Painting with Light Works Smart for Zoo of Life Production posted: 10/04/2018
Painting with Light has produced a vibrant, inventive visual solution for Zoo of Life a production directed by Luc Stevens to celebrate 175 years of Antwerp Zoo, being staged at the new Queen Elizabeth Hall venue in Antwerp, Belgium.
The team from the Genk based creative practice was led by Luc Peumans. Painting with Light's project manager, Wouter Verhulst commented, Normally you might have two weeks to build a production on this scale and ambition, but we had just three days and nights!
With this time restriction in mind, the set is composed largely of digital scenic elements and was designed in conjunction with Carla Janssen Hofelt.
The Painting with Light brief also included editing special video material shot by Mathieu Marck of Arendsoog (Eagle Eye) from around the Zoo, and combining this with new graphical content produced by Painting with Light's Sina Sohn, Jos Claesen and Arthur Claesen. This was all compiled and programmed onto a disguise server.
Luc Peumans designed the lighting and the company also provided lighting and video control for the show, an appealing contemporary tale about the Zoo and the love and loyalty that exists between animals and humans, complete with a volunteer cast of around 600 who joined professional actors onstage.
Due to the exceptionally tight get in and technical schedule - in on the Friday with the premiere on the Monday - Painting with Light harnessed the power of the disguise 4x4 server's 3D and VR visualisation facilities.
These have been developed especially for pre-production scenarios using the designer' dongle.
This enabled Luc Stevens to view life-like VR visualisations representing the complete digital scenery set-ups for the entire performance in the run up to getting on site.
The production is ambitious in this and many other ways.
With up to 120 people onstage at times, the stage floor needed to be kept as clear as possible of physical elements. The complexity of the narrative galvanised everyone and demanded the high impact video design, which allows the action to flip between multiple locations and scenes.
The production is ambitious in this and many other ways.
With up to 120 people onstage at times, the stage floor needed to be kept as clear as possible of physical elements. The complexity of the narrative galvanised everyone and demanded the high impact video design, which allows the action to flip between multiple locations and scenes.
Using the disguise visualisation tools in this way also meant that video content could be tweaked and edited in Painting with Light's studio to Luc Stevens' exact requirements as he worked through the action.
With so little time on site for lighting and video programming, it would have been impossible to do it any other way to the same level.
The digital scenery features a large 8 mm LED screen upstage, two long side screens 4 metres high and running the depth of the stage, two sets of LED-clad stairs and a quantity of video panels fitted to three structural arches above the stage of the theatre's main auditorium.
A Pepper's Ghost effect was set up for one scene, utilising a 30K Panasonic laser projector shooting onto a special scrim, to create ephemeral holographic images of a Gorilla and an Okapi.
In addition to the huge flexibility that the video set brings to the production, an appropriate traditional scenic approach simply could not have been built in the allotted time slot!
Mathieu Marck's footage also captured some well-known Antwerp landmarks from in and around the thriving port city and commercial hub. All the video content was programmed onto the disguise by Painting with Light's Katleen Selleslagh.
The lighting rig comprises around 130 fixtures including 24 x Martin MAC Viper Performances, 36 x Viper Profiles, 64 of Phlippo's URC 210 LED washes and 12 x URC zoom LED battens, all controlled via a grandMA2 console programmed and operated by Ivar van Dijk from Painting with Light.
Every fixture has to work extremely hard and accomplish multiple tasks, making an expediently sized system go a long way. The luminaires were therefore chosen for their versatility, and Luc (Peumans) applied his magic to the process, bringing more dynamics and drama to the stage.
Lighting required balancing carefully with the video, a tricky goal where Luc's considerable experience of working with digital scenery has been invaluable.
There are also hundreds of decor LEDs ensconced in the arches over the stage which are controlled via the lighting console. They accentuate the shape and architectural features of the venue and work particularly brilliantly in some scenes like Antwerp railway station.
Also integral to the technical and creative success of the production were Painting with Light's production manager Jeroen Vinck and Zoo of Life's stage manager Koen Beli n.
Luc Peumans comments, We are all really proud to be part of this production. It's hugely exciting working in this fantastic new space, and to be involved with such a popular and iconic local landmark as the Zoo. There's been lots of camaraderie, and in spite of the many challenges, everyone from all the departments has been united and determined to produce something really special and memorable .
The show's lighting equipment is being supplied by leading Belgian rental company Phlippo Productions and the video by Pixelscreen.
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
07/08/2025
July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...
15/07/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
15/07/2025
L3Harris put its CORVUS-RAVEN counter-small UAS capability into the hands of soldiers at VANAHEIM, showcasing its ability to provide passive signal detect, enha...
15/07/2025
Netflix Viewing Up 13.5% vs. May, Represents 42% of Monthly Gain for Streaming
...
15/07/2025
SAN FRANCISCO and BENGALARU, India Sangeeta Chakraborty has been named chief revenue officer at Amagi, a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology pro...
15/07/2025
As part of its mandate, the Advanced Television Systems Committee the U.S. organization tasked with developing advanced broadcast TV standards promotes ATSC 3.0...
15/07/2025
QuickLink, the leading global provider of multi-camera video productions and remote contributions, announces the launch of two innovative control panels Studi...
15/07/2025
Chris Kontopanos has joined leading high-quality microphone solutions manufacturer, DPA Microphones, as the company's new Regional Sales Manager for the Mid...
15/07/2025
Magnifi by VideoVerse, a global leader in AI-powered video automation, has launched a major platform upgrade built to simplify live and archival video editing f...
15/07/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will preview its latest innovations at IBC2025, Stand 7.B21. This year's showcase highlights how...
15/07/2025
IBC2025 is set to transform the onsite experience for its global attendees with the launch of a pioneering new feature: full integration of Amsterdam's GVB ...
15/07/2025
Music, sport and technology collided in spectacular fashion as ASB GlassFloor powered the debut of Beats N Buckets, Germany's first Basketball meets Hip-Ho...
15/07/2025
The Collectv, the Emmy award-winning broadcast solutions and workflows consultancy - and winner of Broadcast Tech's Team of the Year is delighted to announc...
15/07/2025
SipRadius, the expert in secure, low latency media transport, will showcase how broadcasters and media companies can take control of fragmented IP workflows at ...
15/07/2025
Appear, the global leader in live production technology, today announced its strategic partnership with beIN ASIA PACIFIC, a leading multi-platform sports media...
15/07/2025
Company marks 15 years of innovation at the show
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and monetization at scale, will return to IBC (Hall 1, Stand F83. RAI, Amster...
15/07/2025
New software solutions extend trusted timing measurement across broadcast, venue, and professional AV applications
Hitomi Broadcast, the market leader in audi...
15/07/2025
SHENZHEN, China Telycam has added control options for its portfolio of pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras with a new plug-in for Elgato's Stream Deck family of con...
15/07/2025
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron said its Chyron LIVE cloud-native live production solution has successfully completed the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Foundational Technical...
15/07/2025
PHILADELPHIA The Xumo streaming platform joint venture between Comcast and Charter has announced the nationwide launch of a new line of Xumo TVs from Westinghou...
15/07/2025
LONGMONT, Colo. DPA Microphones said Chris Kontopanos has joined the microphone solutions provider as its new regional sales manager, Mid-Atlantic....
15/07/2025
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNIT...
15/07/2025
News Corp Authorizes New $1 Billion Stock Repurchase Program and Intends to Acce...
15/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Announces the Start of Production of Los secretos de l...
15/07/2025
Harmonic's Hybrid, AI-Powered and Live Sports Streaming Innovations are Key ...
15/07/2025
The well-known and well-loved 4099 has been completely revamped. It features amazing CORE+ technology, which eliminates distortion and extends dynamic range, a ...
15/07/2025
Comscore Partners with HyphaMetrics to Launch Advanced Person-Level Audience Mea...
15/07/2025
Peak audiences of over half a million tune into both Kerry v Tyrone and Donegal ...
15/07/2025
PROTON Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025 posted: 15/07/2025
Proton Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025
Alongs...
15/07/2025
Submissions for NVIDIA's Plug and Play: Project G-Assist Plug-In Hackathon a...
14/07/2025
The Royal Moroccan Air Force hosted a C-130 award ceremony with L3Harris Technologies President of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Jason Lambert a...
14/07/2025
UK launch set for September, following on from recent US and Germany releases
London - UK, July 14, 2025 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, da...
14/07/2025
SHENZHEN, China Telycam has added control options for its portfolio of pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras with a new plug-in for Elgato's Stream Deck family of con...
14/07/2025
The awards are open to IBC2025 show exhibitors and offer a valuable platform for companies to raise awareness for the new products and solutions they will be la...
14/07/2025
Clear-Com is excited to announce a significant expansion of the award-winning Arcadia Central Station with new software updates. Together, these releases dram...
14/07/2025
Grass Valley and Daktronics today announced a strategic technology partnership that unites Grass Valley's live production expertise with Daktronics' lea...
14/07/2025
Cloud playout solutions provider, Veset, and swXtch.io, provider of cloud-based multicast and reliable networking solutions, are partnering to deliver multicast...
14/07/2025
Tintri , a DDN subsidiary and leader in AI-powered data management solutions, today announces a game-changing and award-winning refresh to its global Partner P...
14/07/2025
HighField AI, the broadcast industry's first agentic and multimodal AI platform for automating graphics production, is now commercially available. Developed...
14/07/2025
Encompass Digital Media has today announced that it has been delivering a complex global services project for DAZN, the world s leading sports entertainment pla...
14/07/2025
MASV (massive.io), the fastest, most reliable large file transfer platform trusted by over 10,000 global organizations, announced today it will showcase its nex...
14/07/2025
Calrec is introducing a series of usability, customisation and system enhancements across the entire range of Argo consoles at IBC 2025, on Stand 8.C47. Look ou...
14/07/2025
Fincons Group, IT business consultancy and systems integrator company with more than 40 years of experience in the market, is proud to announce a new engagement...
14/07/2025
Intinor returns to IBC to present the latest updates to its Direkt series. A key development on show is Intinor Direkt Management (IDM), a web-based interface f...
14/07/2025
Back to All News
Trailer Out Now! Netflix and YRF Entertainment's Mandala ...
14/07/2025
Back to All News
25 Former Athletes Seek Redemption in Final Draft,' Japan...
Painting with Light Works Smart for Zoo of Life Production posted: 10/04/2018 
