Yves Pépin, president and artistic director of ECA2, and his team are gearing up for the début of ECA2’s new nightly multimedia show, ‘Miroir d’Uranie’ (‘Uranie’s Mirror’), beginning on 2 February at the Futuroscope Park near Poitiers, France. "Uranie is the name of an as-yet undiscovered star that plays a leading role in the show," explained Pépin. "She is one of a number of characters, both touching and fantastical, who appear in the show. There’ll also be Billy la Bulle (Billy the Bubble), a flying fish; Pegasus; Venus; and an elderly fisherman who goes on a dazzling trip through the universe. The fable, the story of an impossible trip through the galaxies, unites classical mythology with ultra-modern multimedia techniques. It will warm the heart even as it dazzles spectators with its special effects."

The spectacular will take place on he Théâtre du Lac (Lake Theatre), just like the current show, ‘Le Lac aux Images’ (The Lake of Images’), which opened in March 2000. This show has been a real hit with audiences, attaining a spectator satisfaction rating of 95%. Similarly, ‘Miroir d’Uranie’ will appeal to all age groups. The new show will last about 20 minutes, and will unfold on 7,000sq.m of show space, including three water screens, five inflatables and pyrotechnics.

(Lee Baldock)

Lighthouse LED video screens are at the heart of the installation of a custom-designed outdoor poster advertising screen at Bournemouth International Centre. Adaptable to both outdoor and indoor poster and retail sites, and capable of displaying images alongside ‘split screen’ text messages, the LED billboard concept is being pioneered in the UK by Lighthouse and, at Bournemouth, its integrator partner, Advantage Displays Ltd and screen owner/operator Inter-City Ads.

Nine panels of Lighthouse LVP20 (20mm pixel pitch) screen have been installed. Regular maintenance is provided by Lighthouse, but at the BIC, there is no facility to do this from within the building so to cater for this, a special mounting structure allows the screen to be hinged forward for maintenance work. The screen also has the ability to show two independently-controllable images on the screen at any one time. This is currently being used to show video images on 90 percent of the screen, with the lower 10 per cent displaying ‘live’ text messages about events at BIC.

(Ruth Rossington)

Screenco has provided the LED screens for the ongoing TV programme Pop Idol. Set designer Andy Walmsley - whose company A1 Set was commissioned by Thames Television - provided Screenco with a brief to deliver the visual display element of the Pop Idol show.

The series - divided into three elements - consisted of various open auditions staged in hotel conference rooms throughout the country, followed by the ‘semi finals’ which took place at a staged ‘rehearsal room’ in Teddington Studios, ending with the ten week finals hosted at Fountain Studios in Wembley. Walmsley - who also designed the worldwide-copied ‘Who Wants to Be A Millionaire’ studio set - told us: "Pop Idol has been fascinating as a design brief, especially because the series has been in three parts. We started with a large video cube wall and one lonely plasma screen at Teddington Studios, but then the anti was upped to an orgy of AV for the final 10 weeks of this mammoth show."

Screenco supplied a 15mm central rotating screen complemented by 25mm LED Modules and 42" plasma screens - sourced from sister company CT London - which were arranged about the set in an abstract fashion. The 15mm LED was mounted on a bespoke rotating structure, whilst the 25mm LED Modules and Plasma screens were all supported by tailor-made aluminium brackets supplied and constructed by stage contractors Total Fabrications. Also provided by Screenco were the graphics - displayed during the show - which ran from two Doremi V1D Digital video player/recorders and were mixed through a

Screenco recently supplied a 15mm Saco LED stage screen at the first ever Top of The Pops Awards, hosted at the Manchester Evening News arena. Commissioned by production company AMP - working for BBC Worldwide - the 20.74sq.m screen was configured in a 14:9 aspect ratio and was positioned off centre stage right in an asymmetric set design.

Serving an audience of 11,500, the screen was used as backdrop support for presenters and artists, as well as nominee clips. Showcasing a rich mixture of the best in pop music over the last 12 months, the first annual TOTP’s Awards Show was also broadcast on BBC One the following day, and hosted 12 performances from international artists including Kylie Minogue, Mariah Carey, Westlife, Tom Jones, Travis, Nelly Furtado and Jennifer Lopez.

A full report on the Top of the Pop Awards appears in the January issue of Lighting&Sound International.

(Ruth Rossington)

Quadrant Visual Solutions (QVS), the specialist AV designer and installer and conference specialist, has specified and equipped ‘Host’ - the new media centre in Leeds, recently opened by Melanie B, with a comprehensive range of state-of-the-art multi-media equipment. The centre, funded by Leeds City Council, is situated in Chapeltown and was built as part of the Council's drive towards regenerating Leeds' inner city. Providing office space for small new media companies to rent, QVS equipped the centre with sound, radio and TV studios, conference rooms, multi-media training rooms and video edit suites.

The work was put out to European tender, and QVS account manager Andrew Hogben is delighted to have been awarded the contract. "We worked in partnership with Sony Broadcast and Total Audio Solutions to produce the original specification. For the sound studios, we supplied a Sony DMX-R100 Digital Audio Mixer, a Digidesign ProTools System, a Cuebase VST software, PMC Audio Speakers, a Tascam DA98, multi-track recorders and Akai samplers. A Sony PX31 data projector, and an AMX meeting room control system was supplied for the conference room, and 18 PCs with midi-keyboards for the multi-media training room. We provided the Centre's TV studio/video with a 36 Channel TV lighting system, a Sony DSR500 widescreen digital camera and accessories, Vinten tripods and dollies and an Avid XpressDV video edit suite on IBM PC with a Pioneer DVR-AO3 DVD Burner and DVD Authoring Software."

The contract commenced in March 2001 and phases 1 and 2 have just been completed

London-based Blink TV, the big screen entertainment company, has announced the opening of a business development unit in the USA, headed by Van Jarvis and based in San Francisco. Jarvis has been in the professional live video production business for over 20 years, having worked for two of the leading US video rental companies, and produced high profile music shows such as the Tibetian Freedom Concert in Washington in 1999 and the United Nations sponsored Groundwork 2001 in Seattle.

Blink specializes in the provision of integrated video packages for rock and pop concerts and festivals around the world. The concept has proved very successful in the UK, Europe and Australasia, and the US office has been established to promote their services to the huge live entertainment market in America. The operation in the States will be structured along similar lines to its other territories around the world. Blink subsidizes the costs of bands touring with video equipment in return for the rights to use the screens during walk-in and intervals. Blink then produces entertainment to run on the screens during those periods of downtime.

Jarvis feels the climate is ripe for the Blink concept to take off in the US, in spite of the current difficult economic climate. "Production values are still high, and acts can benefit from keeping their costs down and simultaneously adding value to their shows," he states. He confirms that there’s already been interest, and expects to announce the first Blink TV US tours early in the New Year.

Blink has also recently expanded its UK sa

CT NEC has provided full AV support for Land Rover, on a three-year permanent installation basis, at the Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent. Situated in two high profile areas, eight Panasonic TH-42PWD4 42" plasma displays and two Panasonic DVD-RV31 players have been supplied and fitted as visual reinforcement for Land Rover's impressive vehicle displays.

Split into two adjacent areas, the first site - a Land Rover Clothing Store, located in the Southeast Welcome Hall - contains two screens, with the capacity for future upgrade to enable data capture. The second installation is located within the main shopping mall thoroughfare, and boasts six screens, with four at ground level and two on the first floor. The screens display product and corporate video footage and currently present the same video sequence, fed from two separate source players. Provision has also been made for potential upgrades to the installation, such as touch-screen interaction and data capture.

(Lee Baldock)

AV specialist Saville Audio Visual has appointed Matt Alexander as area sales manager for South London, Kent and parts of Surrey and Sussex. Formerly based in Devon with Greenham Video, Alexander has extensive experience in the AV industry and his responsibilities will include sales of LCD projectors, audio visual and conferencing systems.

(Lee Baldock)

Paradigm was recently commissioned by audio visual specialists Integrated Circles, to supply three Ultra Contrast Screens for use at artist Liam Gillick's exhibit, 'Annlee You Proposes', at Tate Britain.

The 52" screens - together with specially adapted LCD projectors - have been hired by the gallery for the duration of the exhibit, which continues until 31 March this year. Footage on each screen comprises three minutes of looped video art - which together with sound clips - portrays 'Annlee', using Japanese-style cartoon images. The screens are positioned as window displays which face onto a newly landscaped garden and patio area within the Tate Britain grounds.

Paul Nolan of Integrated Circles told us: "Providing large, vivid video images in a sunlit, south facing outdoor environment, presented us with an unusual challenge that meant we needed exceptional contrast to achieve what Liam Gillick intended. The ultra contrast screens provided by Paradigm have enabled us to achieve an impressive result."

(Ruth Rossington)

The famous stage at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam took on a number of different scenic guises when Dutch radio station Radio 538 presented its ninth anniversary party, Live38, recently. Thanks to the reconfigurable pair of 18sq.m 25mm LED Megascreens from Screenco/JVR, which could be split and moved across the stage with the help of a motion tracking device, acts such as The Corrs, Wyclef Jean, Volumia, Blof, Di-rect and Crazy Pianos could be seen in bespoke scenic settings. The rigging and trolley system were provided by Frontline/Sightline.

Radio 538 undertook all the production themselves, and credit for the inventive screen concept goes to the station's Pieter Lubberts. "This flexibility enabled us to reinforce the stage images either as one giant screen behind the musicians, split into two 18sq.m side screens - or present them as six individual columns, each displaying component parts of the image. The fact that we were able to track these displays across the length and depth of the stage made the production a huge success, and proved very popular with the artistes."

Screenco Holland has a long relationship with Radio 538, and in addition to providing video support for their promotions also provided the LED screens for last year’s Live38 party in Utrecht. "But this year's technical production was a lot bigger," confirmed Screenco’s Jeroen Jongenelen, "and the radio station already has even more ambitious ideas for next year."

(Lee Baldock)

Paul Wood has joined XL Video, the concert touring and live event video specialists, as a project manager. Wood joins XL’s team, headed by Chris Mounsor, Lee Spencer, Des Fallon and Richard Burford, bringing with him a wealth of experience. Wood was previously the projects and operations manager for the LED screen department of SPS, where he handled events for blue chip clients like Microsoft and Bloomberg TV. Before that, he enjoyed several years on the road as a freelance engineer and projectionist, cutting his teeth in this exacting area of live production. XL’s Lee Spencer comments: "It’s great to have Paul onboard. He fully complements the rest of the team, and has all the attributes needed to thrive in XL’s lively and energetic working environment."

Wood is currently working on the Tweenies UK arena tour for XL, along with a number of other events currently underway.

Flightcase manufacturer Oakleigh Cases has supplied leading UK live and touring video production specialists XL Video with a massive order of 130 flightcases to protect XL's new Barco I-Lite LED screen system. The cases will be toured extensively with XL's expanding list of international artists, such as like Robbie Williams, U2 and Kylie Minogue - as well as on giant corporate events like The Detroit Motor Show, which is where XL Video's I-Lite will make it’s first appearance, on the Toyota stand.

The XL build was completed against the incredibly tight timescale of just over two weeks. Oakleigh’s general manager Martin Cockton comments: "It's a tribute to our collective team ethics, and to the flexibility of our systems that we managed to achieve this challenging goal!" Oakleigh's CEM CAD/CNC machining centre was in operation 18 hours per day to meet the order. This contract is one of an intensely hectic Festive period for Oakleigh, which has also secured the contract to build over 270 shock-mounted flight cases for Wembley-based Gearhouse Broadcast for next year's World Cup in Japan and South Korea.

AV specialist Blitz Communications has appointed Fraser McCaig as sales manager to increase market share for the company's new Birmingham branch. McCaig will be responsible for raising the profile of Blitz Vision in the Midlands region. McCaig has 17 years' experience in the Midlands AV and video production industry, having spent eight years as hire manager for Quadrant Video Systems in Birmingham, specializing in broadcast and professional equipment hire and filming. Prior to his appointment at Blitz he spent three years selling audio-visual equipment and systems, and project managed large systems installations for clients such as Marconi Communications, Anglo Irish Bank Corporation and Royal Doulton.

Quadrant Visual Solutions (QVS), the specialist supplier, designer and installer of video and film production facilities, was called upon to design, theme, stage and manage the Birmingham Film and TV Festival awards dinner at Birmingham's Burlington Hotel in a sponsorship deal. The festival, one of the UK's most significant moving image festivals, was held from the 15-24 November 2001. As well as the latest international previews, the Festival also included a range of events, workshops and seminars - with advice from professionals like Meera Syal and Pawel Pawlikowski.

Quadrant actively strive to be at the forefront of video/film production services, particularly outside of London, and are soon to open their film, video and media services centre in Liverpool. Among their celebrity guests at the awards dinner will be their Liverpool-based customers, Alex Cox (director of Repo Man) and Todd Davies (producer) having just completed their latest movie Revengers Tragedy starring Sophie Dahl, Christopher Eccleston, Derek Jacobi and Eddie Izzard. QVS supplied all of the video equipment that was used for the film’s insert short clips, a technique used by Alex Cox for the first time, and the on-line editing system.

QVS provided a comprehensive range of equipment, including Sharp SVG10 data video projectors, an xf30 data/video projector, a 12ft x 9ft front projection screen, six Bose 802 loudspeakers, a Soundcraft K1 audio mixer, a DFS500 vision mixer, a Sony PVW2800 Betacam SP player, a BVW75 Betacam SP recorder, scan converter, four Martin MAC 500s and two followspo

Sarner and ESP have combined resources to provide a creative solution for Liverpool’s new multi-million pound International Astronomy and Space Centre (IASC). Sarner, which has recently been bought-out by two of its directors, Michael Bennett and Ross Magri, is thrilled to have such an innovative and important project under its creative direction. "This is a great win, not just for us but for the team at Sarner and for all our clients and colleagues," comments Bennett. "Sarner has been highly successful for over 30 years and we intend to build on that reputation and drive the company forward with new commitment to delivering innovative design solutions that have so often won clients’ belief in our skills, quality and service."

Sarner will be responsible for the design and production of special effects for the new visitor attraction, while ESP will project manage the fit-out of the centre, bringing life to the dramatic designs - from the spectacular hanging celestial sphere atrium through to the excitement of a 'Journey To The Stars' in the space-time machine.

IASC, which is part of the continued regeneration of Liverpool's Wirral district, is due to be completed by Easter 2003. "Visitors will be taken on an interactive journey through time and space that is set to have people, both young and old, returning time and time again", said Ross Magri. "This is theatrical sensationalism at its best. It is the aim of the project team to bring the excitement of astronomy and space to life with multi-sensory technology, simulated time

Hardware Xenon's projection balloon is an innovative solution to the problem of high quality projection in lit areas, particularly suited to exhibitions, conferences, product launches and events. This projection balloon (registered model) which gives a very bright spherical image, can be placed at the top of a mast or hung in trussing.

The spherical balloon is inflated with air and classified M1 non-inflammable. The standard model is two metres in diameter and is placed at the top of a mast 3.4 metres high. This fits into the space normally available in exhibitions between the top of the stands and the authorized maximum height of five meters. At this height the balloon can be seen from afar, while the occupied ground space under the balloon is reduced to a minimum: the aluminium mast required is only 12cm square. For clients with particular needs, balloons of different diameters and masts of different heights can be provided.

The image covers two thirds of the sphere, it is sharp over the entire projected area, and the lighting is even. This innovation is possible thanks to the use of a 4000W OLS (Optimal Light System) projector equipped with a very wide angle lens with a very great depth of field, designed and manufactured by Hardware Xenon. The projector can hold 100 images and the projected image can scroll and turn in all directions.