Europe - Shirin David, the chart-topping German rapper, singer, entrepreneur, and former YouTuber, is celebrated by her loyal fan base for her impactful shows. Shirin’s latest 14-date Schlau Aber Blond tour across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland continued to raise the visual bar by connecting audiences with a cinematic view of the artist’s powerful five-act performance.
Developed in partnership with 24/7 Productions, Tim Routledge Lighting Design, Adlib, ARRI and Fujinon, the Shirin David tour pioneered the first use of the Alexa 35 Live - Multicam System on a concert tour.
The brief was to bring the glamour and energetic vibrancy that has become synonymous with a Shirin David show to the big screens at each venue. Early conversations with the production, design and Adlib teams identified the technical challenges that would be faced, including the demanding dynamic range of the concert’s mood, with dark blacks and bright highlights. The team agreed that a cinema camera would be the best choice to deliver a visual feast for the audience.
The Adlib team had previously experienced the quality of ARRI’s Alexa 35 camera across concert capture and were particularly impressed in post-production with how well the camera had performed. When ARRI announced the Live Production System LPS-1 - a solution that would enable live painting (real-time colour correction and image adjustment), and support the various parameters required for broadcasters, the Adlib team was keen to take this camera system to an environment that hadn’t been explored before: the concert tour.
Ashley Ball, video technical manager, Adlib, comments: “We knew the challenge we’d face using a cinema camera on a tour. On a film set, there’s usually an entire team dedicated to rigging and de-rigging the camera each day. On tour, that simply isn’t an option. So being able to deploy the camera quickly, easily, and efficiently is non-negotiable. That’s why our work across the technical planning, testing, and preparation was so critical in creating a dependable solution for the camera operator.”
The Adlib and ARRI teams worked closely to combine technical and touring experience, identifying challenges quickly and finding resolutions in real time. Early preparation began at Adlib and ARRI offices in the UK and Europe, with the close working relationship continuing through rehearsals and opening night.
Jannik Abelt, technical specialist Multicam, ARRI, comments: “We were thrilled Adlib chose ARRI as technical partner for this concert tour and it has been a fantastic experience. The scale of the production is vast, the logistical requirements are demanding, and the audience expectations are high.
“Shows are built quickly and expertly, and so the pre-planning of each interconnected technical function is so important, especially with elements that the Alexa 35 Live - Multicam System wouldn’t normally be integrated with, for example a teleprompter. So new systems, with different software and connectors were all areas the team needed to work through, alongside partners,” Jannik continues. “On site we were particularly pleased to see the response from operators around ARRI’s web user interface, where they could remote control the whole system, every button, every volume control, and even the control the zoom demands for the lenses.”
With over 40 years of experience in the touring environment, the Adlib team shares a deep understanding of the constant challenges faced in moving complex technical equipment from venue to venue. Beyond the physical demands of rolling flight cases on and off trucks daily, there’s also the strain on gear that runs for hours at a time, often in hot and dusty conditions. Adlib created a packing solution to ensure the camera system, provided and supported by ARRI Rental, could withstand the rigours of a multi-date tour.
Creating a camera system that feels familiar and is intuitive to use is crucial for camera operators on a concert tour. These team members are often expected to regularly switch between different camera systems. The Alexa 35 Live camera system provided an impressive range, delivering striking results across skin tones, saturated colours, LED lighting fixtures and pyro. The high level of system integration that was achieved with partners, including the Fujinon with their Duvo lens, was reflected in the positive comments made by operators on the tour.
Ashley Ball, Adlib, concludes: “Our goal was to bring together the very best technical solution for the crew, the camera operators, the artist and the audience. In partnership with ARRI and Fujinon, I believe we did exactly that. The crystal sharp cinematic images from the stage beaming across ROE’s LED walls were a real sight to behold. As awareness grows for the future standard of delivering stunning cinematic images on a touring show, I’m looking to see where we can take it next.”
