Musical movements framed in a mapping to commemorate the end of World War I

Five Telegrams is the piece developed by Anna Meredith and 59 Productions to commemorate the end of the First World War. A videomapping that was projected at the Royal Albert Hall in London and the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, and for which they were used 30 Panasonic RZ31K projectors.

This year the centenary of the end of the First World War was celebrated.. There have been numerous events that have been held to commemorate him, such as those offered at the Royal Albert Hall of London and the Usher Hall from Edinburgh.

In both, separate video mappings have been projected in which a series of musical movements have been shown that have revolved around the communications of this great war.. To tell this extraordinary visual and musical story on the opening night of the Proms of the BBC, at the Royal Albert Hall, and the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF), at Usher Hall, a total of 30 laser projectors Panasonic RZ31K.

It is a relatively compact device for its brightness. 31.000 lumens that features a dual-drive laser optical engine to improve its reliability.

“We use the RZ31K because it is our most representative projector. “It is the brightest model currently available on the rental market.”, comments James Roxburgh, Production Manager 59 Productions.

The Proms of the BBC, the Edinburgh International Festival and 14-18 Now they contacted Anna Meredith y 59 Productions como parte de WW1 Centenary Art Commissions, a five-year program of arts experiences connecting people across the UK to the First World War. From this alliance arose Five Telegrams, a piece written in five movements, each of which is focused on an aspect of communication during World War I.

“The screening consisted of a series of musical movements dramatically framed around World War I communications.. It was important that it not be in sepia tone or outdated, but both visually and musically his style had to be contemporary. “Projection mapping was an incredible way to achieve this.”, comments James Roxburgh, production manager 59 Productions and responsible for the presentation of the events in London and Edinburgh.

The musical artistic screening was scheduled to be the inaugural event of 2018 both the Edinburgh International Festival and the BBC Proms, This being the first time that a collaboration between these two artistic institutions has occurred..

“We used the RZ31K model as the star projector for this show, 20 teams at the Albert Hall and 10 teams in Usher Hall. That number varies due to the surface areas of each space and the light pollution in London compared to Edinburgh., And it also depends on the time of day.”, James clarifies.

The projection screen was divided into five parts titled: vuelta, country postcards, wording, codes and armistice, relating to different aspects of communication during war. The accompanying music and visual images explained a story that managed to capture the public's attention..

Challenges to solve: light and space

Both shows were meticulously planned and designed, but they were not without problems.

“The sun is a constant enemy. We spent a week before the event preparing everything and waiting for the sun to set so we could see the projector come out.. The Albert Hall has about 5.000 square meters and Usher Hall about 3.000. They are very different sizes but in both the projection surfaces are enormous. At the moment, The Panasonic RZ31K is the brightest model available on the rental market. We always try to use the minimum number of equipment to get the job done, so brightness was the main reason for using more or less”, explains James.

The RZ31K has 31.000 lumens and a powerful dual-drive laser optical engine, therefore its operation is very reliable. “Lampless operation was an important factor for us, since in unique events we have a lot of pressure to make everything work. Unlike laser projectors, The brightness of the lamps may decrease depending on their useful life., so dispensing with them in the risk analysis is something really positive from my point of view.", comments James.

“The projector is a relatively compact device if we look at its performance, and that was very important especially at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, since the rooms were very small. In fact, We were in the rooms of the Sheraton hotel across the street, so we were squeezing a lot of projection power into a conventional hotel room. Besides, only four operators are needed to move the projectors, while the normal thing is to have to use elevators to move some of the projectors on the market with this same brightness”.

Several other problems arose when repeating the project at the two locations, that are very different.

“Edinburgh's Usher Hall and the Royal Albert Hall are very different in terms of surface area. The first has a glass extension that would have been a problem if the EIF team had not covered it with a temporary printed vinyl. The Albert Hall is more complicated when it comes to color, since it has contrasting red and cream colors on the surfaces and this means that we have to make some complicated chromatic corrections with a multimedia server so that the buildings look alike.. "They are very different issues for a similar type of content that should be the same in both cases.", James finishes explaining.