NEWS PROJECTION LIGHTS & STAGING NEWS Zee Cine Awards Show Keeps 24 Projectors Busy LONDON — The Zee Cine Awards, an internati<strong>on</strong>al awards show for India-based films, got busy this year with a dizzying array of projected imagery. To create more than 90 stage projecti<strong>on</strong> looks, E/T/C L<strong>on</strong>d<strong>on</strong> supplied 24 Christie 20K projectors and 16 Only- View servers for c<strong>on</strong>trol. The 2008 event was staged at L<strong>on</strong>d<strong>on</strong>’s ExCel Centre, produced by Cineyug and broadcast <strong>on</strong> Zee TV. The starting point was an original set design by scenic designer Bart Clement. The widescreen feel of the set was enhanced with its deceptive angles and shrinking points, which amplified the visual depth of the space. E/T/C projected <strong>on</strong>to the proscenium arch, the ceiling, both walls and the floor of the set, and each projecti<strong>on</strong> area was a different size and shape, creating a series of interlocking visual backdrops. The default projecti<strong>on</strong> look for the Awards presentati<strong>on</strong>s featured an old cinema style tromp-l’oeil treatment, <strong>com</strong>plete with red swagged curtains. The fast-paced show included 37 Award presentati<strong>on</strong>s and live performances ranging from Bhangra rap artists to big carnival troupes. Al<strong>on</strong>g with more than 90 stage projecti<strong>on</strong> looks, each award presentati<strong>on</strong> used four or five different projecti<strong>on</strong> cues. Andy Joyes managed the project for E/T/C L<strong>on</strong>d<strong>on</strong>. Paul Chatfield was <strong>com</strong>missi<strong>on</strong>ed to produce all of the artwork, <strong>on</strong> which he worked closely with scenic artist, Omung Kumar, and E/T/C’s OnlyView programmer and The Zee Cine Awards program was staged in L<strong>on</strong>d<strong>on</strong>, broadcast <strong>on</strong> Zee TV and included a dizzying array of projected imagery. The wide-screen feel of the set design fit in well with the awards program, which h<strong>on</strong>ors those who make India-based films. operator, Richard Porter. An internati<strong>on</strong>al team of technicians from E/T/C’s offices in L<strong>on</strong>d<strong>on</strong> and Paris crewed the event. One of the many logistical challenges facing Joyes was determining the projecti<strong>on</strong> layout and where to rig the Christies. Six were used to cover the pros arch — two flown vertically and four horiz<strong>on</strong>tally. The return surfaces of the shallow proscenium c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong> were also covered in projecti<strong>on</strong>, and OnlyView was used to re-map the image so it stayed in perspective, lining up <strong>on</strong> both surfaces simultaneously. Onstage, right behind the proscenium arch, a flown center-cluster of four machines fitted with wide-angle lenses was c<strong>on</strong>cealed in the roof, pointing downwards to cover the floor. These projected <strong>on</strong>to a triangular secti<strong>on</strong>, flanked by a custom staircase with Barco OLite LED modules embedded into its fascia, which was built by Stage One to E/T/C’s requirements. Eight more Christies — four per side — projected across the stage <strong>on</strong>to the opposing walls and vertically soft-edged in the middle using OnlyView. Two projectors a side covered the ceiling. Finding a positi<strong>on</strong> for these was tricky — they had to be inside the proscenium, above the heads of the dancers and far apart enough to clear a car being wheeled <strong>on</strong>stage towards the end of the show. The focal point at the top of the stairs was a 16-foot-by-eight-foot OLite wall, which was center-split and acted as a pair of doors for entrances and exits. XL Video supplied all the OLite elements used in the show to Joyes’ specificati<strong>on</strong>. All the images were distorti<strong>on</strong>-corrected and fitted to the projecti<strong>on</strong> surfaces and the OLite using OnlyView in an effort to give a c<strong>on</strong>sistent look to the video, regardless of the type of surface it was displayed <strong>on</strong>. The challenge here was to work out a template for all the differently sized and angled surfaces. Chatfield and Porter attempted to do this with an “exploded box” rendering for the stage and the proscenium arch. The idea was to map the directi<strong>on</strong> and travel of the imagery from <strong>on</strong>e surface to another so it became a seamless operati<strong>on</strong>. The artwork was then worked <strong>on</strong> as a flat piece with the appropriate masks applied to make it fit the assorted projecti<strong>on</strong> areas. The template was then “refolded” together into 3D format. Having received the majority of the artwork from the client less than a week before the show, Chatfield and Porter had their work cut out for them. The mapping and programming period was intense and c<strong>on</strong>stantly evolving. On the night of the event, many elements of the show were swapped from the intended order at the last minute, rather than running in the order in which it had been programmed. The OnlyView system managed to keep up with these last-minute changes. A wide variety of image sources were incorporated into the show, including Mpeg files and PhotoShop images. The Awards playins were all stored <strong>on</strong> five Doremi hard drives and inserted into the mix via OnlyView. “Twenty-four flown projectors for a <strong>on</strong>e-off live event is quite a challenge. Even though there was very limited technical time <strong>on</strong> site, the show went seamlessly and the client is very happy,” said Joyes, adding “It’s a great tribute to all our crew who worked very hard under lots of pressure.” Other crew members included Bri<strong>on</strong>y Margetts, Fabrice Auchere, Robin Darraux, Mark Hayes, Phil Pieridis, Fergus Noble and Michael Barry. E/T/C L<strong>on</strong>d<strong>on</strong>’s Steve Larkins helped Chatfield and Porter produce the graphics, and John Steel and Jack Middlebrook joined them for the build. XL Video’s crew of Graham Vinall, Chris Isaacs<strong>on</strong> and Pete Egan worked al<strong>on</strong>gside the E/T/C team. 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