One of the key challenges that both Stage One and their client faced was that they were brought on board quite late. Final detailed drawings were only received just six weeks before the load date. "The construction of such an impressive, but quite complicated structure, in this short time scale was always going to be a challenge," said Steve Dolan, account director, Stage One.
He continued, "We resolved the time issues by completing some of the work required on-site and delivered a set of the highest quality."
The city of Belgrade lies at the confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers and the set was designed to represent the coming together of these two waterways. The gently sloping, fluid stage was built on a steel frame structure. The irregularity of its shape meant that standard O-Lite hire equipment alone would not suffice, so along with the traditional modules from Procon's hire stock, Stage One manufactured a number of bespoke timber units into which O-Lites could be inserted to achieve the desired effect.
Nearly 10,000 tiles were used. The stage was then topped off with a glass stage floor. In a further representation of the two rivers Stage One built two separate structures that curved seamlessly upwards from the rear of the stage. These structures were manufactured from steel and used to support LED's.
Upstage, the company built several scenic items, including two large curved timber back panels with twisting steel beams to the front. These were clad on-site in aluminium. Finally an organic stage fascia was created. This was again constructed on site with a gentle slope to allow Steady Cam operators access to the stage and to provide a surface for the lighting effects.
(Jim Evans)
