GRACEY & XL CREATE FOR YOUNG
VIDEO TEAM DISPENSE WITH IN-VOGUE LED LOOK, TAKING BARCO PROJECTION ON THE ROAD
XL Video has been supplying Blink TV with all video production, equipment and crew for the current Will Young arena tour, which features a classy combination of I-Mag video from XL's four-camera PPU and pre-recorded footage specially created for the tour by show producer Michael Gracey.
The live images are being mixed by video director Phil Woodhead, and the video production package is co-ordinated by XL Video's Des Fallon and Blink TV's Tom Llewellyn. XL's Chief engineer Stuart Heaney looks after a crew of seven and the tour's production manager for 19 Management is Kenny Underwood.
Video plays a central role in Young's stage show, with unique visuals running for over half of the set. Gracey's visuals encompass an eclectic range of material and styles, and the playback footage was all shot in Australia.
Contrasting with other current live video trends with a heavy LED presence, Young's show moving images are all projected on to five soft screens on stage, via six Barco R18 projectors. Two projectors feed the 24 x 12 ft centre screen and one each is utilised for the outside four (12 x 9) - all rigged on their own dedicated truss.
Gracey worked closely with LD Simon Sidi in weaving the lighting into the show equation, ensuring that lighting and video work as an integrated medium. The tour's lighting programmer/operator is Dave Farmer.