Following a year of constant expansion, WL was able to offer the Rugby World Cup a whole range of its expert production services. This included constructing three studio and two pitch-side sets for the ITV Sport Team. These were then toured to various stadiums across the country, where the WL team was on-site to help recreate the set-up at each venue.
WL was also called upon to fulfil a similar role on the BT World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge which was broadcast on ITV. With the tournament being held at the Copper Box at the Olympic Park, London, WL was once again responsible for the technical production and lighting of the studio set, drawing on the company's extensive stock of LED fixtures.
Andy Hook, WL's technical solutions director, comments, "This has been a fantastic project for us to work on. From the opening ceremony, when the studio set was broadcast to millions of homes across the country, through to all of the BT World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge games we supported, it was great to see all of our hard work being showcased to such a mass audience."
Alongside the construction of sets, WL's dedicated audio team delivered to the largest on-site hospitality structure at Twickenham, which included a bespoke soundscape for the client entrance tunnel. WL also provided full audio reinforcement for the match-day hosts along with guest presenters and pundits. In total, the company drew on more than 100 loud-speakers and 50 channels of amplification.
WL also provided the production support for Home from Home, which saw the tunnel beneath Twickenham's South Stand transform into an immersive experience for those attending a match. This was the first time that the tunnel had been utilised in such a way and featured different colour schemes for each game along with a live AV feed from the stadium above.
The Rugby World Cup marks yet another example of WL's continued work in broadcasting, having recently designed and delivered a complete technical solution for ITV's flagship sport studio, covering Champions League, Europa League and Formula E.
Andy adds, "Broadcasting is an industry in which our reputation continuous to grow. As proven, we can provide innovative, first-class results both on time and on budget. This is a really exciting venture for us and we look forward to embracing more broadcasting work in the very near future."
(Jim Evans)
