One of the largest video projection screens ever made, 27m wide by 14m deep covered the whole of the RAH's upstage area. XL commissioned screen manufacturers ECT to produce the Matt Bright front projection surface. It was hung and stretched onto a rectangular truss with a slight curvature, providing a dramatic backdrop to the funky under-lit circular catwalk in the centre of the RAH arena. The whole set was designed by Bill Laslett. It was vital that the projection was very bright, hence the decision to use eight Barco ELM R18 projectors (the brightest on the market) all overlaid. Two 16 x 12 repeater screens were supplied for the restricted view seats, fed by Barco SLM G5s.
Project manager Paul Wood led XL's projection team, with projectionists John Edwards, Warren Galt and Stuart Heeney. XL's Chris Saunders, stationed in the OB truck, produced and edited the video content material which was stored on hard drives. Blue Leach mixed everything going live to screen during the show, including 12 Initial TV camera feeds and two of XL's own cameras, plus all the various pre-recorded playback sources. XL's chief engineer was Richard Burford, who was also responsible for playback of the show's audio 'stings' and VOG announcements.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
