Novatech bring ‘Elvis: The Wonder of You’ to life nationally.
After a blockbuster tour through Europe, the multimedia orchestral spectacular ‘Elvis: The Wonder of You’ came to Australia in May and June for sold-out dates in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. With a combination of a massive 4.5 meter by 6 metre LED screen and a 60 foot-long rear projection screen, Elvis was bought to life using original footage and audio restored expertly by specialists at Graceland itself. Novatech Creative Event Technology managed the production nationally, with full supply of all video, lighting, audio and comms for Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne, supplemented by local equipment hires in Perth and Sydney.
As s forty piece orchestra helmed by Chong Lim faithfully re-created the songs of Elvis albums ‘If I Can Dream’ and ‘The Wonder Of You’, Novatech’s LED screen, made of 54 DiColor M480 4.8mm panels, flew in and out on variable speed motors, and carried the archival footage of Elvis performing live. Using main and redundant D3 Technologies 4×4 media servers, three Barco FLM HD20 projectors for the rear screen and two for IMAG, the crucial video components transported the audience back to when The King himself walked the stage. Six cameras provided input for the IMAG, which was projected to two 20 by 15 foot screens hung in portrait, and switched via a Panasonic AVHS410. Multiple video monitors were run through the orchestra to keep the orchestra co-ordinated with the footage.
The toured PA consisted of 48 L-Acoustics K2 line array elements for the main and side hangs, augmented by 24 L-Acoustics SB28 subwoofers and 12 L-Acoustics Kara elements as fill. Both an Aivd S6L and Profile were deployed as front-of-house mixers, with monitors handled by a DiGiCo SD8.Stage wiring was incredibly complex, with over 80 input channels, 24 Aviom personal monitor units split over two separate Aviom streams, and the majority of the orchestra receiving a monitor split of their own microphone and an orchestral mix via 35 Behringer MA400 headphone amplifiers.
A two-channel Riedel Performer digital comms system was integrated into the audio consoles to allow the conductor to speak directly with the video content director, allowing them both to cue starts and stops throughout the show as necessary.
Lighting control was via an MA Lighting Grand MA2 full-size as the main console with an MA Lighting Grand MA2 Lite as a back-up. Fixtures in the rig included 32 Martin MAC Vipers, eight Varilite VL4000 Spots, four Martin MAC700 Profiles, 12 VariLite VL3500 Washes, 24 GLP Impression X4s, and eight 8-Way DWE Blinders. Four DF50 Hazers provided the atmosphere, and the rig was powered by Avolites ART2000 dimmer/power distribution racks.