At the heart of the resort, the two-storey Atlas Theatre regularly welcomes big names from TV, music and stage, as well as original shows produced in-house by the Potters Theatre Company.
When the theatre's large stage rear projection screen was coming to the end of its life, the resort's technical team decided it was an opportunity to take the shows' scenic production values to the next level by investing in a flexible LED video wall system.
Potters Resort approached entertainment technology supplier, AC-ET, to provide a suitable video solution for their needs and budget, having previously used the distributor's specialist product divisions to supply various video, audio and lighting technologies for the leisure facilities around the complex.
The A.C. Video division's sales manager, Stuart Burdett, supplied a ProLights AlphaPIX6 modular, 6.2mm pitch LED screen system, which was the appropriate resolution to be used as a scenic video back wall due to its 10m minimum viewing distance from the front row of the audience.
A.C. Video supplied a total of 226 x half square metre panels - equating to nearly 1.5 million individually controllable pixels - providing a massive display area which can be used in different screen configurations. The main 98-piece 'T-shaped' video back wall comprises of an 18 wide x 5 high screen, extended below from the middle with a 2 wide x 4 high section.
Four moving stage trucks, each featuring a 4 wide x 4 high panel, can be moved into position underneath the main video wall to create a continuous 18 wide x 9 high panel screen - with a further four trucks sat in front of the wings to create a screen which is the width of the entire stage. The screen configurations are altered to suit the different creative set designs of the shows, which are rotated seven days a week.
In addition to specifying and supplying the ProLights AlphaPix video wall, A.C. Video's team of product specialists screen-tested and calibrated every video panel before delivering them to the theatre. Once on-site, Stuart spent three days assisting the technical team with the installation and set-up, as well as providing them with product training.
The video wall was first used to add an extra dimension to the Atlas Theatre's Christmas Spectacular - providing enchanting background surroundings for the show's high speed musical sleigh ride with Father Christmas and his reindeer, which whooshed above chimneys, Christmas trees and snowy climates.
The Video division also utilised AC-ET's in-house Tourflex® Cabling service to custom manufacture a total of nearly 700m of Tourmate shielded Cat 5 etherCON cables, which were finished in green colour-coded boots to be easily identifiable as carrying Video data signals. In addition, over 900m of Tourmate powerCON cables were supplied. Over 50% of the cables were preconfigured as numbered looms.
Potters Resort's senior technical manager, Paul Firminger, commented, "We invest millions of pounds every year to present the best possible entertainment and leisure experience for our guests. This includes keeping up with the very latest developments in technology, in order to constantly improve the production values of shows in our Atlas Theatre, which is a major highlight of our entertainment programme.
"We are really pleased with the video system provided by A.C. Entertainment Technologies, which is exactly what we were looking for. It also worked out at good value for money. As with previous equipment supplies from A.C., the knowledge and support received from the friendly team was invaluable for this major upgrade to our theatre's technical facilities."
Founded in 1920, Potters Resort has been awarded five-star status by tourism authority Visit England. Situated in the small town of Hopton-on-Sea, by a scenic sandy beach on the Norfolk-Suffolk border, the resort has been transformed over the last century into a luxurious holiday complex.
(Jim Evans)
