Dutch lighting designer Jan Kortbeek has selected a powerful Ai Infinity RX server
from pioneering British manufacturer Avolites to control complex new media
content for an updated version of the live musical theatre show of DreamWorks
Animation’s cartoon blockbuster Madagascar.
Featuring the same four anthropomorphic heroes as the film franchise – Alex the
lion, Marty the zebra, Gloria the hippo and Melman the giraffe – and a combination
of real and video scenery, ‘Madagascar Live!’ was launched in the US in 2011 by
Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks. The animation studio’s first ever theatre
production, the show is a family-friendly extravaganza that celebrates freedom,
friendship and fending off the evil ‘Foosa’. Stage Entertainment Touring Productions
brought the production from the States to the UK, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador,
Columbia, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Peru. Following this, Istanbul
Entertainment Group (IEG) transferred the production to Turkey, Dubai and Saudi
Arabia.
Live Nation Entertainment has been involved since 2016. Together with IEG the
production visited Singapore (April), Indonesia (May) and China (June to August).
For these Far Eastern dates the production has been overhauled in terms of its
visual aesthetics – with a significant increase in terms of projected video scenery.
One of Kortbeek’s main technical challenges was balancing the lighting with the
projected scenery. Kortbeek also had to create a high definition back projection that
was 14 metres wide by 7.5 metres high – with an initial maximum projection
distance of only 3.5 metres. His projector system designer, Arjan Lamboo,
recommended an edge blended four projector set-up – which led Kortbeek and his
team to the Ai Infinity RX server, which The Netherlands-based equipment supplier
Rent-All supplied.
The Ai Infinity server from Avolites is the perfect choice for even the most
demanding video projects. The RX4 and RX8 have programmable, EDID managed,
WUXGA (1920 x 1200) outputs. Each is digitally amplified to provide a preview and
production output over DVI.
In addition to the four or eight DVI output pairs, the back offers the following
outlets: LTC timecode input, two gigabit network ports for connecting to ArtNET
networks, MIDI in and out ports, four lines of DMX512, audio in and output, genlock
(essential for TV projects) and two sync network connections to guarantee vertical
sync across multiple systems.
The new video content and graphics for Madagascar Live’s Far Eastern tour were
created by Marinus de Graaf, who has been designing artwork, sets and video
graphics for theatre productions in the Netherlands for over 20 years. As a graphic
designer he has also worked for several large amusement parks in The Netherlands
and Belgium, designing visual themes for attractions and public spaces.
The show’s media content is 1920 x 1080 pixels and is distributed over SDI to four
rear and two stacked front projectors. All the projectors are HDX 20K projectors
from brand Belgian brand Barco. Roel Biemold programmed all the lights and video.
