London, UK – London’s Four Seasons Hotel Park Lane was the setting for a pre-fight press conference by British boxer Anthony Joshua and his Ukrainian opponent, Oleksandr Usyk, with a stunning LED screen backdrop driven by a Hippotizer Nevis+ Media Server.
The heavyweight champions were giving interviews to the global sports press, prior to their match in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at the end of August. The questioning centred on the importance of winning; the real attraction of the press meet-up was purely visual, focusing on the plush surroundings, the famous photo-op face-off, and the video content that ramped up the spectacle.
Reading-based video production company Digital Insanity was commissioned to operate the visuals for the high-profile occasion by events company VME.
“We were hired for the playback job as we have a reputation for delivering shows as per the client’s brief,” says Digital Insanity’s Richard Bagshaw. “All of the content was supplied by the event promotor, to be played back on the upstage LED screen behind Anthony and Oleksandr as they addressed the press. It was a straightforward project, to be honest, helped by the fact that using our Hippotizer Nevis+ we could use VideoMapper and MultiController alongside audio playback on the VTs reliably and quickly.”
Space in the room on the first floor of the hotel was at a premium, such was the press interest in the fighters’ conference. This meant that Bagshaw and his team were offered only a tight space to set up visual control. “The Nevis+ gave us all the power, features and flexibility we needed despite its small size,” adds Bagshaw. “It’s a great solution to a job like this – real-time visual playback and manipulation in a robust chassis that is compact enough to fit into temporary Control Areas.”
The Matchroom Boxing-promoted event in London saw visuals played on the LED screens to the press, ranging from images of the two fighters to boxing ring play and special effects. Usyk was the eventual winner.
Image Credit: © Digital Insanity