SANDHURST, U.K. — Large-format projection joined the fireworks, orchestra and chorus for the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst’s 2008 “Music on Fire” extravaganza. The biannual three-day mixed-media event and “Firework Prom” attracted up to 10,000 visitors per night to the main training center for British Army officers, with proceeds going to the Army Benevolent Fund. Large format projection specialists E/T/C London supplied seven 6kW PIGI projectors with double rotating scrollers to project images on the 120-meter-wide backdrop on the academy’s Old College building. It was the third time that E/T/C London has been involved with the event.
The PIGI scrollers contained 19 meters of film and produced over 100 looks on the building, with all artwork created by media designer Paul Chatfield. Chatfield took approximately a month to research and compile the finished artwork, working closely with show producer, Major Sir Michael Parker.
Major Parker also storyboarded the show, which was accompanied by specially selected music and a narrative voice-over. The creative brief was relatively broad in terms of eras, dates and timescales, with much of it referenced to times when Britain was involved in specific wars and conflicts. Chatfield had access to the Imperial War Museum archives among other resources.
For one section, he photographed the stained glass windows of the Indian Chapel inside the Old College Building, which bear memorials to all the foreign troops who died for England up to World War II.
Since James Bond creator Ian Fleming was a Sandhurst graduate and 2008 is the centenary of his birth, there was also a 007 sequence at the start of the second half of the show.
The projections served as a graphic and pictorial backdrop to the two-hour performance featuring music from different military orchestras and bands. The event also featured guest performers and pyrotechnics from Pyro Vision.
If the audience had a keen appreciation for military precision, the crew was challenged to achieve it since the music was being played live each night. Working with a script containing a series of cues and no guiding soundtrack, the projection crew had to be flexible.
The seven projectors were positioned 46 meters from the building, covered by Steeldeck hides, with special weatherproof covers.
Andy Murrell, who worked alongside E/T/C’s projection technician Adam Masters, programmed and operated the OnlyCue control system. They pre-programmed some of the projection show beforehand at E/T/C London’s HQ, saving a night of programming in on site.
Once the installation was complete, there was very little time to coordinate the lighting design by John Pope with the projected visuals.
PRG supplied the lighting gear and the event was production managed by Fiona Nolan.
For more information, please visit www.etclondonparis.com.
