September Issue - PLSN.com

NEWS
Technology in the Arts: Hippo Helps ‘Hood
NEW YORK—The Robin Hood Foundation,
a New York City-based organization that
fights poverty, hosted 4,000 guests at a gala
benefit. As they entered the Jacob K. Javits
Convention Center they were encompassed
in a meticulously designed décor reflecting
Robin Hood’s New York City base and the
evening’s theme of children and education.
High-definition video content was created by
Idyll Hands Imagery, whose principals include
Patrick Dierson and Rodd McLaughlin. Lighting
design for the entire event was done by
Doug “Spike”Brant of Artfag.
Dierson wore two hats, not only providing
content creation but also as the video
content director for Artfag. The 400+ dinner
tables were surrounded by 20 high-definition
screens in a 360° configuration. “We had four
quadrants, each with five screens,” says Dierson.
“Each of the screens had an individual
movie playing back on it. It basically looks like
five individual, invisible artists are scribbling
on the screen. The very last things that get
drawn in are the edges of each of the screens,
and that is when the magic happens of all five
screens coming in together and making a full,
seamless panoramic image.”
Dierson specified eight Green Hippo Ltd.
Hippotizer HD units to playback the high-definition
content. “We chose the Hippotizer for
Robin Hood specifically because in our past
experience we found it to have one of the
most reliable systems in terms of frame-rate
playback,” says Dierson. “The other very important
part of the system for us was that we use
a lighting media server that could also handle
the output of audio files so
that we could run video with
audio. The Hippotizer filled all
our needs.”
The Hippotizers were supplied
by Main Light Industries.
There was only one problem
with Dierson’s plan no one,
including Main Light, had
eight Hippotizer HDs in the
U.S. “TMB and Green Hippo
stepped up and saved my
ass,” states Dierson. “Jedd Taub
from TMB came over to help
out and Nigel Sadler from
Green Hippo, as luck would
have it, was on his way to
New York anyway, so we monopolized him for
a couple of days when he offered to also help. It
was a tough shop order to fill because what we
needed weren’t just eight regular Hippotizers,
but rather we specifically needed eight highdefinition
Hippotizers and there weren’t eight
available in the States, nor could we get them
flown in from overseas in time for the production.
So Nigel converted all of Main Light’s current
Hippotizer Stage systems to Hippotizer
HD systems for us. You basically had the main
software engineer making these things as rocksolid
as possible. And he did it; they were phenomenal;
they worked great. The support from
both of them—Jedd and Nigel—was phenomenal.
You couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Lisa Kerwath, TMB Sales Manager, believes
that the solution was an example of the technology
supporting the art: Even with the most
Robin Hood Foundation
Benefit, grandMA and
Hippotizer monitors.
Photo: Rodd McLaughlin
fully featured and accessible media server on
the market, creative minds continually manage
to create new challenges. “It’s very gratifying to
work with a company, like Green Hippo, that always
rises to the occasion.”
Other companies contributing to the
event’s success included: Atomic Design (scenic),
Ed & Ted’s Excellent Lighting (lighting coordination),
Christie Lites (main room lighting),
Video West (video), and BML-Blackbird Theatrical
Services (concert lighting).
The importance of support and working
together was evident in the success of the
evening, not only technical and artistically, but
also charitable, where the real rewards will be
enjoyed by school children in NYC. The Robin
Hood Foundation raised a record $48 million
at the event, which included $19 million that is
designated for a 1,500-student charter school.
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First UK VersaPixel Installs
at Grosvenor Casino
LONDON—Projected Image Digital has
supplied the first Element Labs’ VersaPixel installation
in the UK, featuring over 3000 pointsources
of light, at the newly-opened Grosvenor
Casino, on Bury New Road Manchester.
The PID team worked closely with Cadmium
Design’s Paula Reason and Tina Chetnik, who
specified the VersaPixels.
Reason is well known for designing
light features into her innovative architectural
and interior schemes. She likes spaces
to become live, interactive sources of energy
as well as making a definite statement
about the environment.
PID coordinated the installation
process with Leisure Installation Services
(LIS), including pixel stuffing over 150
square meters of ceiling tiles that arrived
with pre-cut holes, all needing to
be fitted with VersaPixels. This task was
done at the warehouse of local friends
Lite Alternative, and took three people
two extremely long days to complete.
The cables and driver boards were
installed first, followed by the ceiling,
after which the bar was constructed
underneath, an operation needing
tight co-ordination. Once the bar was
in place, PID commissioned and programmed
up the system – with every
pixel firing up first time.
Two Element Labs C1 controllers
drive the system, DMX-triggered by
the overall Crestron BMS that controls
all things electrical throughout
the entire building.
For content, PID collaborated with
Reason and Kevin Price, who was hired
by Grosvenor to produce content running
across all the plasmas and various
video surfaces. He came up with a storyboard
requiring a selection of clips exuding a range of
states from high energy to organic and soothing.
Over 20 custom video clips were created
by PID. An on-site “first pass” of content was
arranged for the client, from which the final selection
was honed and programmed into C1s.
The venue has been open a month and
the feedback and comments from everyone
—staff, visitors and clientele—has been overwhelmingly
positive about the VersaPixel feature.
It’s already become a local talking point,
and business is currently booming.
Grosvenor Casino