Creative Technology was brought on board to support the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, supplying an LED solution for the ceremony and show in Birmingham, UK.
With a long resume of opening and closing ceremonies for sporting events, Creative Technology provided LED display technology and playback services for the show, working closely with Total Fabrications for the structural elements of the set up and working with creative director Tal Rosner for the show’s content.
Taking centre stage on the stadium floor, Creative Technology installed a ‘bullring’ made from a specialist outdoor and waterproof LED measuring more than 260m in circumference. The setup includes ramps for vehicle access in several locations, as well as a removeable section to allow larger scenic access for a mechanical bull.
A telescopic LED tower was set up at one end of the stadium, incorporating 250m² of Creative Technology’s BQ4 LED. This setup reaches 12 metres high when fully extended.
Creative Technology also supplied the four main LED screens within the stadium will remain in place throughout the games, upgraded both in size and resolution following a test event. The displays now measure 125 metres² each, utilising the same BQ4 product as the tower screen.
Content to the displays is deployed through a custom G1 server platform running Pixera software, configured to run multiple software options to increase flexibility, utilisation and make it a more flexible and cost-effective system.
Ross Howard, project manager, Creative Technology, commented: “Managing a project on this scale is both a huge challenge and a great honour. The ambition and attention to detail from the creative team means we are pushing technology to the limit and constantly innovating to achieve visual perfection. It is a great experience to be working alongside so many industry leaders and showing once again that we Brits really know how to put on a show!”