In June 2012 illusionist duo The Ehrlich Brothers staged Germany’s largest magic show at the TUI-Arena in Hannover. With performances going from strength to strength and an international TV show in the pipeline, Anna Mitchell learns why video technologies are essential to the brothers’ record-breaking shows.
In June 2012 illusionist duo The Ehrlich Brothers staged Germany’s largest magic show at the TUI-Arena in Hannover. With performances going from strength to strength and an international TV show in the pipeline, Anna Mitchell learns why video technologies are essential to the brothers’ record-breaking shows.
Chris Ehrlich, the younger of the two Ehrlich brothers has always taken an interest in the AV and the technical side of the pair’s performances.
"Our show is not a technical show but technology is key to our performance," he explains. "People won’t comment on the technology after seeing our show, they will be touched by the emotion and the illusion. Our challenge is to use technology to create that feeling without them noticing it."
Their recent tour, The Factory of Dreams kicked off with an eventful performance at the TUI-Arena in Hannover on Friday 13th of June. The date proved unlucky for Chris who broke two ribs in a dress-rehearsal accident just one hour before performing to a crowd of 10,000 people.
It was the largest magic show ever staged in Germany and required six 40 ton trucks to transport the equipment needed to stage the event.
Chris designed the video system around a media server that handles all video, audio and DMX signals. "A handful of Blackmagic Design Mini Converters are required to amplify the SDI signal throughout the venue," he says. "Connected to the LAN are ten computers, which control the various systems we have in place, including among other things [a Blackmagic] ATEM Television Studio, a pyrotechnics control panel and lighting console.
Chris says the record-breaking TUI performance was the most challenging show the Ehrlich Brothers ever staged. Apart from performing with two broken ribs he says the size of the audience and venue placed extra demands on the technology.
"The performance was broadcast by WDR [which] meant we had to use a slightly different camera setup," he says. "Ten HD SDI cameras, a mixture of Sony HXC 100 and PDW 700, captured the on stage action and from that WDR produced and broadcast a one-hour special of the premiere to an audience of more than two million viewers."
The Ehrlich Brothers are currently focused on a television production to be aired first in Germany, Switzerland and Austria and then internationally. What affect will this have on the AV and technical challenges?
"There’s virtually no change," answers Chris. "We are primarily stage magicians," he explains. "Everything we design and develop can be performed live on a stage."
The full interview can be read in InAVate Active