Video and lighting was designed by LD Derek Jones. The idea of the screen emerged when Jones decided that it would be more dynamic and expedient on truck space to replace potentially chunky scenery pieces with a multi-functional scenic/IMAG backdrop in the form of a screen.
This enabled them to run abstract and ambient effects as well as show IMAG, adopting a completely new style of presentation for a Cliff & The Shadows tour. Jones was particularly keen to have IMAG concentrated centre stage rather than on the traditional two side screen set up as - given Cliff and the Shadows' generally older demographic and their requirement for a clear view of the onstage action - side screens were also felt to distract attention away from the central focus of the stage.
They were specifically looking for a lightweight solution when production manager Roger Searle approached XL Video project manager Chris Saunders who arranged a demo for Jones to see XL's PixLED F11 screen. This fulfilled all his criteria - high resolution and lightweight, so he spec'd a 13.5m wide by 4.5m high surface. It is the first time that Jones has worked with XL Video on tour, but he was "very impressed with the quality of the kit and the level of service". XL Video also recommended Ray Shaw as video director.
Playback material was compiled by Jones from a variety of sources - royalty free online archives, the Catalyst's onboard library and some that he created himself from scratch. All this was stored in the latest spec'd Catalyst - with the Active Silicon Phoenix graphics cards - and output to screen via his Jands Vista lighting console. The idea was that there was always a texturing element on the screen, with different and constantly changing camera images overlaid.
The camera feeds were also all routed into the Catalyst to be shaped and output to screen as a mixture of 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratio images, depending on how much of the screen was being used for that specific shot. They had 3 camera main areas on the screen to cover the individual images of the 3 principles, and the whole area could also be used for one large combined image.
On the lighting side, Jones ensured that everyone was consistently well lit for the cameras. Six Source Four profiles on the front truss were used to light the band, with the three principles highlighted by colour corrected follow-spots.
XL's Chris Saunders concludes, "It's been a great experience for both crew and me to be involved in such an iconic tour. All I have heard is praise for the tour from my crew, linked with a near faultless run, who could ask for more?"
(Jim Evans)
