Walmsley, renowned for his previous production designs for Pop Idol in the UK, turned to California-based Sweetwater Video to supply all video equipment for the show, including the 340 panels of Element Labs Stealth LED displays used to grace the stage during the finals in the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.
The Stealth panels, configured to form four strips upstage centre and additional strips above and below the main LED screen, allowed Walmsley to create a design in which video and lighting integrated seamlessly within the overall set design.
"The Nokia Theater has an enormous stage that requires a significant volume of equipment in order to look 'dressed'. Element Labs' Stealth is a very visual product that ties in seamlessly to lighting to allow for limitless looks and effects to keep the attention of the audience without dominating the set," states Ron Drews of Sweetwater Video.
"This is a stunning application of the Stealth panels that really demonstrates the product's versatility. Because of its transparency, the Stealth LED system can also easily be aesthetically integrated into creative set designs such as the one Walmsley wanted to realise for the American Idol finals."
(Jim Evans)
