It was all fun and games at Univision's live "Premios Juventud 2015," which had a video games theme and a set packed with LED and projection screens. Once again, d3's creative software suite played a critical role in delivering high-impact visuals for the annual youth awards telecast honoring achievements in film, music, sports, fashion and pop culture. The show was broadcast from BankUnited Center in Miami.
"d3 was chosen because it has proven to work best for the show and the production," says Rodrigo Proal, CEO/Creative Director at Darmah, a nine-year old d3 Studio based in Mexico and Miami. "This year we got the opportunity to program more than half of the show's musical performances taking advantage of all the amazing timeline features that d3 offers. We got to show how d3 can save unnecessary content renderings, make quick changes, compose and sequence, and give the client a preview of the acts on the 3D visualizer days before going live."
Minneapolis-based Luminous FX partnered with Darmah on the show "taking advantage of d3's SockPuppet to operate the show with a grandMA2 lighting console as well as testing the new merging timelines feature," Proal says.
Darmah provided four d3 4x4pro systems, two of them running as slaves, plus two d3 4U v2.5 editors. The set design featured numerous screens. "Every surface was a screen," says Luminous FX principal and screens programmer Laura Frank. An arched central screen served as the stage entrance; there were LED columns and angled display planes, an LED backdrop upstage, projection surfaces stage left and stage right and an LED runway built into the audience. Six performers added their own unique screens to the mix.
"There was so much video content to be delivered, and the surface area was massive and had unusual shapes," says Frank. "I collaborated with Darmah and the other designers to deliver content with the 3D visualizer and timeline tools in d3, which made everything very efficient. I combined the result with SockPuppet controls to play back the show for the best of both worlds: timeline programming and lighting desk playback. Thanks to that unique and successful workflow, we were was able to program 25 acts in three days, and the results were stunning."
Darmah's Video Content Director, Bianca Moncada emphasizes the key role d3 played in the pre-pro process for "Premios Juventud" this year. "Being able to pre-program content for the performances and take advantage of the 3D visualizer felt almost like you were at the venue watching the content," he says. "For producers it's important to see how their performance is going to look, even get a closer look to the actual camera shots and plan ahead specific shots, and thanks to d3 we were able to make renders from the visualizer. We also had time to make last minute changes on site through the d3 editor, in extreme cases, create something from scratch."
"Premios Juventud 2015" marked the first time that d3's merging timelines feature was used on a live show, notes Proal. "20 out of 25 acts were programmed and sequenced on different d3 machines was merged in the master project. This new feature, part of d3's software release 12, is definitely a new window for content workflow and collaboration," he declares.
In addition, d3's pixel perfect feature "gave us the ability to create amazing moments programmed on specific LED fixtures and accents on the stage," says Darmah's d3 specialist and programmer Chema Menendez. "The track sequence for the programmed performances made a huge difference when the song was beat-to-beat synched with all the hits and moments."
Darmah used d3's QuickCal function to adjust six different projectors accomplishing the feat in just 15 minutes. Another time saver: fast content transfer. "Thanks to d3's 10Gb ports, 100GB of content was in all the machines in one minute," Proal reports. "The ability to transfer large amounts of content quickly, use layers to compose the show, and have stability while running the show were just a few of the many advantages d3 provided over other products."
During the live broadcast Frank sat FOH with the d3 master and editors; the slaves were located backstage. A 10GB Ethernet connection facilitated d3 net and Art-Net protocols.
"D3 performed amazingly," says Proal. "Its stability in programming and running the show were great. It gave us all the tools we needed to program and sequence content to create unique and unforgettable moments. D3 has never failed on any of our past shows, so we were 100 percent confident that 'Premios Juventud' would run smoothly. The support team from d3 was always there to quickly help us solve issues on the spot," he adds.
"Darmah truly believes that team work is the key to delivering amazing results on a show," says Proal. "The designers, d3 programmers, d3 specialists, mapping specialists, video technicians - everyone contributes to the success of any project we deliver."
About d3
d3 is the world's first fully integrated visual production system for video professionals, combining a real-time 3D stage visualizer, timeline, video playback engine and projection mapping tools into one product. d3's unique integrated workflow assists the designer at all stages of the project, from pitch through development to final delivery. www.d3technologies.com