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PufferSpheres Feature in Coldplay's Viva la Vida World Tour
When Coldplay decided they wanted ‘Magic Balls’ for their Viva la Vida World Tour, XL Video turned to Pufferfish Ltd to provide a custom solution. Experts in digital spherical displays and immersive media, Pufferfish Ltd designed and delivered 6 new ‘PufferSphere XL’ touring units within the space of two short months.
As an important part of Coldplay’s “continuing mission to make a big room feel as small as possible”, and bring the audience closer in an imaginative and innovative way, Lighting Designer Paul Normandale was tasked with devising a new means of integrating the visual components for the current Viva la Vida tour.
“For my part the band’s desire for a viewing surface without the use of LEDs, was an interesting challenge, and one for which the Pufferfish system of internal projection provided a unique solution,” states Normandale. “It allows, not only media content, but also live relay footage (via the Hippotizers) in large scale arenas worldwide.”
In all, six PufferSpheres were commissioned for the tour, forming a major part of the overall visual design as well as a means of bringing together the video element. Positioned on-stage are five 10k lumen PufferSphere XLs, each driven with a single Barco CLM R10 projector and using a 2m screen, whilst front-of-house is suspended one custom-built 20k lumen PufferSphere, driven with a Christie Roadster and using a 3m screen.
Content for the PufferSpheres is a mix of live-feed footage of the band on stage, provided by XL Video’s expert team, and Viva La Vida motion graphics produced by Justine Catterall.
The content is operated by PufferSphere and Green Hippo Aficionado, Ben Miles, who uses four Green Hippo HD Hippotizer V3s, each with Green Hippo’s free Pufferizer Plug-In, to create perfectly warped and aligned 360° projections. The Hippotizers are stationed backstage and controlled via Green Hippo’s ZooKeeper remote software from Miles’ GrandMA Lite desk, ensuring control, operation and delivery of real time spherical content to the PufferSpheres.
The 5 PufferSphere XLs are suspended from 10 half tonne fixed speed hoists, controlled via a 10-way Kinesys fixed speed automation system with Vector control. This allows them to move up and down during the show, appearing and disappearing from ‘sock’-style soft elements.
The single central 3m PufferSphere, nicknamed ‘Big Bertha’, acts as a static 360° video screen in the middle of the Arena, offering a novel alternative to the more conventional ‘flat-screen-behind-the-band’ concert staple.
Having a single projector with an integrated optics system, the movement of the smaller spheres can take place without the need for projector-tracking, edge-blending and warping envelopes. The single integrated source uses no mirrors or secondary lenses, so eliminating the risk of decalibration during the show. Pufferfish’s unique SuperUmami optics keep the video sharp, clear and the colours true, with outstanding pixel distribution across the entire sphere.
Using air inflated spheres with lightweight aluminium frames eliminates the cost of transporting six large, heavy spherical structures. Each PufferSphere XL weighs in at only 125kg and packs down into two easily transportable flightcases, which also serves to keep the technical team happy by facilitating a remarkably quick set-up and strike.
“In the quest for new and different live presentation of video, I think this was a gratifying result, not least by the speed at which Pufferfish Ltd took the initial concept, modified and produced (in association with XL Video) a tourable package,” concludes Normandale.
Chris Martin was very happy with the result, claiming, “We have got some incredible balls and I mean that in the most technological of senses. In fact, they’re the most magic balls since John Lee Hooker had about 50 kids!”
For more information, visit www.pufferfishdisplays.co.uk
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