BIRMINGHAM, U.K. – DBN Lighting and production company Just Communicate worked together recently to support a gala dinner for a technology company at the Hilton Metropole Hotel at the Birmingham NEC. The brief from show producer Julian Ward was to transform the hotel's Monarch Suite into a flexible presentation space and venue for the gala dinner. The same venue for a daytime conference needed to transform into the look of a TV studio, a la X-Factor, for evening Awards dinner.
Just Communicate's concept was to use the entire stage set as a screen surface using a large LED screen as a backdrop. DBN's Stephen Page suggested using Martin Lighting's LC2140 product wrapping around the back of the stage with a Trevira cloth rigged in front of it for the daytime sessions to allow it to serve as a moving backdrop for daytime business presentations and a visual centrepiece for the evening events.
"We have used covered LC panels on a smaller scale many times before, and so knew it could produce exactly the effect they wanted," Page said. "Using a stretched cloth in front of the LED panels really helps reduce audience fatigue during business focussed sections, and when the cloth is removed, you get quick transformation into an exciting full-on LED screen look for a extravagant gala dinner and awards ceremony."
Two front projection screens were also used for the conference section. These were then tracked back to reveal presenter entrances for the awards dinner.
In addition to the 18-meter-by-4-meter LC screen, Page lit the show with eight Clay Paky Alpha 300 HPE moving lights and so was able to project complex gobo looks over the Trevira cloth to create a huge range of dynamic multi-layered looks. In addition 4 x CP Alpha Beam 300s were positioned on the stage to create dynamic beam effects and ballyhoos for award walk-ups.
The visual system was programmed and operated using Page's Jands Vista T2 console, which controlled a Hippotizer V3 to drive the LC Panels. A mixture of stock media as well as media specially produced by Just Communicate for the event was used, and the cloth in front of the screen enabling video footage to be viewed clearly.
A web of rigging was required to ensure that lighting and screen hanging points could be put in exactly the right places. DBN's crew of six also flew trusses to facilitate a generic lighting rig consisting of ETC Source Fours, PARs, fresnels and other fixtures hung throughout the ceiling of the room.
"DBN provided a creative and cost-effective solution to our requirements, with faultless on-site delivery and excellent technical support in pre-production," said Julian Ward.
For more information, please visit www.dbn.co.uk.
