CPL was delighted to return to the attractive leafy environs of Ragley Hall in
Warwickshire to provide a full video production package for the Main Stage at the
2017 Camper Calling festival – a new event staged by Jazz Events, part of the Jazz
Publishing Group.
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural two day Camper Calling, this year the
capacity was doubled from 3000 to 6000 and another day of fun and entertainment
for all the family was added. Main Stage headliners included Cast, The Lightning
Seeds and the Flying Swordfish, and CPL was working for Urban Audio, with a team on
site led by Simon Haydon.
Fifty panels of Roe 3.4 mm LED screen was installed onstage, flown off a mid-stage
truss and configured as a 4 metre wide by 3.5 high main screen, flanked by two
columns left and right which were half a metre wide and 3.5 metres deep.
Visuals were run from a d3 4x4pro media server. Artists were able to submit their own
footage to be played out during their set, or if they didn’t have any specific material,
they could supply artwork, a logo or visuals to Simon, who would then produce a
creative video montage that would run “live’ during their performance.
This gave everyone the chance to have something distinctive, individual and eye-
catching on screen. It also made a big difference to the camera aesthetics – ensuring
there was always something interesting happening upstage rather than staring into a
black hole.
Three camera channels were provided for the IMAG mix which was created by Simon
using a Panasonic AV-HS400 PPU.
The line-up also included several other popular bands from the 1990s and noughties
including Space, Reef, Musical Youth, Artful Dodger, Backbeat Sound System and
others and with up to nine bands playing each day, CPL’s imaginative video skills
helped all to look unique.
To maximise interactivity and communication for the festival population, visitors could
Tweet a photo of themselves together with the hashtag #campercalling, which was
received via a 4G mobile connection on a laptop by Simon.
He edited these as necessary and output to the screens, commenting, “Everyone was
responsible, and I only had to edit out one inappropriate image.’
For the get-in / get-out, Simon was joined by CPL’s Lee Gruszeckyj and Jack Sykes as
crew, and Simon himself was the show technician.
“It was really enjoyable’ he commented, “A great atmosphere, very inclusive and
friendly … and it’s good to see everything build and develop from last year, including
an investment in production values and an appreciation how that affects the overall
guest experience’.