The O-lite makes up a spectacular 13m high, 55m wide set back wall and is surrounded by seven lighting towers reaching heights of up to 28m, which together resemble a giant conch shell. This was designed by Mark Fisher/Stufish.
The screen provides an elegant 3D curved wall and an elegant architectural back drop immediately behind the performance area. It is an interactive canvass for video playback, graphics images and IMAG which are integrated with lighting (designed by Patrick Woodroffe) effects.
The O-lite pixels are fitted into customised touring frames designed by XL Video and made by Brilliant Stages, populated at different pitches to give multiple resolutions across the whole surface. The screen ends at either side of stage with the two elliptical Mitsubishis which 'flow' into the main screen.
The O-lite screen is complicated in terms of engineering and processing according to Stufish's project executive designer Jeremy Lloyd. It presented a challenge to the video boffins, namely Richard Turner, who took care of the processing, mapping and programming of the hard drives that feed it with provocative and engaging images.
Blink's crew chief Stuart Heaney leads a video team of 14, and the IMAG video director is Ruary MacPhie who is taking care of a five-camera mix which goes primarily onto the side screens and sometimes onto the main screen as windows appear.
Custom playback material produced by Sam Pattinson from Onedotzero ia stored on four GV Profile hard drives including a dynamic array of graphics and animations. This is operated live by playback director Bryan Myles using Barco's Events Manager, which drives the Barco Encore system providing the show's overall video control.
Involving five steel crews and two advanced systems, 90 trucks and over 250 crew, Genesis tour Europe, arriving in the UK in July before going to the US until the end of the year.
(Jim Evans)
