LONDON — For Jessie J’s Alive Tour, Creative Technology (CT) provided a video system including LED screens (more than 300 Barco MiStrips) and control (Ai Media Servers and a Panasonic 450 mixing system with a multi-viewer output). The mix of prerecorded video content and I-Mag was overseen by Paul Caslin and Steve Price. The Jessie J Alive Tour completed its U.K. leg in November and takes off to America in the New Year for a three-month tour.
More details from Creative Technology’s U.K. division (www.uk.ct-group.com):
Creative Technology (CT) has supplied a video control system and LED screens package, crew and pre-programming services for Jessie J’s epic diva-style tour ‘ALIVE’. Brilliantly complementing the pop sensation’s considerable stage presence, Vince Foster’s set and lighting design offered a vivid mix of stunning lighting looks, and hot-to-trot pyrotechnics, while Paul Caslin’s clever mix of video production delivered sparkling video effects.
The look and size of the show was ambitious. Caslin’s pre-recorded content was mixed with live camera feeds, directed by Steve Price, and broadcast across three portrait hung Flyer 12 touring LED screens positioned center stage. In addition, two portrait I-Mag screens, also using Flyer 12, were hung either side of the stage taking care of the live camera close ups of Jessie J. All screens were provided from CT’s inventory in London.
Over 300 of Barco MiStrips served to sculpt and shape the set while Video Strip was embedded in the stage floor. The diversity of LED resolutions created a spectacular backdrop that delivered unique looks for each of the five sections of the show. Kicking off with moody, wide-stage monochromatic looks, Foster’s design then launched into pop-bright dance states and climaxed with a glittering champagne gold finale complete with gold confetti.
Although rich and varied to watch, the beauty of the show, from a technical perspective, was its determined simplicity. Using intelligent video mapping, programmed on Ai Media Servers, the team at Creative Technology enabled innumerable, multi-dimensional video and lighting looks to be generated from a single image layer.
“What made the Ai Media server particularly useful for this was the 3D desktop visualizer,” explained Creative Technology’s director of business development, Adrian Offord. “This allowed the creative team to see how the content would work on the set in the virtual world, while the set was still being built. For two weeks prior to rehearsals video programmer, Nick Clark-Lowe, was able to work in our studios programming and timecoding the content.”
In addition four live cameras, directed and mixed by Steve Price, fed into the look. The set up comprised a small custom-built PPU frame controlled by a Panasonic 450 mixing system with a multi-viewer output.
This simplicity in design further extended to the pre-recorded content as CT’s project manager, Nic Maag explained: “We used just one 1080 video image across all the screens to deliver the entire pre-created content for the show. This essentially meant that all the Video Strip in the floor, the 300 pieces of MI-strip and all five of the Flyer 12 LED screens were fed a single 1080 image mapped to the hardware using the Ai Servers.”
The success of the system was grounded in the work of Creative Technology’s on-site engineer Rob Currie and senior engineer Will Harkin. Currie and Harkin spent time programming and testing the system, eventually electing to use four-channel Data Path capture.
In terms of ‘live’ camera content, director Steve Price was in control over four cameras and also controlled the output level of the screens. In order to achieve as low a delay as possible the live camera system had been designed to allow Price to control the AI graphics card direct, without going through the server’s engine.
Price comments: “Working with Creative Technology is always a joy. What sets the company apart for me is that the engineering team is the best I’ve ever worked with. They are fantastic. They understand that my role is to create the visual look and that I have limited technical skills. They always ensure that the systems are set up so I can get on with my job without concerning myself with technical detail.”
More details from Avolites Media (www.avolitesmedia.com):
Jessie J Alive Tour Visuals Powered by Avolites Ai Media Servers
LONDON — Avolites Media Ai Media Servers have been used to animate the look of Jessie J’s Alive tour. Designed by show designer Vince Foster, with visual content created by Paul Caslin, the widescreen style set included three portrait-hung LED screens upstage. The curving set also included 600 horizontally positioned Barco MiStrips. Creative Technology supplied the gear.
The content featured a mix of pre-recorded content and live camera feeds mixed by vision director Steven Price, all powered by Avolites Media’s industry-leading Ai infinity 8 Server with 8 Full HD outputs.
Video specialists Creative Technology supplied the Avolites Media intelligent video mapping technology along with the LED screens, MiStrips and the technical team to run it.
“What made the Ai Media server particularly helpful for this project was the 3D visualizer,” says Creative Technology’s director of business development, Adrian Offord. “This allowed our programmers to show Jessie J’s creative team exactly how their content would work in the real world. For two weeks prior to rehearsals Creative Technology’s Will Harkin and Rob Currie, in association with consultant video programmer Nick Clark-Lowe, created innumerable, multi-dimensional video and lighting looks across the set from a single image layer. The content was then timecoded and the Ai Server proved the ideal platform for this.”
Jamie Thompson, on tour technician for Creative Technology, adds. “Once we got out on tour we needed a robust system that didn’t necessarily need a dedicated technician to run it. What’s great about the Ai Media Server is that you can easily link the servers to the video desk, lighting desk and midi controllers and leave it to run.”
During the show, each piece of pre-recorded content was triggered in Ai by time-code. In addition Foster could take control the output level of the video and he could also bring up a second layer of content, such as block colour, for the transitions between songs.
As well as the pre-recorded media content, four cameras provided ‘live’ camera feeds to two I-Mags either side of the stage.The system has been configured to take advantage of the Ai Server’s extremely low latency which was of the upmost importance to director Steve Price.
The Ai server is designed to offer both pre sequenced and live control, which enables the operator to seamlessly mix between a timecoded show and live performance, which was a fundamental part of this show.
Jessie J will be touring the UK again from June 2014.
