BELFAST – Production Services Ireland (PSI) supplied lighting, video screens and media servers, trussing and rigging to BBC Northern Ireland for the 2010 Belfast Children In Need concert staged at Odyssey Arena. PSI has been involved with this annual fundraising event for more than seven years and stepped up their support this year for the show, which was presented by John Daly and BBC Radio 1's Reggie Yates.
Bands including Westlife, The Script and Jedward, among others, performed for the live audience, which was broadcast live with link ups to a simultaneously-running event in London at the BBC.
"We were delighted to be so involved with Children in Need this year as it's a fantastic cause, and it was a pleasure working with BBC lighting designer Philip Brines and the rest of his team," said PSI's Brian Reilly
Philip Brines' lighting design was based on a trussing grid hung above the stage and two trusses flown over the audience, with all the required rigging and motors coming from PSI.
"It is always a delight to work with Brian and the crew at PSI – everything was well organized and kit was of an excellent standard," Brines said.
He used a variety of lighting fixtures, with the moving lights including 40 Robe ColorSpot 700E ATs, 40 Robe ColorWash 700E ATs and 16 Vari*Lite 2500 Spots.
The rig also featured 30 PixelPARs as truss toners, six Studio Due CS4 moving PAR bars, which were flown on the audience trusses, and 12 i-Pix BB4 LED wash lights.
For generic white light, there were 16 Arri 2K Fresnels and a dozen each of 8, 4 and 2-lite Molefeys, plus eight sets of 8 x PAR36 ACLs and a number of Spaceflowers.
PSI also supplied three Lycian Mk II 2.5K long throw followspots, Avolites dimming, DF50 fog machines and all the requisite power distro and cable management infrastructure.
The consoles – two Compulite Vectors – were supplied by the BBC and John Gallagher. They were operated by Philip Brines and moving light programmer/operator John Gallagher.
PSI also supplied three 3-meter-square Studio Due 18mm LED screens, which were integrated into the scenic elements designed by Colin Parker of Parker Butler Design. These screens are currently being evaluated by PSI, and Studio Due UK's Ian Brown was helpful in coordinating things so they arrived in time to be used on this show.
The content for the screens was stored on and played back from PSI's Hippotizer media servers, controlled and run by Peter Jones using his own BBC console.
For additional set illumination, 60 ColorBlock dB4 battens and 60 Pulsar ChromaStrip 1200 LED strips were provided.
PSI's six crew members worked alongside the BBC's crew on the lighting and video elements that they had provided.
The show was directed by Maeve O'Cathain and produced by Mike Edgar
For more information, please visit www.productionireland.com.
