Festival

Imperial Gardens – Cheltenham Science Festival 2019

03/07/2019 by petermccrea

Cheltenham’s annual Science Festival arrived in June to explore the weird, wacky and wonderful. In its sixth consecutive year of involvement, Production AV was commissioned to design, supply and operate the high-end screen, projection and sound solutions that formed the foundation of the multiple zones that were created in the specially built Festival Village.

Complete Video and Audio Solution Delivered to Festival Village

Festival organisers asked Production AV to deliver all audiovisual requirements for the growing event. The team oversaw set up and technical checks for all of the zones, including the flagship Cheltenham Town Hall space and adjoining Pillar Room, the Helix, the Crucible and the Cinema Zone.

“We were thrilled to design, set up and run an audio solution for the Town Hall this year, in addition to the visual elements, and we opted for a PA system based around d&b audiotechnik Y-Series speakers, Yamaha QL desks and Sennheiser radio mics,” explains Production AV MD, Pete McCrea. “The Town Hall is notoriously tricky to set up for good sound, and it took the expertise of Production AV’s Project Manager, Olie Goulding, who oversaw the event load-in and operated the Town Hall audio, to scope and plot the venue to design the d&b solution, which perfectly fitted the bill.”

Production AV also supplied the Town Hall’s main room with a 16ft x 9ft screen, 10k lumen Barco HDX Flex Projector, Barco switching solution and a camera package based around Agile ARC 360 Lite PTZ remote cameras and Sony EX3 Camcorders.

In the Pillar Room, the team installed a simple control package to interface with the in-house projection system, along with a d&b Y-Series and E-Series speakers and Yamaha TF series mixing desk. Matt Wadley, Production AV’s Technician, oversaw all audio aspects for the duration of the Festival in the Pillar room, with the Festival’s volunteer staff operating the majority of the video systems.

“One of the highlights of our AV package was the outdoor Cinema Zone, for which we specified a Desay M6 6.25mm pitch LED screen,” McCrea continues. “This displayed 13 hours of continuous footage from the moon landings over the festival, as well as lots of other content. The screen looked fantastic in the exterior garden, giving great high-resolution images over the large areas, with excellent colour reproduction and brightness.”

Hundreds of events took place over the six-day Festival, with more than 280 leading experts imparting knowledge, prompting discussion and provoking thought to thousands of visitors, including more than 9,000 schoolkids.

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Somerset House – Summer Series 2018

13/10/2018 by petermccrea

Production AV were delighted to be working for long term client Metropolis Music and having the opportunity to provide the video solution for this year’s Summer Series hosted at the spectacular Somerset House which overlooks the River Thames. The eleven-night series promised an outstanding line-up of established and emerging artists such as MGMT, Flight Facilities and Sigrid so we were looking forward to a showcasing of world class talent across many genres of music.

Music Festival 6mm LED Screen Summer Series 2018

The video solution comprised of a 8m x 4.5m LED screen using our stock of Desay M6 Indoor/Outdoor 6.25mm LED Panels which was flown on the rear of the main stage and acted as a backdrop throughout the series. Content was scaled and fed to the screen using our industry standard Barco ImagePRO II Dual and a pair of Nova MCTRL660 Processors were used to manage the data being fed to the screen with one acting as a fail safe hot back up to the main processor. In video control, two Green Hippo Hippotizer Karst V4 Media Servers were provided to store and manage each artists visual content for their performances.

We were really happy with the performance of the LED which worked flawlessly for the eleven days it was in operation and the content control using the Hippo media servers also made it easy to provide a flexible and responsive service to various artists requests throughout the series. It is always a pleasure to work with Metropolis Music especially when their is such a talented and diverse lineup to enjoy and we’d like to thank them for selecting us to provide the video solution for the Summer Series this year. We’re looking forward to the opportunities next year will bring!

Tour of Britain – Cheltenham Festival of Cycling

10/10/2017 by petermccrea

Production AV were looking forward to being involved in a project that was hosted… or pedalled through our local area! We were working on behalf of several clients to provide a range of solutions for the Tour of Britain stage which finished in Cheltenham. For APT Marketing, we were responsible for providing the screens and live feed to the hospitality yurt at the finish line as well as the main LED screen site for public viewing constructed in Pittville Park next to the the final stretch of the race. For Mudway Workman, we provided another LED screen in Winchcombe a couple more kilometres away from the finish line which was erected on the back of a curtained trailer. With the race gaining considerable interest amongst the public Production AV were delighted to playing our part in enhancing this special day for the spectators and Gloucestershire as a whole.

Multiple Outdoor 6mm Livestream LED Screens

The hospitality yurt was provided as a space for the sponsors of race and their delegates to gather and enjoy meeting and listening to well known members of the cycling community, eat fantastic food and enjoy the race as it was presented around the edge of the yurt on four of Production AV’s Samsung ME65B 65″ LED Flat Panels. All of our sites were installed with satellite dishes that provided a reliable Freeview feed of the race and our onsite technician Jimmy Flanders was at the yurt to assist and tweak the setup in the event the feed slipped in quality. The PA, microphone systems and playback capabilities for the screens used before and after the race were also provided by Production AV.

Arriving at 5am on the morning of the race at Pitville Park, the team worked into the morning building a goal post truss structure where a 6.4m x 3.6m LED screen was constructed using our stock of Desay 6.25mm Indoor/Outdoor LED Panels. Line array systems were flown either side of the screen which would project the audio clearly to large crowds expected throughout the day. In a gazebo behind the screen, control was set up to protect it from the elements. A pair of Nova MCTRL660 Processors were used to manage the data being fed to the screen with one acting as a fail safe hot back up to the main processor. The sponsorship content that would play during the races advert breaks was switched using our Barco PDS-901 3G 9 in 1 Out Seamless Switcher with all data being comfortably scaled to the screen using our industry standard Barco ImagePRO II Dual. In Winchcombe, the task was similar as we used our Desay 6.25mm Indoor/Outdoor LED Panels to create a smaller screen four panels wide and two panels high constructed on the back of a Mudway Workman trailer using our ground support system. The screen faced outwards into the local Fanzone that was positioned within touching distance of the road where the race would fly through.

Overall the stage was a massive success with thousands of people lining the streets to support the riders. Mick Bennett the Race Director of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain mentions the overwhelming warmth and unprecedented support shown during Stage 7 and we’d like to thank APT Marketing and Mudway Workman for allowing us to be apart of that support. It was a pleasure having you both as clients and we look forward to continuing our relationship with you in the future.

Olympia London – Feel Korea Concert 2017

25/08/2017 by petermccrea

Production AV were delighted to working on behalf of SFL by supplying the LED screen solution for the Feel Korea 2017 concert. Earlier on during the day, the Korean Cultural Centre hosted the London Korean Festival 2017. However, for the evening, Feel Korea returned to Olympia London to host the evening concert. With KPOP blasting through SFL’s PA and the crowds cheering for their favourite artists as they appeared on our screens before the show, our onsite technician Sam McCrea realised he was about to experience one of the most vibrant, outlandish performances he’d have ever witnessed.

3.9mm and 6mm LED Screen Concert Festival Solution

For this event, both our DigiLED 3.9mm Indoor LED Panels and our Desay 6.25mm Indoor/Outdoor LED Panels were used to create the video backdrop on stage as well as an elevated screen that relayed the live camera shots throughout the show. The stage backdrop was formed using a mixture of SFL’s and Production AV’s stock of Desay 6.25mm Panels to create a 12.8m x 4.5m screen as the centrepiece of the display which was flanked either side by three 1m x 4.5m columns of LED. This layout enabled clever video design to utilized the separate columns as their own entities to deliver more impressive visuals than a single screen of that size could achieve.In addition to this, 84 modules of DigiLED 3.9mm were connected to form a screen and were flown high above the stage to display the camera feeds.

For the 6.25mm screens, four Nova MCTRL660 Processors were used to manage the data being fed to the screen with two acting as a fail safe hot back up to the main processors. For the 3.9mm screen, two DigiLED Navigator LED Controllers the equivalent processors of the Novastars were used to fed data to the screen employing the same failsafe hot backup system. Whilst SFL supplied their own Barco E2 4K Screen Management System to drive the show, our Barco EC50 Event Controller was provided to increase the simplicity and flexibility of the E2 system.

With the last act finishing on stage, the exuberant crowd were further roused by an encore from all the main acts sporting ‘Feel Korea’ t-shirts as they came out on stage for a final hurrah! With inflated balls thrown around the crowd and confetti cannons shot from the bottom of the stage it created a beautiful end to the show. We would like to thank SFL for selecting us as the LED screen supplier for this event and we look forward to working on many more projects with you in the future!

KNK x Fans ? ?: #narinechalabi

A post shared by Narine Chalabi : Photographer (@narinechalabi) on Jul 13, 2017 at 3:12am PDT

Bristol Harbourside – Grillstock 2017 BBQ and Music Festival

24/07/2017 by petermccrea

Having been lucky enough to be requested by Utopium Lighting to provide the LED screen solution for Grillstock 2016, we were looking forward to being further involved in the production of Grillstock. For 2017 we expanded our services to the festival, providing the screen, camera system and livestream capabilities feed. Grillstock is one of the events we most look forward to on the work calendar with the promise of good weather, fantastic food and a variety of artists ranging from The Darkness to the Hot 8 Brass Band and even a trip down memory lane with Goldie Lookin Chain performing!

Complete Video Solution for Grillstock 2017

The load in was completed on the Friday before the weekend event with the video centrepiece being a 6.4m x 3.6m LED screen built using our Desay 6.25mm Indoor/Outdoor LED Panels that was flown from four rigging points at the rear of the stage to provide a backdrop. Some artists brought their own content which was scaled and fed to the screen using our Barco ImagePRO II Dual and played out using our Hippotizer AMBA V4 Media Servers. For much of the event however, the screen displayed live camera feed from our system of Sony HXC-100 Camera Channels with one camera channel at FOH and the other being used on a dolly at the front of stage as well as being handheld to diversify the types of shots achieved. In addition to this, onstage remotely controlled Sony PMW-EX3 HD Video Cameras were provided and it gave us the freedom to utilise numerous angles without being an intrusion to the acts on stage.

Our control centre was built to the side of stage left and from there, our PPU built around the Panasonic AV-HS400 Vision Mixer was used to mix the show as well as engineer camera settings such as colouration levels so that the camera operators could focus fully on getting the best shots. Production AV were also instructed to record the event and using our Blackmagic Designs HyperDeck Studio Pro and a synced audio feed, each act was separately recorded, archived and provided to Grillstock on an SSD card following the completion of the event. In addition to this, Grillstock were livestreaming several of the acts to Facebook and a video and audio feed was provided by Production AV to achieve this. Elsewhere on site, Production AV also provided screens and a camera solution to the Weber Stand using two Panasonic 42″ TH-42LF8 Full HD LCD Panels that were mounted to the set and displayed the mouth watering creations our Sony PMW-EX3 HD Video Camera captured throughout the weekend on the Weber BBQ range.

With The Darkness ending the festival with ‘I Believe In a Thing Called Love’ much to the crowds appreciation, Production AV began the packdown and in an hour and half all our kit was in the back of the truck. It is always a pleasure working with Utopium and we’d like to thank them for selecting us to provide the video solution to both Grillstock 2017 but also to the Summer Series held the week before. We are looking forward to continuing this relationship with Utopium and providing more video solutions for Grillstock and other events throughout the year.

A post shared by Sam (@sam_mcconnochie) on Jul 1, 2017 at 2:30pm PDT

Canons Marsh Ampitheatre – Bristol Sounds Summer Series 2017

18/07/2017 by petermccrea

Production AV felt like summer had truly arrived as we were delighted to be providing the LED screen solution for the Bristol Sounds Summer Series on behalf of Utopium. We were looking forward to experiencing some of the big names in music with this years festival featuring Bonobo, Manic Street Preachers, Craig David and Hacienda Classical. Whatever your taste in music, there was bound to be something to enjoy across the four nights of live music.

Bristol Sounds Music Festival LED Screen Solution

Using our stock of Desay 6.25mm Indoor/Outdoor LED Panels, we brought 36sqm of LED that was hung at the rear of the stage as a backdrop. For Bonobo’s act, Production AV were able to produce a smart and cost effective design by splitting the screen into five drops spread across the rear of stage creating a unique and punchy effect. For Craig David, the screen was re-rigged into a more standardised letterbox shape of 8m x 4.5m. The rest of the equipment provided followed our usual LED screen solution with the screen content was scaled used our industry standard Barco ImagePRO II Dual. Two Nova MCTRL660 Processors were used to comfortably manage the data despite being split across five separate screens with one processor acting as a fail safe hot back up to the main processor.

Once Craig David had finished up his set and evening to the roar of approval from the crowds, Production AV were quick to de-rig the screen however our desire for more, quality festivals to be involved in did not need to be heeded for long as we were looking forward to continuing to work with Utopium at Grillstock 2017 the following week. We’d like to thank Utopium for our continued involvement in the Bristol music scene and are looking forward to upcoming events this summer and beyond.

Photo credits: Ania Shrimpton

Take us back to this time last week when @si_bonobo Bonobo? brought the vibes and you brought the party! ???? by @tourlifehq #tourlife #bristol #bonobo #livemusic #bristolsounds

A post shared by Bristol Sounds (@bristolsounds) on Jun 28, 2017 at 9:53am PDT

Montpellier Gardens – Cheltenham Literature Festival 2016

19/12/2016 by petermccrea

Having worked with Cheltenham Festivals on the annual Literature Festival for the last five years, Production AV were looking forward to being back for a sixth year providing the video solution to all the venues at the festival. From the 7th – 16th of October, Cheltenham Literature Festival promised to continue delivering an inspiring mix of debate and discussion by welcoming over 600 of the world’s greatest writers, poets, politicians, thinkers and stars to Cheltenham.

In Forum, the main venue of the festival, Production AV provided a full video solution using a our Barco S3-4K Screen Management System coupled with its Barco EC-50 Controller which enabled us to manage numerous signals and outputting them to our Christie LHD700 Full HD Projector via a fibre system. Situated in front of house, three Sony PMW-EX3 HD Video Cameras provided numerous angles for the technical director to select during each event and one camera operator worked back stage controlling the two close up cameras using a pan tilt remote head system which enabled less intrusive production and greater communication between the technical team. The Barco S3-4K, also accommodated two laptops and was able to seamlessly switch between keynote and powerpoint presentations as well as raising the production quality by providing PIP’s of the camera feed when desired over presentations. The last output required from the Barco S3 was to the LG BD370 Blu-ray Player that recorded certain events for later use. Also provided for the guests was the Interspace MasterCue V6 Cueing System and comfort monitors leaving guests with the peace of mind that they can easily manage their presentation.

In The Pillar Rooms, the venue was more intimate and required a smaller technical setup. The main operating hardware was a Barco PDS-901 3G 9 in 1 Out Seamless Switcher that took feeds from two ASUS X555LA 15 Inch Laptops and outputted to an in-house projector as well as another LG BD370 Blu-ray Player for recording purposes. Comfort monitors and another MasterCue System was also set up in this venue to improve the presenting experience.

Working with Adrian Hensley and the team at Cheltenham Festivals is always a pleasure and getting to play our part in providing this yearly gathering of people with fantastic intellect as well as fascinating stories is always near the top of yearly event experiences! We would like to thank Adrian and the team for continuing this relationship between our companies into it’s sixth year and we hope it continues as it is such a rewarding and enjoyable event to be apart of each year.

SSE Wembley Arena – Seasick Steve Concert

14/12/2016 by petermccrea

Production AV were delighted to continue working with Crosstown on behalf of Seasick Steve to provide a full video solution for his biggest ever headline show at the SSE Arena, Wembley. Having previously been the video supplier for Steve in his UK 2015 tour, we were looking forward to being back for his ‘10 Years Out Of The Dog House’ party that was promising great crowd atmosphere and funky guitar work!

6mm LED Screen Concert Video Solution

Using our stock of Desay 6.25mm Indoor/Outdoor LED Panels, we built a 9.6m x 5.3m LED screen that was flown at the rear of the stage. As we were providing the full video solution, two Sony HXC-100 HD Camera Channels and a Sony PMW-EX3 HD Video Camera were positioned around the venue with the aim of taking the production quality to a new height with multiple live feeds running to screen. Control was set up in front of house and the live feed management was run using our Panasonic AV-HS400 Vision Mixer Portable Production Unit (PPU). Two Nova MCTRL660 Processors were used to manage the screen with one being set up to act as a redundant backup to the main processor. Scaling for the screen was handled by a Barco ImagePRO II Dual – industry standard due to it’s great processing.

The concert went exceptionally well, with the screen performing perfectly throughout the evening and our skilled camera operators not missing a moment of the exciting evening. Seasick Steve had an amazing performance, bringing people up on stage to sing with him made it a real party atmosphere and he managed to turn the arena into the most intimate venue. He also didn’t let his eccentric reputation lessen as he turned up to the venue driving a tractor! Production AV filmed Steve’s arrival at the iconic venue for playback on the LED screen, as well as introductions for the support acts.

It has once again been a real pleasure working with Steve and his team and we’d like to take a moment just to thank them for selecting us to provide the video solution for this performance. We hope that we’ll be back in Spring for his next one!

Bristol Harbourside – Grillstock 2016

11/08/2016 by petermccrea

Production AV were delighted to be selected to provide the LED screen for the main stage at Grillstock 2016 by Utopium. It is safe to say we were very much looking forward to this event with the promise of sunshine, good music and a variety of delicious meats to consume! Being hosted at the Bristol Harbourside meant that it was a only a quick drive down and we were happy to be involved in a such a local but fun event.

Grillstock Festival 6mm LED Screen Solution

Loading in the day before the event began, using our Desay 6.25mm LED Panels we built a 6.4m x 3.4m screen at the back of the main stage. The screen was flown on a motorised truss system and was rigged quickly which allowed other preparations for the stage go unhindered. Set up on stage right were two Nova MCTRL660 Processors that were used to manage the screen with one being set up to act as a backup to the main processor. Alongside the Novastars was an ImagePRO II Dual which was used to feed content to the screen. Running a 100M fibre cable from the ImagePRO to control meant that Olie Goulding our onsite technician could position himself at front of house. This was important as he also was operating the Green Hippo Grasshopper Media Server which meant he could add layers and effects over the top of the content being fed to screen which allowed him to quickly match the screen content to the style of lighting the LD had decided on.

More than 14,000 people attended the BBQ-themed festival, with highlights including The Fratellis, The Stranglers, Cuban Brothers and a King of the Grill barbeque showdown. When the final band artist had performed, Production AV were there and ready to take down the screen with the same swiftness they had put it up. Using the onsite telehandler, we were able to fork down boxes of LED modules directly from front of stage onto the floor and load the truck from there. Having video kit off stage meant that a lot of space was freed up and Utopium were able to bring their lighting truss down and work with ease on pulling their kit out too.

A massive thank you to Utopium for selecting us as screen supplier for this event. It is always a pleasure working in your company. We hope to be back next year for more BBQ goodness!

Scarva – Sham Fight 2016

05/08/2016 by petermccrea

Production AV were once again back in Northern Ireland working for BNL to provide an LED screen solution for the 2016 Scarva Sham Fight. Over 100,000 braved the rain to watch the annual re-enactment of the Battle of the Boyne. It was a really honour to be apart of something that holds so much cultural importance to so many people.

6mm Outdoor Reenactment LED Screens

Back out were our Desay 6.25mm LED Panels ready to test their waterproof design against whatever the weather could throw at it. Two 4.8m x 2.7m screens were built at separate locations on site using Mobil Tech AlpTek 6.5m stands and truss to fly them off the ground. There were a pair of Nova MCTRL660 Processors for each screen with the latter acting as a backup for the main processor. Each screen also had an ImagePRO II Dual which was used to feed content.

On site for the length of the march was one of our LED Technicians who made sure the show ran smoothly from our end. Endless streams of colorful, eye catching marchers lined the streets of Scarva playing a variety of instruments and in the end it was John Adair, who played King Billy, was victorious – again – on his 25th anniversary of acting the part.

It was a real pleasure to work again with BNL and we look forward to continuing to grow this working relationship with them. Thank you as well to Tourism Northern Ireland and the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council for giving support to the big day.