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NEWS FOCUS: Diamond Jubilee Concert A JUBILANT CELEBRATION IT WASN’T JUST THE PERFORMERS PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS FOR THE QUEEN’S DIAMOND JUBILEE CONCERT. BEHIND THE SCENES, THE PRODUCTION TEAM WORKED WITH PRECISION AND PASSION TO CREATE A PHENOMENAL SHOW THAT WAS WATCHED BY MILLIONS. TPI’S ZOE MUTTER EXPLORED THE VISUAL AND SONIC WIZARDRY THAT WENT INTO PRODUCING AN EVENING OF ENTERTAINMENT THAT FIRMLY MADE ITS MARK IN HISTORY. Putting on a performance staged in front of made today possible...And all those remarkable Suppliers for each and every aspect of Buckingham Palace, that will be attended by technicians, all 600 of them behind the scenes, the event were carefully selected. Health and a 200,000-strong crowd and broadcast live without which nothing would happen.” As nods safety was put in the capable hands of MRL to more than 17 million viewers would pile of approval go, that has to top them all. Safety Limited, while London-based Show the pressure on any production crew. This and Event took care of security requirements. was the challenge facing the hundreds of A PRODUCTION FIT FOR A QUEEN Power Logistics was then welcomed into the talented individuals who devoted day upon Organised by the BBC and Take That frontman production team to supply power for the day to ensure the Diamond Jubilee Concert Gary Barlow, the concert saw the Queen Victoria concert, with Music Bank providing all backline. made a lasting impression on audiences Memorial, which sits in front of the stunning Williams turned to Bizzmonkeys (site), Showstars worldwide. In order to mark the Queen’s backdrop of the Palace, transformed into a (steel) and Stage Miracles to supply site and 60 year reign, the production values of the stage, complete with extraordinary lighting stage crew for the whole production including event had to be of an equally high standard effects, projections and fireworks. Robbie Stage Manager, Mike Grove, forklift operators, as the stellar line-up, which included Paul Williams Productions became involved in the stage hands, load out crew, showcall team and McCartney, Robbie Williams, Elton John, mammoth project following an approach from spotlight operators. Commented Stage Miracles Grace Jones, Madness and Tom Jones. Buckingham Palace in 2010. Event Producer, Operations Manager, Simon Chester: “It was Reassurance that the concert had been a Robbie Williams [Golden Jubilee Concerts, great to get such a big contract on prestigious resounding success and all the hard work had Mandela Day Concert], explained: “It needed show watched by millions and to work with a paid off was delivered in the form of the kind to be bigger and better than the Golden Jubilee number of production individuals we have very words of thanks offered by Prince Charles after and I chose suppliers based on the companies I close links with. It was like working with an the show’s grand finale. Speaking to the Queen, had worked with for decades. It was extremely extended family. Many Miracle workers of the in front of the vast audience, Prince Charles said: challenging, requiring two years of pre- past were in key productions roles and we like to “I am sure you would want me to thank, on production time and two weeks of production help them whenever we can.” your behalf, all the wonderful people who have rehearsals with the bands in LH2.” Band Stage Manager, Nik Rea, joined Mike 06 • TPi JULY 2012 NEWS FOCUS: Diamond Jubilee Concert Opposite: The royal spectacular at Buckingham Palace. Below: Crowds gathered in their thousands for the concert; The front of the Palace was turned into a work of art; Patriotic projections covered the front of the building. Grove and the team on the project. Although performance of Our House.” performance. Rea is a very good friend of Stage Miracles and Working under the direction of Posner and “Due to the significance of the site, I often works alongside the company, he was Freeman, Pattinson commissioned a number wanted the stage and roof to look as little like a directly employed by RWP for the event. of designers and animators to create the video conventional rock ‘n’ roll stage as possible. I had While Williams was responsible for content. He also entrusted Nils Porrmann from to make it look impressive but within the budget overseeing the project as a whole with help from digital design consultancy Dandelion & Burdock constraints,” said Fisher. Production Manager, Kenny Underwood, due with the technical aspect of the mapping. A The roof and stage were designed to to the sheer scale of the concert, responsibility highly accurate 3D laser scan of the front of maintain reasonably unobstructed views from for the visual aspects of the show needed to the palace was arranged by Treatment, which The Mall to Buckingham Palace. With the Queen be shared amongst a larger team. The BBC Mapping Technician, Porrmann, used to produce Victoria Memorial (QVM) being a Grade 1 listed approached London-based Treatment Studio to a 3D architectural model. This allowed him to monument, the roof and stage structure needed create large-scale projections on the front façade set up the stage and provided Treatment with a to be built and stabilised without any physical of the Palace. Sam Pattinson from Treatment content template from which to work. attachment to the monument itself. - a collaborative association of designers, Continued Pattinson: “I then approached The QVM has a nautical theme as it was directors and visual content producers - was the Chris Bird, Director at d3 Technologies, to built as a memorial to the Empress of India at show’s projected content Creative Director and control the video output. The company’s d3 is the height of British naval power and therefore Producer. This role entailed compiling creative my preferred system and I knew that it had been Fisher’s roof design saluted this and the choice and technical teams responsible for producing used for projection mapping very successfully. of timber for the roof beams was also part of the stunning projections. Chris recommended Warner Land Surveys to do his design decision. “The timber beams were Pattinson explained how he first became the laser scan of the palace, which I organised a large and expressive and the transparent skins involved in the project: “Associate Lighting few weeks before the event.” between them suggested sails. The bold arching Designer, Tim Routledge, very kindly put me in shapes of the beams created a crown around touch with Guy Freeman, the concert’s Executive EXPRESSIVE STAGE DESIGN the memorial that unified the jumble of technical Producer at the BBC. I then met Guy and Geoff This year alone has seen Set and Stage Designer equipment on the stage below,” continued Posner, the Show Director, at Television Centre. Mark Fisher’s creative flair play an instrumental Fisher. The projection was planned for the last hour of part in Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Ball and The roof was raised off a grid of steel beams the show when darkness had fallen. Geoff gave Madonna’s MDNA tour. Working on such high that sat on top of the monument’s marble upper an outline of what he wanted, which included profile productions and having been Creative pavement. The marble was protected from the a variety of different looks such as the idea of Director for the Golden Jubilee Concerts at the steelwork by Geotech fabric cushioning and ply projecting a normal English terraced housing and Palace made Fisher a logical choice for designing pads. The steel structure relied on self-weight for a council estate onto the palace for Madness’ the roof and stage on the Diamond Jubilee resistance to wind loads. The performance stage TPi JULY 2012 • 07 NEWS FOCUS: Diamond Jubilee Concert Below: Set and Stage Designer, Mark Fisher, put his creative flair to good use; Projections on the front of the building corresponded with songs performed by a variety of high profile artists; Mark Fisher’s roof design saluted the nautical theme of the Queen Victoria Memorial. was built over the steel beam grid using rental which was plotted and installed to within truck deliveries. Work halted every day between scaffolding and rental decking. millimetre accuracy. 10.45 and 1pm when hundreds of tourists The roof covered an area of 1,300 sq metres Arena Seating was delighted with the crew entered the site to enjoy the spectacle. and the longest roof beams were 20m with a supplied by specialist event crew company “Given the intricate carpentry details to cantilever of 12m. Originally the plan was for the Showforce. Dave Withey, Sales Director for achieve structural design shapes and the tight beams to be fabricated as timber glulam beams, Arena Seating and Arena Structures, said: knit into the QVM, our team paid particular but as this proved to be too expensive the final “Showforce’s support in building the two main attention to accuracy while working out to the beams were fabricated as steel box trusses faced grandstands for the Diamond Jubilee Concert, four statues at the monument’s perimeter.” with 24mm birch ply. The transparent skins were at Buckingham Palace, was invaluable. As made from clear unsupported vinyl film with always, the crew were hard working, efficient PROJECTION PERFECTION reinforcing webbing on the seams. and reliable, ensuring that more than 12,500 Before embarking on fulfilling the visual brief for Robbie Williams Productions contracted seats were successfully installed within the tight the project, Treatment Studio’s Sam Pattinson Stageco to provide the bespoke stage Fisher had timeframe.” had already established a relationship with d3 designed, with All Access supplying the static Two FOH structures were installed flanking Technologies back in 2003, having used d3 - a carpeted risers for the orchestra and rolling The Mall entrance to the concert site.

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