News

XL Events - Supplies screens for Royal Wedding

Posted on 06/05/2011

XL Events installed two large LED screens in London’s Trafalgar Square to facilitate one of the main public viewing areas for live TV transmission of the UK’s royal wedding between Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

XL was working for leading experiential marketing and event producers Jack Morton Worldwide, who co-ordinated 4 similar format/concept sites across London for the wedding. An estimated 1 million people lined the streets to catch some of the action, which was broadcast worldwide to a global audience of approximately 2 billion. It was the most important UK Royal event for 30 years.

The screens were both made up from Lighthouse R7 panels and were positioned around Nelson's Column. One measured 80 square metres and faced the National Gallery, and the other was 40 square metres, facing eastward pointing down the Strand. Both were rigged on special screen support ‘goal post’ structures.

A stage was also built in the square, and a house band performed live to entertain the crowds along with presenters, which filled specific slots in the day-long telecast covering the wedding.

XL Supplied a 3 camera PPU to relay the on-stage action to the screens which was directed by Jerry Rosenfield. Cameras were positioned one at front-of-house with long lens and 2 in the pit at the front of stage. When there was no live music scheduled, the screens received a satellite TV feed of the BBC's broadcast of the wedding ceremony and procession.

XL was also supplied with special content by Jack Morton including advertising showreels, transitional stings and graphics, which was edited on site the night before and played out from 2 x GV Turbo T2 hard drives.

The project was led for XL by Steve Greetham, who comments, “It was a relatively straightforward installation, and obviously seriously high profile, that needed precision, efficiency and delivery of all the expected standards of excellence. Two long days of hard work ran really smoothly with great results which really contributed to the public enjoyment of the event".

He worked with a team of 9, comprising LED technicians, camera operators, an engineer and Rosenfield. They got in on the Thursday before Friday's event, were ready for rehearsals on Thursday afternoon, edited footage until late that night, and were on site from 5.30 a.m. on The Day going ‘live’ from 7 a.m.