Boys on film

Published Monday 6 October 2008 at 12:30

XL Video is supplying MiTrix and SoftLED video surfaces, cameras, control and crew for video director Blue Leach on the current REM Accelerate tour.

REM’s Michael Stipe was reportedly involved in the initial ideas for the show’s aesthetic, and wanted video to be the centrepiece.

Leach is also collaborating closely with lighting designer Susanne Sasic on the visual evolution of the show. The pair have come up with a set which consists of five upstage columns of Barco MiTrix, all 5ft wide, measuring between 12 and 20ft tall, and then two 30ft by 8ft horizontal strips of SoftLED behind them, offset by a 2ft gap.

Sasic and graphic designer Chris Bilheimer produced much of the show’s playback video footage, which is stored on a combination of two Doremi hard drives and a Catalyst. Other sources include band promotional videos, re-edited and mashed by Leach, plus clips he made for the show.

XL’s crew includes Rob Wick (head of cameras), Danny Sheldon (Robo-cam operator), Sean Harper (MiTrix tech and hand-held operator) and Kyle Brinkman (SoftLED tech).