The Hollies, one of the most successful 'UK invasion' bands of the 1960s, are still regularly touring the theatre circuit. Two members of the original line-up are in the band, and unlike many other still-active acts of the era, they always carry their own full production, including sound and visuals.
For 2004, the Hollies management wanted a new look for the show. After discussions with Sinclair, all decided video was the way to go. However, a degree of lateral thinking was required by both Sinclair and lighting suppliers Lite Alternative to enable this to happen within the budget! This coincided with Lite Alternative's decision to invest in a quantity of video equipment to service clients also wanting a cost-effective 'visuals' package. In addition to the D-Switch Pro, Lite Alternative also bought a 4000 Lumen Sharp V10X projector from Projected Image Digital to set up their new department.
The D-Mix Pro enables the switching, mixing and matrixing of four video inputs to four video outputs - via any DMX controller - and is ideal for use with multiple sources and outputs, e.g. a number of Digital Media Servers or cameras and multiple projectors or screens. On the Hollies, Sinclair utilized eight 'lipstick' surveillance style cameras for IMAG video inputs, dotted about stage trained on band members from various angles.
He also ran Arkaos VJ software to control and manipulate assorted other video playback sources from a G4 laptop - primarily created himself in Final Cut Pro. The laptop sources were triggered by MIDI, and a DMX-to-MIDI box connected this to the lighting desk for fading or bumping in and out. All images (IMAG and playback) were sent to a large upstage 'soft' projection screen. The biggest challenge, says Sinclair, was getting used to being a video director with his left hand and a lighting designer with his right hand - using one single user interface! "I've dreamed about being able to take both lighting and video on a two-person tour for ages" declared Sinclair, "And now I can!"
Lite Alternative also supplied all the lighting for the tour.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
