A diverse line up of top Belgian artists played Tournai city square (photo: Martin Godfroid/ RTBF)
Belgium - An ArKaos Stage Server Pro and Kling-Net protocol were used to save thousands of DMX channels and provide a realtime harmony between lighting and video effects onstage for a massive Viva for Life concert fundraiser event organised by Belgian national TV channel RTBF.
The visual design for the stage that ran for multiple days in Tournai city square, featuring a diverse line up of top Belgian artists, was created by RTBF’s Didier Piron.
Selected highlights of the event were broadcast live on TV and it attracted massive crowds into the heart of the city each night to enjoy the entertainment. Also integral to the fundraising efforts was a 144-hour non-stop RTBF radio broadcast with the presenters locked into a glass-fronted studio adjacent to the stage!
Didier’s production design for the stage involved several strips of LED video screen surface arranged in columns along the back, with horizontal strips around the sides of the stage. His lighting rig included a total of 18 Claypaky HY B-EYE K15 and K25 LED wash luminaires which were mapped with Kling-Net.
This allowed the same video content to be run through both elements - the screen and the wash lights - producing beautifully matched movements, effects, and colours.
Running lights like these in ‘extended’ mode to enable the full range of pixel effects is hungry on DMX channels on the lighting console, but running them through Kling-Net and the Stage Server freed up 2,664 desk channels that could be used for other fixtures on the rig.
It also simplified the get in, set-up and programming as the Kling-Net took care of all the complex network settings.
Two of the server’s HD DVI outputs were dedicated to the playback video running on the screens, and a third with a network connector ran Kling-Net to the fixtures. The server was triggered by the grandMA2 full-size.
Last year, several leading lighting manufacturers, including Claypaky, decided to embed a Kling-Net network interface in selected products to enhance the creative and practical options for ‘visual’ designs like this that embrace both lighting and video elements.
The Viva for Life project was produced by Nicolas De Leerner for RTBF. Rudy was assisted on the lighting operation by Maurice Fulco and the technical production supplier for lighting was CST Production. LED screens were delivered by Greg Dejardin and the sound was managed by RTBF’s team.
(Jim Evans)

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