XL Video gets The Elbow at Jodrell Bank

16 July 2012

UK - XL Video supplied production company Ear To The Ground and the band Elbow with LED screens, PPU / cameras, a Catalyst media server system and crew for a sold out performance at the Jodrell Bank Observatory & Centre for Astrophysics near Manchester.

The majestic 76m wide Lovell Radio Telescope was also used during Elbow's performance as a projection screen, with Pod Bluman Associates also taking a feed from XL's PPU system and projecting onto the Telescope using 6 overlaid 20K projectors.

Additionally, XL - whose Paul Wood is project managing - is supplying a touring video package spec'd by video director Jon Shrimpton for Elbow's festival itinerary.

Onstage at the Jodrell Bank event, Pixled F-11 LED screen was arranged in five upstage columns of three different sizes - designed by Shrimpton - who mixed the IMAG cameras using a Grass Valley Kayak switcher.

Of the 11 camera sources, three were operated, one stationed at FOH with a long lens, one in the pit and a hand-held onstage. These were joined by 8 remote cameras - two robo-cams and six mini cams dotted around the stage.

All these fed into Shripmton's Kayak. Six were then fed back into Elbow's touring Catalyst system, where the material was shaped, masked and formatted correctly before being output to all the screens.

Shrimpton comments, "It was an amazing experience doing a show at Jodrell Bank and I was very honoured to have the chance of working with Tim O'Brien. As always, the kit from XL was in great condition, the crew were fabulous and Paul Wood ensured that all our requirements were looked after."

On the day, everything was affected by relentless rain. It turned the site into a mudbath, presenting numerous practical challenges, but not in the slightest dampening the enthusiasm of the audience or the determination of the band and all involved.

(Jim Evans)