Barco and SenovvA Impress at the 81st Annual Academy Awards® Broadcast
As key elements in the stage’s dynamic and re-configurable set, Barco’s true black NX-4 and ILite 6 BK LED tiles, plus multiple FLM large-venue projectors created an atmosphere of movement, beauty and brilliant imagery in this year’s Oscars® ceremony.
Sacramento, CA — 2 March 2009 — Barco, a world leader in rental and staging technology, is proud to announce that Los Angeles-based SenovvA Inc. selected Barco projection and LED products for this year’s prestigious Academy Awards broadcast that aired on Sunday evening, 22 February 2009.The Academy Awards set design, created by the New York-based Rockwell Group, called for multiple LED panels that could be re-configured from scene to scene. SenovvA worked directly with Rockwell to translate their concepts into physical elements that could be designed, moved, and filled with high resolution video. For the set’s high-resolution projection elements, Senovva selected four FLM R20+ projectors and ten FLM HD18 projectors. For the set’s LED panels, SenovvA used 275 Barco NX-4 tiles, and 183 ILite 6 BK tiles, and behind the scenes, five Barco DX-700 LED digitizers were used to route high-definition video to the tiles. With a total of 41 individual screens on stage, this was the most LED ever used on the broadcast.
David Taylor, SenovvA’s Partner and Chief Technical Producer, commented on the challenges in providing technology for the Oscars broadcast, and the use of Barco equipment. “Because of our history with the show, and this is my 21st year on the Oscars, we get involved very early on when it comes to visual displays,” said Taylor. “With that much LED on set, the Barco systems are the workhorse we use for almost all live television. When it comes to high-resolution screens, Barco is still the #1 choice for LED. And we’re especially impressed by the new NX-4 product.”
Several set elements posed additional creative challenges for the SenovvA team. For the 9 x 16 side projection screens, both arranged vertically, Taylor’s crew created special brackets to mount the Barco projectors on their sides, in order to match aspect ratios. For the main LED backdrop, a custom curved gantry was created for the NX-4 tiles. For the five “flying” NX-4 panels, each five wide by 11 tiles high, Taylor used a single HD raster to fill each panel, and used the tile’s “creative” mode to map video.
“For the show’s remarkable memorial segment, we had 18 screens of ILite 6 Black LED all scattered apart in space,” explained Taylor. “Using the tile’s creative mode, I devised a jig-saw puzzle that I gave to the graphics creation team. Each little square and rectangle of video all fit into a single HD raster. And then, using the DX-700 LED processors and Barco software, we built a template. When it was all said and done, all the video aligned with those random shapes, and floated in space perfectly.”
“This is the first show on which I’ve used NX-4, and it was a very nice intro to the product,” said Taylor. “I’m also very fond of the new ILite 6 Black. Originally, the producers were going to diffuse those screens, but when they saw them on camera, they opted not to. Barco’s at the top of our list because of the continued reliability. We put their products to the test in live events such as this, and they live up to our expectations. From our technology standpoint, we had a flawless show.”
Steve Scorse, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Barco's Media & Entertainment division, commented on the Academy Awards broadcast. “Along with SenovvA, we’re honored to be a major technical contributor to this broadcast, and play such a visually important role on the set,” noted Scorse. “I watched the broadcast at home with family and friends, and was delighted to be able to tell everyone, ‘That’s Barco.’”
About SenovvA, Inc.
SenovvA provides innovative video, audio, lighting and staging equipment and technical services for broadcast, theatrical, and corporate/industrial events and meetings throughout the world. SenovvA consistently delivers for events such as The Academy Awards broadcast, the Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar Party, the FORTUNE Most Powerful Women Summit, Mercedes Benz USA LA Auto Show, and Ellen DeGeneres' "Really Big Show." Our master technicians "do what it takes" to get the job done, year after year. For more information visit http://www.SenovvA.com
About Barco
Barco, a global technology company, designs and develops visualization products for a variety of selected professional markets. Barco has its own facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Barco (NYSE Euronext Brussels: BAR) is active in more than 90 countries with about 3500 employees worldwide. Barco posted sales of 725 million euro in 2008.
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