XL Video Go On Tour With Snow Patrol

XL Video UK is supplying a digital PPU, camera system, two Catalyst digital media servers and crew for Snow Patrol's current UK arena tour.
It is the first time the band has used video on tour. The live mix is being directed and cut by Blue Leach - one of the most innovative and creative exponents of the genre - and this show is no exception.
It's an edgy, provocative mix, full of energy, color and suggestion, rocking along with the band and bringing a new dimension to their stage presence.
XL's account manager Phil Mercer said: "It's always interesting working with Blue. He's demanding and always pushes imaginative boundaries, which is challenging, stimulating and hugely rewarding for everyone working with him. His work speaks for itself."
Leach - much acclaimed for his creative video design on the 2006 Depeche Mode 'Touring The Angel' tour (also supplied by XL) - has once again excelled himself producing an original and unusual show.
He worked very closely on developing integrated show visuals with lighting designer Davy Sherwin and Catalyst programmer Robin Haddow. The show is an integrated three-way mixed-media montage of live video, lighting and LED visuals.
XL is supplying 32 panels of Lighthouse R16 high resolution LED screen split into 5 surfaces of different shapes and sizes. These glide in and out and are formed into different configurations with a Kinesys motion control system (supplied by lighting contractors HSL. Each song therefore has a different screen look, and the show also has a 'signature' screen formation. This hugely increases the dynamics of the camera mix
There is four Sony D50 cameras from XL, three pedestal-mounted in the pit on a tracking system, one of which goes hand-held onstage at various times plus one at FOH.
Then there's a new Sony pan-and-tilt head rigged up above stage in the truss, controlled form video world by chief engineer Gerry Corry, four mini-cams dotted about the stage, and a DV cam mounted on a magic arm that protrudes from the side of the centre pedestal position - effectively giving two simultaneous shots from one camera.
Leach is cutting the mix with a GV Kayak mixer switcher.
The two 8-layer Catalysts (featuring some special hot-rodded software written for the tour by Richard Bleasdale) are run by Haddow at FOH. One media server is used exclusively to drive all the LED lighting fixtures, while 5 layers of the other connect to the outputs of Leach's camera system. Instead of using Magic DVEs downstream, Leach is using the Catalyst to treat, manipulate and throw effects onto the camera feeds.
"It does everything a DVE does and a whole lot more," said Leach. "It's an incredibly flexible and creative tool in the hands of the right operator/programmer."
Leach added that setting it up this way has enabled him to explore a whole new realm of camera special effects. "Using Catalyst means I can apply the really fine, quick and precisely timed sort of accenting with the camera mix that you can do with lighting sequences. The whole effects package can become as 'live' as the actual camera mix," explained Leach.
(DS)