Jack
PHOTO : TODD KAPLAN
White it came to the video content and manipulation . Some was created for specific songs while some is more generic for on-the-fly use .
All of the video playback is handled via a Hippotizer Boreal media server . They ’ re also working with Notch , a sophisticated VFX software platform that offers real-time effects rendering in the live environment , meaning basic IMAG footage from any of the 12 cameras in the package could be manipulated as a more engaging aspect of the show . It also enabled interactive movement between the audio and video elements , so the effects could be controlled manually or in time with the music as desired . “ So sometimes , the music was lighting up 3D scenes from Notch , and then we have live control of the cameras and lights ,” Larivée explains .
This was especially useful during the extended jams , when White might find himself anywhere on the stage amidst a song the operators may or may not have been expecting .
For example , one of the virtual sets is a prison that ’ s displayed on the three screens , where the virtual lights inside that virtual prison can work in time with the music , or even a specific instrument . In fact , it was White himself who suggested that specific functionality .
“ We went to meet [ with Jack ] twice at his studio to show him some of our ideas ,” Larivée recalls . “ We introduced him to Notch and showed him what it does , and he told us how prison was a recurring theme in his lyrics and invited us to build on that .”
During rehearsals , he and the band would perform as different virtual sets and content packages were brought up behind them and then discuss how each was working in the context of the performance .
“ Frankly ,” says Larivée , “ he was very open and receptive to our ideas . We were back and forth quite a bit throughout the process , and it was very cool working with him and his team .”
Speaking to the lighting kit , which was sourced through Upstaging , Larivée says Claypaky ’ s Sharpy Wash 330s are a key component . “ I needed a small fixture for the back of the video walls , and wanted to avoid the multiple-LED look of products like the B . Eye ; I don ’ t think they ’ d fit the overall aesthetic , since the riser has a more art deco vibe and the faces of those LEDs can look very futuristic .”
While Sarrat has spent time with Sharpys in the past , it ’ s typically been on festivals and one-offs , so this was the first extensive tour where she had a complement of them to herself . “ We wanted a beam-type fixture to be able to do cool shapes , but given the limited palette , we also wanted to use a colour-mixing fixture so that we weren ’ t limited to a few stock filters ,” she adds .
The other main moving head in the rig is Martin ’ s MAC Viper , 18 of which illuminate the set from above . Because the set is relatively small , Larivée says he needed very precise control , and the Vipers were up to the job .
“ The lighting was really more about placement than fixtures ,” the designer reveals . Most of the visible fixtures are arranged in groups of nine , or at least divisible by three , “ So that consistency in the look was more important than saying , ‘ These will all be MACs ,” he offers as an example . “ And it ’ s always blue , so there aren ’ t many effects .”
A complement of TMB Solaris Flares are used as audience lights , while Upstaging ’ s own Saber LED strips of various lengths are incorporated into the set itself .
That set , and subsequently the lighting and video package on and surrounding it , was designed with scalability in mind . Though the majority of the tour dates were in arenas and stadiums , there were several outdoor festival shows and a select few , like the Montreux performance , in indoor theatres or even rock clubs .
GEAR AT A GLANCE
1 x MA Lighting grandMA2 Console 54 x Claypaky Sharpy Wash 330s 71 x Martin MAC Viper Air FXs 13 x TMB Solaris Flares
64 x Upstaging Saber LED 250s 60 x Upstaging Saber LED 500s 12 x Upstaging Saber LED 1000 ’ s
54 x ACASS Systems Modlock 7 mm LED Panels
1 x Green Hippo Hippotizer Boreal Media Server
20 | Fall 2018