High End Systems’ Catalyst Pro v3.0 Media Server is helping LD Bryan Hartley enhance the KISS touring stage set with moving graphic elements. Catalyst is the fusion of lighting effects with digital media–and Catalyst Pro v3.0 software allows the designer to render up to four layers of digital media and real-time rendered effects.
For this set design, manager Doc McGee and video director Jonathan Beswick replaced some of the speakers in the set with square LED walls in a checkerboard fashion.
Says Hartley, “I’m splitting up the video area with the video director Jonathan Beswick. He runs most of the show and I do the other part of the show with Catalyst. It allows me to play movies on the little LED screens and use movie graphics and other images.
"That’s the beauty of the Catalyst," he explains. "It allows me to be in sync with the lighting. The ease of programming and the instantaneousness of it as well–because you can just call up a movie, scale into it, turn it a different color. It’s so quick. Catalyst has essentially changed the way people can do things in their show. With traditional video, you can do this stuff but you have to deal with time code to change it with the music, and to me, I’m all about changing the stage in real time with music. It’s phenomenal, it’s great. Plus I love controlling the LED screens."
Hartley used footage from the new Catalyst library and mixed it with original content including the KISS logos, the flashing KISS Army banner and other simple images. Beswick had his graphic guys make specific content as well.
"I must give kudos to the video team of Jonathan Beswick and Steve Davis," he continues. "These guys do an amazing job, as they take my feed from Catalyst and mix it with their content. It's awesome."
Tour lighting contractor is Mark Coleman of Fourth Phase Burbank.