Multi Axis Camera Jib
EVERYTHING ELSE, TIPS & TRICKS
So it may be a foregone conclusion, but it seems that some of the event work we do at Decibel does follow us home. Check out the multi-axis camera jib after the jump
As you can see below, Asher developed his own hybrid of the typical camera jib by including a bucket for the mini-fig camera operator using a fire truck ladder, camera, and custom stage.
Exhibitor 2013
COMPANY NEWS, EVENT INDUSTRY, TRADE SHOW
We had the opportunity to travel to the Exhibitor 2013 show this year, and it did not disappoint. This is a trade show and conference for trade show and conference builders and planners. Many of the manufacturers bring their best new concepts and technologies for display, and we were able to spend quality time with some of the best of the best. It was also great to see the show growing again this year- with a host of new exhibitors, and some that have come back from a few years away. Below, we have included some of our favorites.
Here is what Exhibitor Magazine has to say about their trade show floor at the 2013 Exhibitor Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada:
EXHIBITOR2013 s New Product Showcase delivers the industry s largest collection of new trade show and corporate event products and services making their public debut. The spotlight is on innovation as exhibitors vie for the coveted Buyer s Choice Awards selected from the field of New Product Showcase entries.
AVFX is a staging and technology vendor out of Boston. They built out a video wall with NEC monitors that looked great, but the tech that made it stand out was the control surface. This was a clear touchscreen monitor in front of the display wall. When you stepped in front of the controller, it frosted over and allowed a user to select a video for playback on the wall. Very cool execution.
Armodilo
We have been using and building in iPad kiosks on our tours and mobile media activations for years now. We have used Bounce Pad, and have quite an affinity for Lilitab, but Armodilo was able to capture our attention. The product is quite simple- something easier said than done. We can utilize various tablets in the same enclosure, and it is a very simple and quick setup. We are excited about getting in our test units and if all goes well, folding them into our new tours moving forward.
Brandstand
Brandstand debuted their new, all in one, digital signage. It is very clean and simple, needing just a flash drive to show movies or graphics on a loop. There are limited features and options, but a great price point. These are brand new items in their portfolio, and we look forward to evaluating them in earnest when we have the chance.
GES
GES let their case studies speak for themselves, as they built out an all white booth and environment for Exhibitor. What really got our attention was a small, simple, but very cool graphic technique. QR codes seem to be everywhere these days, but they took it a step further and created a design around the QR code itself. Simple, but a great technique to incorporate.
Czarnowski
We have come to expect great, creative activations from Czarnowski on the exhibit floor, and this year did not disappoint. Their main tech showcase was a photo/light booth. Built in the middle of their exhibit, their guests entered the booth and a photo was taken, then you had 15 seconds to make a light-design as the aperture remained open capturing the movement of the light sticks. Great tech, great execution and a great end product. This is a rentable solution as well, so look for it out on the road.
Blue Telescope
It is always a treat to get to experience what Blue Telescope brings to Exhibitor. Their interaction started pre-show with a great online interaction where you build out your personalized digital flower. From there, the tech and story continued on the show floor, and included a section of questions about the individual attendee. They also displayed graphics and motion sensors with the Microsoft Kinect interface. At the end, we received a flower to plant to close the entire loop. Always fun to see their new activations.
Elements Exhibits
We have to give it to Elements for a great fully immersive experience on the floor. They featured ice sculptures and themes throughout the booth, but topped it off by working with Icebar to include an onsite walk in freezer, ice, and a bar built into their booth.
Panphonics
In many build outs, booths, and mobile activations we are asked about directional audio. Many times we use audio cones, speaker placement and volume control to accomplish the task at hand. It was great to see the solutions from Panphonics. They developed a square and very, very thin directional speaker for these applications.
More Facade Projection and Mapping
BACKSTAGE, COMPANY NEWS, EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS, TIPS & TRICKS
Another Lyon Festival of Lights (F te des lumi res) has concluded. I am a big fan of the festival as well as the fa ade projection and fa ade mapping that has become ubiquitous with the celebration. Each December, I look forward to seeing the displays and designs that are produced for the 4 day event.
This year, it was an experience, rather than breakthrough content that we were most excited about. The installation and design was from a French company called CT Light Concept. In the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon a square called Place des C lestins is home to the theater in the video below. (Quick aside, the square is located on lands once owned by the Knights Templar). Instead of simply having festivalgoers watch a presentation, CT Light Concept took fa ade projection and fa ade mapping to an interactive level, a pinball game that users can control. The only piece that would have been great to see added was a high-score list on the fa ade, but I am sure that folks had a blast nonetheless.
I thought this was a very unique and interesting installation. You can view the video by following the link here.
Royal Wedding
EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS, TIPS & TRICKS
There are thousands of pieces that go into an event this size, and from the coverage, it certainly looked as if they nailed them all. Instead of focusing on the overall event, there was one piece that really did stand out in my mind, the floral, and more specifically, the trees inside the Abbey.
According to Professional Florist, Shane Connolly designed the arrangements from flowers to the trees throughout Westminster Abbey. Instead of a lavish design with out-of season arrangements, the flowers were all seasonal and British.
The article from Professional Florist below gives the detail.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, eschewed ostentatious out-of-season flowers in favour of a simple bouquet made mainly of lily of the valley for her wedding to Prince William.
The seasonal British flowers, designed by florist Shane Connolly, were a nod to the less than lavish wedding that the couple said they hoped to plan. Although a reported 50,000 spent decorating Westminster Abbey with field maple and hornbeam trees suggested the couple didn t have things all their own way.
All the trees and flowers were selected by the Middletons and arranged by Shane Connolly s team. Each choice came with a reference to the language of flowers. Lily of the valley is associated with trustworthyness. Maple suggests humility and hornbeams are linked to resilience.
Shane Connolly s web site bears the By Royal Appointment to HRH The Prince of Wales crest, and promotes the florist as constantly striving to delight its clients.
Miniature Facade Mapping
EVERYTHING ELSE, FACADE MAPPING
Over the past few months we have posted a few times about Facade Mapping and how clients can use it bring a whole new visual element to an event. We stumbled upon this mini version of facade mapping last week and we watched in awe at the details and talent that was put into this futuristic children s book. This is the first ever projection mapped pop-up book, at least that we have found!
While this may not translate to the event industry, the creativity is astonishing and opens up a whole new world for art and technology to come together. The background is a fixed paper pop-up book that without light is plain, empty, and just cut-out white paper. With the projection, the scenery comes to life and tells a story.
Are you as impressed as we were? Take a look for yourself.
https://vimeo.com/davyandkristinmcguire/icebook
Flash Mob
EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS, TIPS & TRICKS
I love to highlight events that just work. A simple, yet focused idea that is met with seamless execution can have great results. These don t have to be expensive, or overly planned. I also like to give recognition to my hometown when I can.
The Winston-Salem Symphony pulled off a great promotional event a few days ago by performing a piece in the Belk s Department store. While this was not your traditional flash mob, it still holds as a great example. I am sure they worked with the mall and Belk s prior to the flash-mobbing as it would be quite hard to sneak in a piano AND a timpani. Even though they tipped their hand to the location, it was on message for their group (to promote their upcoming performance of Handel s Messiah) and brought attention into the store itself. This is a great example of using a flash-mob event to reinforce your brands message.
Blank Canvas
COMPANY NEWS, EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS
It ended up taking a week, and a few minor miracles, but we were able to get our new summer road show vehicle to the fabricator. I must hand it to both Utilimaster and Whitney over at Polaris who helped pull this off! A few more photos of the delivery after the jump
It was a rainy day in New Berlin, WI but the flatbed finally made the 200 mile journey from Wakarusa, IN. The truck is now in the fabrication bay and we are taking measurements and developing a template for the custom build as well as graphics. Look for more photos as the build progresses!
2013 The Special Event Chicago, IL
BACKSTAGE, COMPANY NEWS, EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS, TIPS & TRICKS, TRADE SHOW
Do you remember that feeling when you were a kid and your parents let you walk through the toy section of a store? The pure joy and excitment of the latest and greatest thing? That is exactly how it felt to walk through The Special Event in Chicago a few weeks ago.
The Special Event is one of the largest trade shows and conferences for event professionals. Vendors bring their A-Game to show the industry what they are capable of. Thousands from around the country and world come together to see the best of the best in our industry.
The trade show floor had a little bit of everything. Different types of lighting to cater to any event, linens of every fabric, software for anything from layouts to registration, and much more in between.
We found quite a few potential vendors within the trade show and look forward to working with them in the future. Here are a few pictures from the tradeshow floor.
The conference portion was both interesting and informative. We learned a lot about the trends and issues in the event industry and are excited to bring the knowledge back to our clients.
We were also able to attend one of the extra events during the show. The ballroom was setup by some of the best vendors in the industry to resemble an upscale reception. Some of the best aspects included the ice DJ Booth by Nadeau s Ice Sculptures, the live music from the Becca Kaufman Orchestra, and modern furniture from Cort Event Furnishings and AFR Event Furnishings.
The Special Event was a great experience that every event professional should have at some point in their career. We learned a ton and met a lot of great people. Cannot wait until 2014 when the conference will be held in Nashville, TN at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center.
Political Debate Production
BACKSTAGE, COMPANY NEWS, EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS
Recently, we were invited to assist a campaign with advance work for the CNBC debate in Michigan. We spend a lovely week in Detroit advancing the debate at Oakland University, as well as various smaller events throughout the week. We love debate production and what goes on behind the scenes. This one was particularly well produced and we have some great shots of setup. The first few are of the hall itself, as well as backstage. The final shot is from the filing center and spin alley.
Stage Set- Andr Ch nier
EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS
This is a bit out of the norm for a dB Blog post, but thought it was worth sharing. I don t know many details, but this is a stunning stage set and production on Lake Constance in Austria. Love the creativity and talent shown here. Thanks to Gizmodo (by way of WSJ) for finding the photo.
We have included some additional information from their site: http://www.bregenzerfestspiele.com/en/node/1686
Andr Ch nier
Opera in four acts by Umberto Giordano
Opera in four acts, sung in Italian.
Music by Umberto Giordano. Libretto by Luigi Illica.
Premiere on 20 July 2011 9.15 p.m., Seeb hne
Duration: 2 hours without break
France in the year 1789. The aristocracy revels, the people groan. And between two stools stands the poet Andr Ch nier. Cherished by the rich for his moving verses, in his heart he remains a revolutionary.
Andr Ch nier, the most famous work by the Italian composer Umberto Giordano, is a brilliantly vivid historical drama and a human tragedy of shattering intensity. Set against the background of the French Revolution, the opera has strong appeal both as a passionate love story and as a historical thriller. Andr Ch nier is based on the life of a real historical character, a French poet who got caught up in the turmoil of the French Revolution, frst as an ardent supporter and then as a victim, mercilessly persecuted and ultimately sent to the guillotine.
Giordano s music is charged with a furious enthusiasm and stirring emotions. Historical dances and marches from the time before the French Revolution can be heard in the opera as well as classic Revolutionera songs including a ira and the Marseillaise.
The composer incorporated historical dances and marches from the time before the French Revolution in the operatic score, along with classic revolutionary songs like a ira and the Marseillaise. Together with rousing arias and thrilling duets they lend a unique flavour to the opera.
It seems as though Andr Ch nier was composed especially for the Bregenz Seeb hne. The opera presents a perfect mix of ingredients for the venue: a thrilling story and four strong characters, caught between the excesses of the Ancien R gime and the terror of the French Revolution. There is Andr Ch nier, an idealistic poet, and his adversary Carlo G rard, once a servant and now a revolutionary ringleader. And there is the young noblewoman Maddalena, who is feeing from the rebels, aided by her maidservant, who sacrifces herself as a prostitute in order to support her mistress fnancially. Giordano s music is verismo of the very highest calibre and drives the highvoltage plot forward with breathtaking speed. Artistic director David Pountney
Further performances
July 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 29, 30 and 31 9.15 P.M.
August 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 9.00 P.M.
The Italian composer Umberto Giordano and his librettist Luigi Illica translated the name of the French revolutionary and eponymous hero of the opera, Andr Marie Ch nier, into Italian. The French male first name Andr became the Italian male first name Andrea which is why the opera is entitled Andrea Ch nier in the original. The Bregenz production uses the historical figure s correct name for the title Andr Ch nier (the second name, Marie, is omitted). The revolutionary and poet was born in 1762 near Constantinople, today Istanbul, and was executed by guillotine in Paris in 1794.
