that’s helped us become established in a relatively short amount of time,” Gerber notes. They’ve also been able to do a great deal locally and regionally, and of course, having something like the Super Bowl in town brought some good work and exposure, too.
Looking ahead, Gerber says the company plans on rolling out into other markets, and sees potential in the touring market, along with more opportunities on the corporate side.
“We recently did a project with TD Bank that was like a tour — we went on the road with them for eight weeks. They were having internal sale meetings, and that went really well.” Other corporate clients include ConAgra Foods and Hilton Hotels.
RVS is also providing its screens for the USA Swimming organization. “We’re doing several events with them coming up for the Olympic swim trials in Omaha — we’re going to have about nine LED screens out there for that.”
A Full-Service Company
But Gerber emphasizes that RVS is more than just a source for roll-up screens; they are also a full-service video company. “We also do custom LED sizes [and] projections for small and large events,” Gerber says of RVS, currently with nine on its staff. “We also have a [Dataton] Watchout system, a Vista Spyder support system and a variety of tools at our disposal. We handle screen management and have a variety of standard and high def cameras. Not everybody knows we have such production capabilities.”
But they will. “We’re confident we’ll get more clients in different venues.”
