jessie j

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Jessie J
JESSIE J
THE BRITISH POP STAR COVERS ALL BASES ON HER ALIVE TOUR, WHICH INCLUDES SHOWERS
OF PYROTECHNICS, LED VIDEO SCREENS AND A COMPLEX AUDIO MIX. SARAH RUSHTON-READ
REPORTS FOR TPi.
In pop sensation Jessie J’s fast-paced UK
arena show Alive, every beat is packed with
stunning lighting, video, special effects
and heart pumping sound. Working in
synchronicity with the singer, the visual
artistry of Vince Foster’s sleek set and
lighting design, Show Director Paul Caslin’s
clever mix of video production and FOH
Engineer Karl ‘Snake’ Newton’s kicking
audio ensure that Alive is continuously
stimulating and hugely uplifting.
Like Jessie J herself, the scale of the show
is reassuringly ambitious. Inspired technical
solutions have come from Creative Technology,
Canegreen and Neg Earth among others,
while John Pryer and Andrew Thornton of
24-7 Productions take care of production
management. The super-wide 72ft set features
a curved runway, which cleverly splits the
audience into VIP and the rest. However, Jessie
plays to everyone with equal gusto.
Foster’s ‘widescreen’ style platform design
comprises three portrait-hung LED screens
positioned up-stage centre, while the rest
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of the set is visually sculpted using 600
horizontally positioned Barco MiStrips. Either
side, two IMAGs deliver live camera feeds and
pulling it all together, centered above the stage,
are two curved frames of vertical MiStrip, which
create a significant anchor for the whole look.
Caslin’s pre-recorded video content is mixed
with live camera feeds, directed by Steven
Price, as the whole galloping gamut serves to
deliver Jessie J’s audience inspiring messages
of self-belief and love - Foster explained: “The
concept is built around the letters of Alive,
Jessie’s latest album title. Paul’s idea was to
name each section of the show after each letter
in the word. The first being ‘Awake’, the second
‘Love’, the third ‘Instinct’ the fourth ‘Value’
and the final ‘Energy’. Each has its own colour,
video and light theme.”
LIGHTING
Complementing Jessie J’s considerable stage
presence, Foster’s set and lighting design is a
vivid mix of lighting looks, video effects and
pyrotechnics.
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Jessie J
Opposite: Every beat of Jessie J’s UK arena show was packed with mesmerising visual, lighting and special effects and a heart-pumping sound.
Below: Creative Techonology provided the video control and LED screens.
“There’s a lot of black in the first part of the show,”
said Foster. “For me it’s as much about what’s left out
as it is about what’s included.” Certainly, the black space
gives a sense of perspective and presents an opportunity
for Foster to layer even more beat-sharp impact into the
mix.
“We use Barco MiStrips in a number of ways,
sometimes to transform the stage into one huge video
image and at others to create various lighting effects.
We add to the overall video canvas with Flexi-LED strips
on the edges and steps of the thrust stage.”
In terms of actual luminaires, Foster has been
economical, opting for fixtures that fulfill a multiplicity
of roles: “The majority of the rig comprises Martin
Professional MAC III AirFX, which are amazingly versatile.
They can be a washlight or a profile,” he said. “I also
specified Clay Paky’s Sharpy Washes, because they’re
bright and they’re lightweight. We also use Clay Paky
Sharpys and a tonne of Martin Professional 3000 DMX
Atomic strobes for effects.”
For control, Foster uses a High End Systems Whole
Hog 4 console: “It solves a lot of the issues the Hog 3
presented. For one, it’s much better at handling the LED,
it has plenty of USB ports, much bigger screens and it’s
stable - I love it.”
Pryer and Thornton are in charge of the production
design and they have, as always, delivered a spectacular,
working closely with Foster and Caslin.
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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Jessie J
Below: Barco MiStrips transformed the stage, they were utilised to create either one huge video image or a number of other lighting effects.
VISUALS
Creative Technology provided the video control
system, LED screens package, crew and preprogramming services. Caslin’s content is mixed
with live camera feeds, the result of which
is then broadcast across three portrait hung
Flyer 12 touring LED screens centre stage. Two
portrait IMAG screens, also Flyer 12, hung either
side of the stage, deliver live camera close-ups.
The diversity of LED resolutions used,
including the Barco MiStrip and Flexi-LED,
creates a spectacular backdrop that delivers
some unique looks for the five different sections
of the show. Kicking off with moody, widestage monochromatic looks, Foster’s design
then launches into bright dance states and
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climaxes with a glittering champagne gold
finale, replete with confetti.
Although rich and varied to watch, the
beauty of the show is in its determined
simplicity. Using intelligent video mapping,
programmed on Avolites Media’ Ai Media
Servers, Creative Technology’s Will Harkin and
Rob Currie in association with consultant video
programmer Nick Clark-Lowe have enabled
innumerable, multi-dimensional video and
lighting looks to be generated from a single
image layer.
“What made the media server particularly
useful was the 3D desktop visualiser,” explained
Creative Technology’s Director of Business
Development, Adrian Offord. “It allowed the
creative team to see content working in the
virtual world, while the set was still being built.
For two weeks prior to rehearsals Nick worked
in our studios programming and time coding the
content.”
In addition, four live cameras, directed and
mixed by Price, feed into the look. The set
up comprises a small custom-built PPU frame
controlled by a Panasonic 450 mixing system
with a multi-viewer output.
This simplicity further extends to the prerecorded content, as Offord explained: “We’re
using a single 1080 video image across all the
screens to deliver the entire pre-created content
for the show. The video strip in the floor, the
600 pieces of MiStrip and all five of the LED
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Jessie J
Below: Monitor Engineer, Andy ‘Baggy’ Robinson; FOH Engineer, Karl ‘Snake’ Newton; LED / Media Engineers, Jonny Hunt and Arkadiusz Wegrzyn with LED Technician, Jamie Thomson Video / Racks
Engineer; Lighting Designer, Vince Foster; Video Director, Steven Price.
screens are fed a single 1080 image mapped to
the hardware using the Ai servers.”
In terms of live camera content, Price has
control over four cameras and the output level
of the screens. In order to achieve as low a delay
as possible, the system has been designed to
allow him to manage the Ai graphics card direct,
without going through the server’s engine.
Price commented: “Working with Creative
Technology and Nick Clarke-Lowe is always a
joy. They understand that my role is to create
the look and that I have limited technical skills.
They always ensure that the systems are set up
so I can get on with the job without concerning
myself with technical detail. I have had plenty
of helpful support from racks engineer Jamie
Thomson along with nonstop back-up service
from CT’s Project Manager for the tour, Nic
Maag.”
AUDIO
For Karl ‘Snake’ Newton, Jessie’s show presents
a complex mix musically: “The sound has to be a
true hybrid between the recorded versions and
a live band.
“My primary focus is Jessie’s vocal talent, but
the way she interacts with the backing singers
is also key,” he explained. “Jessie will throw
a whole verse to a backing vocalist without
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warning and I have to be ready for that. The
challenge is to keep vocal clarity over a powerful
mix.”
Snake’s choice of PA is an L-Acoustics K1
system, supplied and designed for the tour by
Canegreen. “The main challenge was the 72ft
wide stage,” Project Manager for the company,
Luther Edmonds, explained. “The B-stage thrust,
which contains the VIP ‘golden circle’, had to
be covered well but the brief was to keep the
stage itself clear. So we designed a system of fills
within the main stage as well as a centre cluster
firing down into the VIP space. We had limited
the floor space available for groundstacked subs
and this led to us using an end on design for the
SB28’s.”
In charge for Canegreen on tour is Pete
Hughes: “The PA comprises two main hangs of
L-Acoustic K1’s and L-Acoustic Kara downfills
with an array of ground end-fired subs,” he
explained. “Side hangs are V-DOSCs and dVDOSCS. The K1-SBs are rigged behind the flown
K1-array system either side of the stage, the
reason being we needed a lot of low end and
if we had put them in the K1 cluster we would
have lost height. This is a visual show so we
were concerned about sight lines. Putting them
behind meant we could get height and easily fit
those elements into the sound picture. We then
have clusters of L-Acoustics KARAs mid stage
doing fill as well as some KIVA Lip fills getting
the sound to the front VIP area.”
In order to reduce distortion the team
organised the sub-stacks into an end-fire
arrangement, each stack at one-metre intervals
from the next, creating a cardioid pattern for the
bass sound, which gives a really good low-end
throw toward the audience without killing the
front row.”
Snake chooses to use an Avid console: “I’m
a plugin user and for this show it’s all about the
plugin integration. I mix to groups a lot - the
old school way - and I compress and EQ groups
as well as individual channels. I’m using two TC
Electronic DBMax units for external processing,
one on Jessie and one on the mix, plus various
plugins. I’ll use pretty much anything that runs
on the Avid with one notable exception, AutoTune! Jessie, flanked by top backing vocalists,
has no need for that particular abomination.”
For the first time, Snake is using a UAD Apollo
16 as an outboard effects unit. “The UAD
plugins are great but only when run on their
own hardware, and the Apollo 16 allows me to
use them on any mixing platform.”
“When it comes to the show, every song is
treated as a separate entity. The only thing that’s
safe from automation is Jessie’s channel strip
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Jessie J
Below: Clay Paky’s signature Sharpys beamed out across the stage.
and the mains,” Snake continued.
“I use snapshots as I would in
the studio. It’s a powerful way of
working but dangerous too. If you
don’t know what you’re doing this
approach can kill your show at the
touch of a button.”
For local monitoring, Snake
uses the Neumann KH310 active
studio monitors. “I read a review
and had to try them,” he explained.
“We got them in on demo and I
didn’t let them go. The three way
un-ported design means they go
right down in the bottom end very
accurately. The mid-range is sweet
and the low end extension is really
true and translates well to the PA.”
At the other end of the arena,
Andy ‘Baggy’ Robinson takes care
of monitors on his DiGiCo SD5.
“Providing monitors for a show
of such high calibre is extremely
rewarding,” he said. “The line up of
Jessie, Phebe (BV), Louise (BV), Kelli
(BV), Jonathan ‘Ginger’ Hamilton
(drums), his brother Mike ‘Smoove
Groove’ Hamilton (bass), Lewis
Allen (guitar) and Hannah Vasanth
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(keyboards) plus a few other bits
and bobs has me using up to 64
inputs,” he said. “The bits and bobs
include a talk matrix so the band
and I can communicate during the
gig. In total this DiGiCo desk offers
around 124 faders and I believe - in
my usual style - that I’ve used all
but six.”
For Baggy, the DiGiCo SD5 is
the only choice: “DiGiCo consoles
sound the best and are the most
flexible. I love the SD5 for its
intuitive layout and compact size.
The fact that I can sit down and
still reach all the controls, including
the macro buttons, which I use a
lot, is great.” Baggy is also using a
DiGiGrid MGB box to record the
show so that he can tweak as he
goes.
There are no wedges or side
fills, instead Baggy uses 12 sets
of Sennheiser 2000 Series IEMs
with 24 packs comprising a mix of
Ultimate Ears UE11, JH Audio JH16
and Westone UM2. “Sennheiser’s
IEM system is the best for RF and
sound quality,” he said. “The
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Jessie J
Below: Special effects were provided by Quantum and were designed to create a variety of different pyrotechnic looks throughout the show.
engineer mode features are great, as is the
Wireless System Manager. It’s a real time saver,
allowing me to remotely monitor and control the
whole system from one place. I can set up and
coordinate the frequencies of microphones and
personal monitors and see the most important
parameters of each on a single screen.”
Wireless System Manager is also good
for pre-planning. “Theo Holloway does our
frequency management,” said Baggy. “He sent
me five sets of frequencies at the beginning
of the tour and a list detailing which to use
in which venue. I wirelessly and remotely
pre-programme the receivers as opposed to
programming each one individually. The support
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from Sennheiser is second to none. Tim Sherratt
was brilliant throughout production rehearsals
and Mark Saunders ensures we get everything
we ever need in a hurry and fixes everything we
break within 24 hours.”
Jessie, the backing singers and guest artists
all use Sennheiser 5235 microphones. In fact
90% of the microphones are Sennheiser, with
some Neumann and a smattering of Shure
thrown in.
“Sennheiser have got the best RF,” added
Snake. “Jessie’s vocal is really dynamic, from
a whisper to a scream, sometimes in three
seconds flat. They are the closest things to a
cable microphone in RF world.”
To keep the audio sharp, SSE uses a Lab.
gruppen Lake system with Dante protocols.
“It means we have a fully digital signal chain
straight from the mic to the amplifiers where it’s
converted back to analogue,” explained System
Engineer Perrtu Korteniemi. “This ensures that
there’s no buzz or hiss to waste time chasing.”
SPECIAL EFFECTS
The show is punctuated by Quantum Special
Effects, in the shape of fog from two LSGs, CO²
jets and G Flames, which are predominantly
used in Do It Like A Dude.
Quantum sent Dan Ivory-Castile out as Crew
Chief with Jackson Wheeler, Technician, who
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Jessie J
Below: The shows sold out across UK arenas, which were adorned with fans; Jessie J and her entire touring crew.
explained. “My brief was to use them in the
whole song but as with many effects I went
for the ‘less is more’, choosing certain points
throughout the song like a guitar scale riff of
nine notes where I use the flames to do a chase
across the stage with a flame a note.”
As the guitar breaks into a solo, there is a hit
of three flames for a one second burn and ahead
of various other points on the number that are
accented with flames.
To open the show, Quantum was tasked
with creating a powerful atmosphere for the
singer. During Thunder, the lights come up
to a silhouette with thick fog from the LSGs.
These are intermittent through the following
songs to keep some movement on stage, while
maintaining a powerful ambiance.
Breath has four CO² jets on on the main
stage and 14 on the thrust. The latter chase
into the middle, where Jessie sings with hits on
the word ‘breath’, the other four start a chase
sequence as a backdrop for the singer.
The highlight comes at the finale, during the
song Gold, as a gold pyro waterfall, controlled
by the Galaxis firing system, runs along the
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back of the stage for approximately 30 seconds.
Other effects for the song include four confetti
blowers firing 5kg of gold confetti from each
machine. Two are at FOH, one stage left and the
other stage right to get the best crowd coverage
possible, submerging the audience in the party
atmosphere.
Elsewhere within the special effects
department, ER Productions supplied lasers to
the live shows, allowing for another dimension
to be found in the tour’s visual design. As a
very last minute addition to the technical rider,
ER Productions was able to come onboard at
the eleventh hour and join the rest of the crew
without delay.
Lasers supplied included two 21W white light
lasers rigged on an upstage tunnel riser, two
5W gold 577mm lasers rigged high up on the
lighting truss to project down at the extended
stage section thus creating a gold backdrop.
Additionally, two 12W green lasers either side
of the stage were deployed to widen the look of
the lasers. All lasers were controlled by Pangolin
Showtime. ER Productions also supplied two
Look Solutions Unique Hazers.
Said ER Productions’ Marc Webber: “We
jumped into action and were able to deliver the
following day with a respectable 76W of laser
power! All health and safety paperwork was
submitted and signed off in due course.”
The tour’s Laser Programmer was Ryan
Hagan, who worked alongside Laser Operator,
Michael O’Driscol.
Eat to the Beat provided tour catering, while
Stardes and Phoenix supplied trucks and buses
respectively. All in all this show was a stunner,
every element combining to deliver a beautifully
tuned, fun packed performance that looked
and sounded spectacular, wherever you were
watching or listening from.
TPi
Photos: Sarah James, Sarah Ruston-Read,
Jenny Potter and Emily Hutching
www.24-7productions.co.uk
http://uk.ct-group.com
www.negearth.co.uk
www.canegreen.com, www.q-sfx.com
www.er-productions.com, www.stardes.co.uk
www.phoenix-bussing.co.uk
www.globalinfusiongroup.com