A veteran of staging Big Brother series Gregory worked closely with designer Patrick Watson, lighting director Al Gurdon and video technology suppliers Creative Technology (also BB veterans), to create a set in which the massive 4m x 2m Big Brother 'eye' icon was backlit, using 55 of Creative Technology's Element Labs Versa Tubes.
Both Gregory and Watson were united in emphasizing the level of technical support offered by CT, which enabled them to be more media creative and allow the 'wow' factor to evolve exponentially.
Al Gurdon knew just how to bring it to life, having worked with CT and witnessed its imaginative use of Versa Tubes on the recent The X Factor series. "Initially we were considering a conventional light box but then we started to think about LED technology. There are a lot of lighting devices you can address from a lighting controller but many offered too much complexity - we wanted something not too sophisticated to which we could send swirls of light; the Versa Tubes fitted in beautifully, as they are PC driven and allowed us to animate the logo."
One major engineering feat was the double use of giant Barco ILite and DLite LED daylight screens - particularly the display rigged against the house wall, which acted like a 'window' into the house itself.
"When production decided to reformat the finale show late on, there was little time to create the necessary event stage and set," he explained. "However, CT were able to rerig quickly, ensuring a rapid turnaround and the overall effect was stunning."
Elsewhere, a series of plasma screens - carefully placed to enhance all camera angles - took a mix of graphics and live feeds, enabling production to split off the house shots with cut feeds. Finally, big screen display technology was used to dramatic effect on eviction nights to screen large live pictures of the housemates, as they were unwittingly being discussed outside by the latest evictee, in interview with Davina McCall.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
