Olivia PowellCreative Technology recently supplied site-wide projection for the grand finale of Riyadh Season, ‘Leila, The Land Of Imagination’.
The event was created by Marco Balich and his all-female creative team from BWS, and took place at King Fahd Stadium, Saudi Arabia. The event reportedly ‘captured the essence of Saudi Arabia through an adventurous 10-year old lead character, Leila, symbolisingthe next generation of Saudis who will experience the realities of the changing kingdom, established by Vision 2030’.
Tom Stocks, CT’s Senior Engineer said: “We used 89 Panasonic RZ-31k and 21K projectorsand Epson EB-L1755U laser projectors with ultra-short throw lenses to span across a 4,400sqm projection surface which included four hills, a lake and a sandpit.”
The stage had multiple projected scenic reveals including a 12m high Inflatable Fortress, a Gauze house which revealed beneath the field of play, an inflatable hand and hot air balloon which moved position during the show.
Stocks said: “The biggest challenge was projecting onto the moving scenic elements as there was a risk they could be affected by varying wind speeds and direction. Our Disguise operators were always on standby to make real-time adjustments to projection lineup as the scenic elements revealed themselves during the show.”
CT provided BlackTrax real-time tracking technology which was integrated into the technical solution to track performers and scenic elements throughout the show.
Stocks added: “In the stadium catwalk, a redundant camera system was installed consisting of 14 BlackTrax Prime 41 cameras and 6 Disguise Omnical cameras. BlackTrax was used to track 14 moving Discs on the field of play, projecting content during a large choreographed element of the show. BlackTrax was also integrated into the lighting design and was used for tracking Leila for the duration of the show, a total of 60 beacons were used to track performers, horses and scenic elements.”
CT also delivered a full site-wide monitor system, including new Birddog A200 PTZ cameras allowing production, stage management and creatives a full overview of the site during the rehearsals and show. They also provided a daily rehearsal record with imbedded time code for review by the technical and creative teams.
CT’s project manager, Dan Hughes, said: “Working closely with the technical management team from BWS, It has taken 7 months preproduction, 6 weeks on-site and 3 weeks rehearsals to perfect this event and our team at CT have enjoyed every moment of it. It was a pleasure to be part of such an amazing event, and we look forward to working with Balich again in the future.”