Desay

Lucy the Human Chimp

20/04/2021 by petermccrea

Channel 4’s remarkable Lucy, the Human Chimp documentary aired in April with a mix of archive footage and newly filmed ‘jungle’ reconstructions, with the latter made possible by Bristol-based virtual production studio VERO. The film, which tells the real-life story of chimp Lucy’s return to the wild after being raised in human surroundings, required cutting edge technology to re-enact scenes of Lucy’s carer, Janis Carter, living on an uninhabited island off the coast of The Gambia.

BTS image showing filming in progress on the Virtual Production work for Lucy The Human Chimp

Virtual Production: a solution for COVID problems

Production was scheduled to take place in the real-world jungle surroundings but, due to the COVID pandemic, had stalled. With no international travel permitted, and flights grounded, the team were searching for a new solution. Multi-award winning production company KEO Films approached VERO on behalf of Channel 4, with a view to using VERO’s pioneering studio space. This was fitted out with more than 47 sq. m of 2.6mm pitch Desay X2i LED screen, with Desay M6 6mm LED screen for the Ceiling Spine LED. Serving as a hi-res backdrop, configured as a 10m x 3.5m curve with a 3.5m x 3.5m flat section joining the curve, the team recreated a jungle film set within which the actor playing Cater performed. Behind her, island jungle footage was displayed, providing realistic lighting via the screen’s considerable brightness and an immersive, enveloping background.

Unreal and LED Screen revolutionise production.

“This was a fantastic production for us to work on,” says 3D animation and motion graphics expert Robert Tyler, from VERO. “The collaboration involved three-months of conversation, technical planning and logistics, resulting in two weeks of shooting at VERO’s Bristol base. “We created VERO so that it would enable directors to see the visual backdrop in real-time during filming on set, with our powerful graphics engine tracking technology meaning the action is always realistic and moves with the subject. Therefore, this was a dream project for us.” The VERO team says its set-up was created to revolutionise traditional VFX workflows, which rely on combining physical footage captured in front of a green screen with digitally generated backgrounds in post-production, and that this production has shown what is possible. In addition, it aims to reduce costly set builds and location shooting, and facilitate a re-imagining of visual FX. “Of course, the pandemic has had a devastating impact on the film industry in many ways, but using VERO, we turned this into a sustainability win, as no flights were taken, no fuel was spent, and everything was shot on a soundstage powered entirely by renewable energy,” adds Tyler. “Watching the documentary on Channel 4 was a joy. The background video content was realistic and the lighting true, with the actor looking like she was immersed in a jungle environment – all from our studio space in Bristol.”

Production AV deliver the LED for Virtual Production

The Desay screens were supplied, rigged and operated by Production AV, with MD Pete McCrea serving as project manager, alongside his team of technicians which included Sam McCrea, Nathan Dunbar, Mike Kane, Olie Goulding and Matt Wadley. “We’re so proud to be a part of VERO and to have delivered a clear and consistent, wraparound backdrop for filming,” says Pete McCrea. “Once our modular screen tiles are fitted together to envelop the space, displaying HDR content, the possibilities are endless.” The video content was processed by NovaStar equipment, and the ground support truss structure was supplied by Peak Hire. Lucy, The Human Chimp is now available to watch on demand via All 4.

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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Royal Albert Hall – Teenage Cancer Trust Concerts 2019

27/03/2019 by petermccrea

The annual Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) fundraising week of concerts and comedy gigs descended on London’s Royal Albert Hall in March 2019 to help support young people with cancer. TCT engaged video solutions specialist Production AV to supply a full video package consisting of LED screens, cameras and mixing, media servers and technicians for the event, which saw crowd-pleasers including Take That, Rudimental and The Script perform over the week. Each performance was mixed with real-life stories of young people affected by cancer and appeals for donations.

Full Concert Video Production Solution for Teenage Cancer Trust

“There are two key video elements that we were required to deliver: one was to display live on-stage action onto IMAG screens, the other to promote how people can donate money to TCT,” said Pete McCrea, Production AV’s managing director. “To achieve this, we supplied Desay M6 LED panels as a central 8m x 4.5 screen flown above the stage and a large, curved 27.9m x 0.9m banner of LED screens across the back of the main stage, displaying information. This was supported with a camera package for the relay of real-life stories and live performances to the screens.”

Production AV supplied Sony HDC 1500R Studio Channels and Agile ARC360 Lite PTZ Remote Cameras, with footage mixed and directed using the company’s Blackmagic ATEM 4k PPU. McCrea and his team also used their Barco S3-4K for switching and disguise 2x4Pro Media Servers for content playback.

McCrea served as Project Manager, taking the helm with pre-production at Production AV’s new HQ near Cheltenham, load-in at the Royal Albert Hall and on-site set-up.

“Pre-production took the form of creating an artist liaison pack, to ensure we had all the screen pixel maps created and resolutions sorted, and the system design clearly communicated,” McCrea said. “Our team was in contact with the artists’ managers prior to the event to obtain assets, pre-program content and test everything well before we were on-site.

“We utilised disguise’s fantastic ‘designer’ software for building and pre-programming all of the content. In the days before the event, we pre-built the control systems and banner screen, patched and programmed the servers to ensure that the get-in went without a hitch. Then it was consigned to the job by our friends at R Jameson Event Transport.”

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Torry Harris Business Solutions – 20 Years of Digital Transformation

21/01/2019 by petermccrea

Production AV were excited to be working with new client, Torry Harris Business Solutions through providing a complete technical event solution that included our new, ultra high resolution Desay x2.6i 2.6mm Indoor LED Screen to celebrate the fantastic 20 years that the company has been innovating the digital experience for clients globally and inspire their increasingly talented team to continue delivering the high-quality solutions THBS are known for.

High Resolution Desay 2.6mm LED Screen Conference Solution

The centrepiece of the solution was a 5m x 2m LED screen using 30 of our new Desay x2.6i 2.6mm Indoor LED Panels that was built upon a ground support system and covered the rear of the stage. Two Novastar MCTRL 4K LED 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. Content was fed and scaled to the screen using our Barco S3-4K Screen Management System and easily managed when combined with our Barco EC-50 Event Controller. The S3-4K was also used to form a PIP (Picture in Picture) on the LED screen using the video feed from our Sony PMW-EX3 HD Video Camera positioned in FOH. Alongside the video solution, Production AV also provided the audio solution for the conference using our Yamaha TF1 Digital Mixing Console to manage several Sennheiser radio microphones that operated flawlessly throughout the event.

We were really happy with the performance of the Desay x2.6i throughout the day, as all of TBHS great achievements were crisply presented and the colours of the content perfectly reproduced. We’d like to thank TBHS for selecting us as the technical provider for this special event for their company. We look forward to working again with you in the future.

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!

TBS Engineering – CEO Broadcast Event

03/10/2018 by petermccrea

Production AV were keen to put our newly purchased Desay X2i 2.6mm Indoor LED Screen to the test and we were delighted to provide TBS Engineering, a company local to Production AV’s headquarters, an LED screen solution at their production facility using the X2i for a broadcast message from the CEO of TBS Engineering.

High Resolution 2.6mm LED Screen Broadcast Solution

With TBS recently constructing this new facility, the CEO wanted to host an event that would explain the direction and goals for this new operation and its employees as well as thank them for the productive and smooth early performance. Production AV were on hand to provide 3.5m x 2m LED screen using 28 Desay X2i 2.6mm Indoor LED Panels which provided a super crisp display for the several hundred in the audience to focus their attention on. The screen was flown from two warehouse cranes using our rapid rigging system which saw the screen built and raised swiftly enabling the production floorspace to be opened back up for TBS use.

Two of our newly purchased Novastar MCTRL 4K LED 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. Content was scaled to the screen using our industry standard Barco ImagePRO II Dual with all the playback and processing kit located in a single flightcase positioned discreetly to one side of the screen. A 2m x 2m stage was also provided along with a lectern and an Soundcraft EPM 6:2:2 Mixer to manage the single microphone used to welcome the audience and introduce the CEO.

The event was a great success and we were very impressed by the performance of the Desay X2i both in terms of the build design but also the superb image quality displayed. We’d like to thank TBS Engineering for selecting us as the to provide the video solution and we we look forward to working on more events with you in the future.

Exciting Investment in Desay X2.6i 2.6mm LED Screen

10/09/2018 by petermccrea

Production AV are excited to announce that we have recently invested in over 200 panels of Desay’s X2.6i indoor LED modules. In doing so, we now have a significantly higher resolution LED option than our DigiLED 3.9mm and Desay 6.25mm stock and this will allow us to provide more technical flexibility and creative freedom to our clients. We are looking forward to testing the capabilities of our new 2.6mm LED product at leading edge events across the country.

2.6mm Indoor LED Screen with 4K Video Solution Capacity

Having already invested in Desay LED screen, we knew that the Desay X2.6i would have outstanding build quality that had been engineered to operate impeccably within event scenarios. Production AV also invested a wide range of rigging hardware that enables screens to be either flown or ground supported depending on the specific requirements of your event.

The screen has the ability to be built in both concave and convex configurations as either a flown or ground support configuration.

Novastar MCTRL 4K LED Processors were also purchased as part of the investment, and when combined with the X2.6i and our Barco S3-4K Screen Managment System, a complete end to end 4K solution can be provided. The screen itself has an high refresh rates and excellent color reproduction due to the 18bit greyscale processing making it an ideal option for an eye catching and close quarters video solution.

The X2.6i has already been selected for numerous projects by our clients and we’d love for you to get in contact if you would like a quotation or a demo of the screen’s capabilities.

St Christopher’s Place – Spring Garden Digital Activation

17/05/2018 by petermccrea

Production AV were excited to be working with new clients Four Communications to create a spring themed activation event hosted in the centre of St Christopher’s Place Square. The ‘Spring Rituals’ film was created by both floral designer Flora Starkey and Prettybird’s founding partner Juliette Larthe as a captivating and unique digital art installation to mark the arrival of the equinox through the magic of new floral life. The screen was on site for five days and ran from mid morning until 8pm so that members of the public could enjoy seeing time-lapses that offered extraordinary views into spring through the magic of flowers turning from seedlings to full bloom!

Outdoor 6mm LED Screen Art Installation

For this outdoor activation, our waterproof and versatile Desay 6.25mm Indoor/Outdoor LED Panels were used to create four 3.2m x 1.8m screens that would be positioned into an outward facing square to enable 360° viewing angles. The four screens were raised up off the floor on Litedeck and were finished with a custom, white, weatherproof cladding. The control system was set up in a nearby building, with the cabling run safely and unobtrusively into the cube. Two 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. Content was scaled to the screens using our industry standard Barco ImagePRO II Dual with content sourced and managed using an Apple Mac Mini. A small but powerful PA system was also installed into the exhibition to amplify the film with a poignant soundtrack representing spring time. Four EV Evid 6.2T Loudspeakers were located in the centre of the cube, with a compact Soundcraft EPM 6:2:2 Mixer and amplifier in the control room.

The design of the cladding and technical system, project management and health and safety planning was undertaken by Pete McCrea, who managed the onsite installation of the screen and cladding. Installation was undertaken over several hours in the morning, and then removed in two hours after the event. Production AV contracted Congo Blue, who are also part of the SFL Group for the fabrication and installation of the cladding.

It was great to see so many people stopping to take photos and appreciating the exquisite range of flowers flourishing into full blooms. Production AV are always grateful when our services are utilised to display such beautiful artistry and positive messages especially about the arrival of spring! We’d like to thank Four Communications for choosing us as the technical supplier for this exhibition, we have really enjoyed making this project a reality and we look forward to working with you again in the future.

Our #SCPGarden is unveiled and on show! Hurry down to watch the magical time-lapse film Spring Rites by @florastarkey – here until Sunday! ?? #StChristophersPlace #London #SpringEquinox

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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

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