MEN IN BLACK, TOO

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Production of
the Opening and Closing Sessions of the
Event Solutions Expo 2003

E. Through the Eyes of the Production Team and Entertainers

 7. - MPG Productions

When Event Solutions contacted MPG about the Expo, we were in the midst of a long run of back-to-back shows. Our warehouse was nearly empty and our staff had been all over the country for the previous several weeks.

Francis Collette, founder and president of MPG, considered John Baragona’s request for help for about three seconds, and then responded “Sure, what do you need?”

All Baragona needed was: the latest in widescreen projection to cover a 10’x30’ screen, a water screen and two outboard screens, a virtual array audio system with surround sound and enough punch for about 350 people, and an innovative and exciting way to light a massive stage and hard set for both corporate presentations and live entertainment, all in under three weeks.

“Ok, that’s what we do,” Collette replied.

Obviously, our biggest challenges were time and available equipment. With several other productions keeping us busy up until load-in of the Expo, we had very little time to put this together. But after a few conference calls and some e-mailed drawings, we set our CAD Designer to work to speck out the show and determine what we really needed.

What we really needed was a lot. Especially considering we were very busy, so we had to make-do with the gear that was available. We had to get the most for what we had, which was especially challenging, because we really didn't know what the talent needed for each day, and did not have any details on the set until one week before the show.

Flexibility would be the key to making this a successful event.

When we received renderings of the set from Image Events, our Lighting Director and Cad Designer Shawn Brown realized that it would take over 60 fixtures just to light the set properly - and that was with only one static color. We needed a way to light the set in an interesting and dynamic manner that did not require so many fixtures.

Shawn suggested that two Roadie 10K's DLP projectors could be used to light the set. And since our Vista switching system has picture-in-picture capability, these same projectors could also project the I-Mag (image magnification) onto the side screens.

At MPG, we are strong advocates of the concept of "Digital Scenery," which uses widescreen projection techniques to create unique and flexible environments, so this idea was instantly appreciated.

We could digitally recreate the set (any set), and "light" it with any look we wanted, even using video rolls, then simply project the images onto the set. This gave us the flexibility we needed to create multiple high impact looks for the set. And more options could be created right up until the day of show.

This gave us much more flexibility than conventional lighting, and flexibility is a life-saver on a last-minute show. The idea also freed up lights to be used on the stage and for talent, and reduced the amount of truss required to fly all the gear. And since lighting fixtures are bulky and heavy to ship and labor intensive to install and strike, this is a money-saving idea that we will be using in the future.

The video production of the show required the special talents of a team of technicians running it, led by Technical Director Mike Prince, Video Engineer John Peterson, Projection Technician and company owner Francis Collette.

We used a variety of video equipment on this project, including ten projectors, a Vista Controls 3216 switcher to handle all the inputs and Folsom VFC2200DE’s for edge blending and picture-in-picture. The system’s edge-blending capability allows us to seamlessly blend images from multiple projectors into one contiguous image like that seen on the 10’x30’ center screen that was the backdrop to the stage.

Remember the African dancers performing in front of the video rolls of the Serengeti? The possibilities are limited only by the imagination.

For the audio portion of the Event Solutions Opening and Closing Sessions, MPG Productions started by using the EAW Virtual Array system. This consisted of a total of six speaker groups (KF650) hanging from the truss, four SB25 sub’s, and six JF100s ground supported for fill, all powered by Crest and QSC amps. The system was equalized by three Klark Teknk DN360s.

In order to control the transitions between live entertainment and straight corporate presentations Ron De Rosa, our Audio Engineer, chose to run the show with one Yamaha O2R V.2 mixer console, using a total of 32 inputs. Using the O2R's expansion cards, internal effects, and multiple scene switching capabilities, transitions in the show were handled quickly and seamlessly.

Ron used the O2R’s surround pan function to mimic the movement of the virtual characters, as projected around the room by the Catalyst system. All of the group String Theory's effects and monitors were mixed with the Front of House O2R as well, including the sound drums of the harp attached to the set.

It took a lot of hard work, intense communication and coordination between all the parties involved, but barely three weeks after that first phone call, two technically flawless live presentations gave the Event Solutions Opening and Closing sessions the “Wow” they were looking for.

Ken Schulte
Director of Business Development
MPG - Multimedia Presentation Group
2445 Grand Ave.
Vista, CA 92083
800-600-0674
www.mpgproductions.com