CPL provides multi-screen projection design and equipment for ‘Regeneration’ event

The event was staged in Hangar 92, one of a number of decommissioned aircraft hangars on the former RAF Hullavington airbase near Chippenham, Wiltshire, which dates back to the second World War.

CPL was asked to design and specify a projection system by Bristol based production company Bright.

On entering the hangar, guests  were confronted with an Armageddon scene recreated through scenery, props, lighting, sound, images etc.

Into this entrance space, CPL supplied a 20 x 6 metre high sharks-tooth gauze, onto which was projected content depicting disaster, destruction, explosions, post nuclear landscapes, etc.

Within the projection screen was a small baffled entrance – that guests passed through (but could not see around) and went straight into the main ‘Regeneration room’, a  50 x 20 metre fully enclosed draped black box space created within the hangar.

As the evening advanced, the Armageddon area was gradually toned down simultaneous to the Regeneration area undergoing a series of complete ‘transformations’ from a new, developing environment into a vibrant space, replete with rich flora and fauna, nature, hope and life, which then morphed via a final transformation into a ‘Digital’ futuristic era  – moder and high tech, at which point the DJ kicked in to get the party started.

In this second black box area, CPL supplied four screens – a 10 x 3 metre Stumpfl wide fast-fold screen behind the stage, with a custom surface to enhance soft-edge blending. This was fed by two 10,000 lumen Panasonic DZ110 projectors.

Directly above the impressive central bar feature, CPL flew three 12 x 6ft Stumpfl fast-fold screens in a triangular configuration. They were suspended on steel wire ropes to give the appearance of being floating in mid-air.

These were projected onto with three Sanyo XP100 machines flown from trusses installed around the room, which also provided technical positions for lighting and sound equipment.

The two wide screen surfaces – in the Armageddon and Regeneration spaces were fed content via a quad-head Coolux Pandora’s Box media server. A separate Pandora’s Box Player Pro was used to control video footage appearing on the triangulated screens.

Projections onto all five surfaces were managed using the Pandora’s Box Media Manager. CPL created a custom ‘soft’ screen interface using the Pandora’s Box ‘Widget Designer’ enabling it to set up an individual screen of ‘soft’ cue buttons to trigger video material for the five ‘transformations’, all of which were timed sequences.

It was also used to add in images of fancy dress competition winners and synch the video and audio effects in the Armageddon room.

Live bands onstage were followed by a DJ section as the ‘Digital’ age fully emerged on the evening time-line.

At this point, live feeds and content stored on the Pandora’s Box server were switched to all screens for the VJ section, via a TripleHead2Go and a MacBook Pro, using a combination of Resolume and MadMapper software.

The striking and realistic video sequences for all the transformations were commissioned and produced by the client. After listening to their brief, CPL supplied the in-house production department with material, from which they created  both 16:9 and widescreen format visuals.

In addition to the projection system CPL also supplied the EV line array sound system for the Apocalypse room.

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