Ibiza Classics thrives in UK arenas
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Pete Tong, with conductor Jules Buckley leading the New Heritage Orchestra, have just completed a triumphant campaign that saw them present Ibiza Classics through the major arenas of the UK. Whereas once the dance rave genre relied heavily upon the use of light and laser to animate what is essentially a static DJ performance, now the combination of live video and the addition of so many musicians makes for a heady concoction.
The stage was dominated by visceral images portrayed upon a set of moving LED screens immediately upstage of the musicians and Tong. Veteran concert director Mark Davies was shooting the show with all video equipment and camera system provided by Video Design.
“Because of the orchestra on stage this was no ordinary arena show,” began Davies. “In simple terms, there was no room for a camera track in the pit as the Subs needed to be placed in advance of the downstage edge to help isolate the musicians from low frequency energy. Yet, a track-based system in that position was essential if I was to be able to convey all the visual dynamics of this high energy show.
“Fortunately, Video Design has been working closely with Bradley, using their excellent robo-cams to produce just the solution I needed. The new Bradley tracking camera proved a great alternative. In fact, the experience was so good that if this situation occurs again I would use even more of them.”
Just a standard 48mm diameter scaff’ pipe rigged to the front stage edge was all the camera system needed. “It’s that easy to rig,” said Davies, “And that makes it really useful – it takes up almost no room. Keely Myers who ran the production was very happy. Luke Collins from Video Design operated the cameras remotely for me and he was excellent.
“That took care of the pit shots, but the other big difficulty with shooting an orchestra is there are music stands everywhere which blocks angles. To get clean shots you need to be up high, but a tower camera or a jib of some size on stage was just not a practical consideration. Again, tracking robo-cams rigged high up the sides of stage were a perfect alternative. Unobtrusive, they were barely visible on stage by comparison with the conventional alternative. You can also control the cameras using DMX so it’s a simple thing to hook them into a Black Trax system for sophisticated programming of motion and focus if you need to.”
(Jim Evans)
