As the 4,000 guests entered the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on 14 June they were encompassed in a meticulously designed décor reflecting Robin Hood's New York City base and the evening's theme of children and education. High-definition video content was created by Idyll Hands Imagery, whose principals include Patrick Dierson and Rodd McLaughlin. Lighting design for the entire event was done by Doug 'Spike' Brant of Artfag.
Dierson wore two hats, not only providing content creation but also as the video content director for Artfag. The 400+ dinner tables were surrounded by 20 high-definition screens in a 360° configuration. "We had four quadrants, each with five screens," says Dierson. "Each of the screens had an individual movie playing back on it. It basically looks like five individual, invisible artists are scribbling on the screen. The very last things that get drawn in are the edges of each of the screens, and that is when the magic happens of all five screens coming in together and making a full, seamless panoramic image."
Dierson specified eight Green Hippo Ltd. Hippotizer HD units to playback the high-definition content. "We chose the Hippotizer for Robin Hood specifically because in our past experience we found it to have one of the most reliable systems in terms of frame-rate playback," says Dierson. "The other very important part of the system for us was that we use a lighting media server that could also handle the output of audio files so that we could run video with audio. The Hippotizer filled all our needs."
The Hippotizers were supplied by Main Light Industries. There was only one problem with Dierson's plan; no one, including Main Light, had eight Hippotizer HDs in the US. "TMB and Green Hippo stepped up and saved my ass," states Dierson. "Jedd Taub from TMB came over to help out and Nigel Sadler from Green Hippo, as luck would have it, was on his way to New York anyway, so we monopolized him for a couple of days when he offered to also help. It was a tough shop order to fill because what we needed weren't just eight regular Hippotizers, but rather we specifically needed eight high-definition Hippotizers and there weren't eight available in the States, nor could we get them flown in from overseas in time for the production. So Nigel converted all of Main Light's current Hippotizer Stage systems to Hippotizer HD systems for us. You basically had the main software engineer making these things as rock-solid as possible. And he did it; they were phenomenal; they worked great. The support from both of them-Jedd and Nigel-was phenomenal. You couldn't ask for anything better."
Lisa Kerwath, TMB sales manager, believes that the solution was an example of the technology supporting the art: "Even with the most fully featured and accessible media server on the market, creative minds continually manage to create new challenges. It's very gratifying to work with a company, like Green Hippo, that always rises to the occasion."
Other companies contributing to the event's success included: Atomic Design (scenic), Ed & Ted's Excellent Lighting (lighting coordination), Christie Lites (main room lighting), Video West (video), and BML-Blackbird Theatrical Services (concert lighting).
The importance of support and working together was evident in the success of the evening, not only technical and artistically, but also charitable, where the real rewards will be enjoyed by school children in NYC. The Robin Hood Foundation raised a record $48 million at the event, which included $19 million that is designated for a 1,500-student charter school.
(Chris Henry)
