Ideas, design, technology...

Northern Lights

Every 5 years Canadian Heritage is going into a tender process regarding the elaboration of a new “show” that would take place on the Parliament Hill. This has been the second time in a row neo6 has been on the winning team by taking in charge almost (excluding LX design) all the technical services of design, direction, programming, interactivity and audiovisual master system supply. It is the most elaborate mandate in neo6 history. Started working 18 months before the première, this may seem enough time to do things well, but not when the client/end user is the government (Canadian Heritage). Meaning that the conception and design phases had to be squeezed due to long delays in preparation for the various calls for tenders for equipment. Once again (see Mosaika project) during the design phase, we had to take into account that the site cannot have any visible infrastructure and visual obstruction during the day. The site needs to be without any visual obstuction, due to it's historical and heritage role. The result! The system is a complete synchronized one, lock to a stratum (NTP server) and automated. A team of 5 technicians is in charge of "deploying" the system that is not on automated platform.

Team

André Biron : lead technical designer, technical director, Medialon programmer // Jean-Sébastien Côté : sound design // Sébastien-Grenier Cartier : media server + AE template // Vincent Pasquier: Interactive lead // Phil Hughes: Interactive programming // Fred Tretoult: Interactive programming

Main system/equipment: design & supply

Alpermann (WC + LTC + TriLevel sync master) / Medialon manager / MasterClock MCR1000 (NTP) / Interactive servers (Touchdesigner+Max) / Neutrik (MPO + Optical CON) Lighware (MX-65) / Avitech (Titan 9000) / Watchout 5.3 servers,

Would like to thank

Jean-Marc Beauvalet (PCH)
Nathalie Gelinas (ID3)

Link

Mondor
Christie digital

Interact I-220

Certainly one of the most bizarre and challenging technological “demands” that landed on our table. The scope here was to create, as prototype, a system/camera that would record/stock raw 12 bits uncompressed, that would be small enough to be manipulated like an ordinary camera and also fit cinema destined rigging tools. The footage (after stiching and post-prod) is destined to be presented in an any Dome master theater format. The production started as a complex audiovisual production, but shifted quickly to a pure R&D production. It is not without any pain, jaw crisping and delay that we gave birth to a functional prototype based on a Bayer frame grabbing “principle” using eight machine visions 5 MP cameras, grabbing at each 2560 x 2048 pixels.

Team

André Biron : lead technical designer, technological director, 3D modeling //
Pascal Rouvinez : structure design , 3D modeling

Main system/equipment: design & supply

Main system server in a HBNA config using
Matrox Radient Coaxpress, Jai (CXP-5000) cameras.

Would like to thank

Phillipe Bellumeur (Normal), Francois Prenoveau (Intellatech), Jason Shaw (Matrox) Sriram Rangarajan (Jai )

Metropolis

For this project the client needed to use a decorative curtain wall to implement visual FX and some interactivity with the mall customers. The particularity on this one is that the display is at very low resolution (75 pixels x 130 pixels). No need for arcminute calculation here ;o) Meaning that in order to recreate a shape that is "recognizable" by the people surrounding the curtain, we had to enter in a process of trial and error. At the end the face-recognition system put in place was reshaping customers face in a sketchy vector image.

Team

André Biron : technical designer, technical director //
Phil Hughes: Interactive programming //
Fred Tretoult: Interactive programming //

Main system/equipment: design & supply

Touch Designer main server (Nvidia K2500)
Cisco SG-200
Kinect for windows
Extron IPLT-PC1
Mean Well HRP-450

Would like to thank

Maxime Lessard (Artefact studio), Anne Blaine (Ivanhoé Cambridge)

Aldo

With our friends at 1976.tv production, the demand here was to deploy 22 stand alone kiosks with automated playback system. This was not a complex audiovisual challenge but mostly a headache in terms of designing and building the infrastructure (kiosk) which had to arrive at its destination in one piece...and plug & play.

Team

André Biron : technical designer, technical director //
Gabriel Galarneau: system design

Main system/equipment: design & supply

Technovision (DV-75), Xantech (ML85K)

Would like to thank

Stephane Raymond (1976.tv), Nicolas Comeau (1976.tv) James Wagner (PRG)

Revolution Bar

Following the beginning of the show Love at Mirage in Las Vegas, neo6 was asked to provide technical design and projection design/study regarding a specific section of the LOVE show themed bar. An extruded artwork wall was acting as background where architectural projection and top LED light merge perfectly. This is a scheduled automated system based on Pharos DMX playback and media server. Because of the limited throw distance (1:1 ratio), the challenge here was to design a projection system with a fixed throw ratio lens using mirrors for each of the four projectors that will cover the artwork of transparent manner.

Team

André Biron : technical designer, technical director //
Gabriel Galarneau: système design

Main system/equipment: design

Watchout
Saco SMD custom LED 32in diameter 48x48 pixels
Projection Design (now Barco) iVision F1

Would like to thank

Sakchin Bessette (Moment factory), Robert Whellan (Cirque du Soleil)

3 axes by 1 axe projector

This infrastructure (bracket) was needed, because we could not conceive (at that time) that a daily realignment of the architectural projection (all in portrait) could be achieved correctly by doing it electronically. We started thinking that this could be achievable more easily physically by designing a 3 axis bracket that would fit a Christie roadster in portrait mode...and this is how the "milimeter bracket" was born.
On this project there is 14 "1 axe" bracket (that is the name I came up with. I know it is basic, but it represents his duty) are all on Aerdon motorized platform.
The "3 axes" bracket (also in portrait) are inside a trailer, that is brought in and out daily. Meaning that the daily geometric correction covered by those 3 projectors is done each night and manually.

Team

André Biron : lead technical designer, technological director, 3D modeling
Pascal Rouvinez : structure design , 3D modeling

Main system/equipment: design & supply

Custom "1 axe" portrait support , alumimium T1000, powder coated, qty 14
Custom "3 axes" portrait support ( for Christie Roadster), qty 3

Would like to thank

Jean-Marc Beauvalet (PCH)

Fresque de nuit

This was an intimate venue, that helped to create an immersive feel. The story was told on the self-standing front facade of the church.
A scenic structure in the middle axe of the facade help to obtain a “depth”and a link to the spectator.

Team

André Biron : lead technical designer, technological director, 3D modeling Sébastien-Grenier Cartier : Watchout media server + AE template Gabriel Galarneau: Control programming Jean-Sébastien Coté: Sound design

Main system/equipment: design & supply

Watchout system 5.0 + MOTU Delta66 Alpermannn Rubidium master sync Custom back panel & Neutrik connectors Extron IPL T 2 serial interface Cisco SGE2000, SGE300-10P Eaton UPS, Tripplite PDU Stardraw control system status programming

Would like to thank

Martin Gagnon (Ambiance Design) Louis Héon

Céline (The Colosseum)

Quite a unique large-scale project. Our duty was to provide projection/video design and onsite video TD + Coolux pre-programming.
This was the comeback of Celine Dion at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Everything was on the table for a stunning visual impact, including some challenging projection surface: acrylic solid white decor, water curtain, moving scenographic elements to map, pepper’s ghost.

Team

André Biron : onsite video technical designer, video technical director (follow up Solotech system design) Sébastien-Grenier Cartier : Coolux media server + AE template

Main system/equipment: design & supply

no system provided

Would like to thank

Daniel Jean & Joy Marsal (Moment factory), Yves Aucoin (Celine production)

India

One of the biggest weddings (yes, wedding) of that year in New Delhi, India.
Our immersive room was one of the many multi-room for this event
With a creative and technical team from Montreal and a local supplier our task was to elaborate an immersive room (party room). Lots of surprise along the way...

Team

André Biron : technical director

Main system/equipment: design & supply

no system provided

Would like to thank

Mateo Mounier Stephane Raymond (1976) Mathieu Bessette

Traces USA

neo6 had to provide a small custom control and playback system (windows solution was asked, if not QLAB would probably be in) for the "7 doigts de la main" cirque troupe for their USA version of the show "Traces".
This show is run basically by one TD and one operator, so the system would need to be as simple as possible with a show control GUI for some command/trig, but mostly for getting equipment status and some scheduled automation.

Team

André Biron : technical designer, programmer show control

Main system/equipment: design & supply

Show Cue system software Stardraw show controll GUI Cisco switch Axis PTZ cameras PTZ215 & PTZ5522 Acquisition card Euresys Pico Alert Analog Way PLS300 Christie projector LX700 Digi Wireless point to point Think Logical fiber/DVI transmitter Canare LV-77S

Would like to thank

Yves Touchette (7DDLM)

Mosaika

neo6 has been on the winning team by taking in charge almost all the technical side (excluding LX design): design, direction, programming, and audiovisual master system supply.
It is the most complex mandate in neo6 history. We had to take into account this unusual data: the site cannot have any visible infrastructure and visual obstruction during the day as it is a very high level touristic site. The architecrural projection was used, hydrolic (Aerdon) platform and sepcial custom portrait projector bracket.
The show needed to be deployed in a quick and efficient manner, through a limited number of technicians from ProjectX.

Team

André Biron : technical designer, programmer show control Media Programmer: Sébastien Grenier-Cartier Infrastucture designer: Pascal Rouvinez (Roptech) Sound design: Gilles Lupien

Main system/equipment: design & supply

Custom Portrait 1 and 3 axes bracket for Christie projectors (attached inside Tempest enclosures)

Would like to thank

Pam Schneider & Saktchin Bessette (Moment Factory)

Moulin à Images

The mandate was to provide a control and automated system for the credit at the end of the show. The control of the first credit display was reachable through fiber network (VLAN) , but the second site was not reachable in any way so the control has to be done through digi wireless modem (9600 bps) with a 5dbi antenna that control the system by sending RS232 command. All this in a very tight budget.

Team

André Biron : technical designer, programmer show control

Main system/equipment: design & supply

Techovision DV75 mediaplayer Digi Xtream modem X09-009PKC Stardraw GUI interface Xantech IR module Extron IP link

Would like to thank

Mario Brien (ExMachina)