One More Time for XL with Daft Punk
XL Video UK is supplying Barco O-Lite tiles, Element Labs control, Chroma-Q ColorBlocks and two V4 Catalyst digital media servers.
This for dance robot gurus Daft Punk’s headline shows on their current European and Japanese festival tour. It’s the band’s first tour since 1997, and their distinctive pyramid shaped set was designed to maximise impact and ensure that the show is visually memorable.
The set was originally conceived for a one off at the Coachella Valley Music Festival, where it was such a success that they decided to tour the show-stopping design involving four separate but linked layers of video.
The pyramid is the show’s main visual device, and is completely reliant on all the video technologies working in unison with the lighting cues.
LD Martin Phillips is looking after the general visual aesthetics, and he suggested that the tour needed a dedicated video partner in the form of a locally based rental company with comprehensive back up and technical support to ensure the video elements were all covered. Enter XL Video UK – and project manager Phil Mercer – who says, “We are really pleased to be working on a show as creative and innovative as Daft Punk”
XL Video was initially contacted by production manager Aaron Chawla after Phillips spoke to XL Inc in the US about their needs. They came highly recommended from a number of sources. In turn, the US office directed the band to XL UK to service Europe - as it made sense to have a Europe-based supplier – and for continuity – to service the high profile Japanese dates that follow. XL is also supplying one of it’s most experienced engineers – Paul Maddock-Jones (PJ ) for the tour.
In Daft Punk tradition, the duo remain completely anonymous, wearing their trademark visors through the entire show; leaving the various video elements to provide the visual centrepiece.
The now famous pyramid shaped set – measuring 16 ft wide across the bottom is constructed from over 1600 Barco O-Lite blocks, which have been custom pixel mapped to create a 3-dimensional video screen surface.
Moving images and video effects are played onto the bottom two thirds of the front fascia of the set and onto a small section at the top – above the band’s platform.
Flanking both sides of the main pyramid are customized frames holding a 18ft high x 18ft wide geometric network of criss-crossing hexagonal shapes, made up from a total of 170 Element Labs’ VersaTUBES.
Behind the pyramid and VersaTUBES, effectively wrapping the whole stage set, is a special 75mm resolution 48 ft wide by 16 ft high ‘Pixel’ curtain. This is a bespoke creation made from Element Labs components and the result of a joint project between them and Daft Art – the band’s own production company.
The video content was produced by LA film effects producer Baptiste Andrieux and Martin Phillips, working in close conjunction with the band who are extremely visually literate.
The video content – which runs for 95 per cent of the Daft Punk show - – is stored on and played back via two dual output V4 Catalyst digital media servers, with two running as ‘hot’ backup. These are triggered by Phillips’ Hog iPC lighting console, in turn receiving SMPTE from the band.
The dual outputs from Catalyst number one feed the Pixel curtain and the VersaTUBES – each output offering 5 layers which are assigned to each of these two elements.
The Catalyst running the Pyramid has 10 layers available, of which Phillips is using five, leaving 3 additional layers onto which he can programme the additional ‘buskable’ content. This is used if they divert from the standard show – he has the clips ready and at his fingertips so he can bump, flash and tweak between the standard and the improvisational content on those additional layers.
XL’s experience in dealing with all types of video has been a great asset to the tour. Phil Mercer says, “The challenge is in ensuring that the intricate design – which was not initially built to tour - is replicated successfully every time; particularly with back to back shows and the tight turnarounds between acts on the busy summer festival circuit”.
“Xl have been brilliant” says Martin Phillips, “They are informed and knowledgeable, run an efficient operation and are extremely pleasant and accessible people to deal with”.
For more press info on XL Video, please contact Louise Stickland on +44 (0)1865 202679 or +44 (0)7831 329888, louise@loosplat.com or check www.xlvideo.com.
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