Shaping the Way Creativity Plays. Creates. Lives

What do you get when you combine the most creative minds in the media and entertainment technology industry with the hottest trailblazing technology? Mix in high energy music; a dancer, powerful lighting, projection stances, and pixel mapping and you have a taste of Mediatech Africa’s Black Box. A first for the show – this fully automated light and visual experience is set to be a show stopper that demonstrates how ideas can be brought to life using the latest tech.

A collaborative effort between 10 suppliers and eight manufacturers; the bulk of the production is being directed by Joshua Cutts and Christ Bolton from Visual Frontier. There will be six shows on the hour for the entire show duration and each performance will be followed by a 30 minute interactive presentation; a learning experience that details what went into creating the seamless synchronicity and pin point accuracy of the show, the tech and design elements and how to create decent workflows in design.

According to Mediatech show director Simon Robinson, nothing like it has ever been done at the show before. “Prepare to be amazed. The way Visual Frontier has taken large amounts of technology and scaled it down to focus the audience’s energy on single points, with incredible accuracy, is quite awe inspiring. This show demonstrates, yet again, the magnitude of South Africa’s talent in this industry. Some of the country’s best lighting and show designers have contributed to the show’s development and we are incredibly proud to showcase this event.”

Talking about what went into the high tech production Cutts says, “We wanted to create a vibrant space where people can experience and interact with the technology we use in the industry. We specifically wanted to focus on some of the new technology that’s being used in LED. The majority of the lighting rig being used is all LED-based – there’s just one lamp source which is incredibly exciting.”

In preparation for Black Box, over 2 000 man hours went into controlling in excess of 8 000 different parameters.  Over a ton of rigging is used in the show, 3km of tech cabling, 1000s of individual LED diodes and 140 moving lights.

“We have also incorporated moving objects into the space which is synchronised with lighting, music, video and a dancer who will interact with different types of light sources from the projection to beams of light,” adds Cutts. “All the tech we use during the show will be on display afterwards for the industry to review – from Martin Show Design to VPUs for Pixel Mapping. This is an exercise that’s all about information sharing.

“Black Box is more than just education and entertainment. It’s an experience that will leave you invigorated and inspired by the possibility of opportunity and a fast forward glimpse into the arrival of the future,” says Robinson, adding that it’s not the only new creative being showcased this year. “There will also be an opportunity for visitors to experience the immersive world of Virtual Reality – as presented by New Reality. Showcasing a variety of applications from gaming and training, to cinematics, entertainment and more, these hour demonstrations will propel you into a new form of reality. Spots must be reserved for these showings which are without doubt a new form of engagement and immersion.”

Another first at Mediatech is the drone cage demo area which will showcase the best cameras and drones the industry has available. Although visitors will not be able to operate the drones themselves, they can control the cameras attached to them. These interactive experiences will highlight the power of this emerging technology that’s reshaping entire industries. A short presentation will follow each demonstration and include best drone practise guidelines.

The Time Slice 360 Camera Experience is yet another creative element that has been added to the show this year and will give visitors an opportunity to experience how technology enables creativity to play, create and live.

For those in the live events industry – the popular outdoor sound demo will again be a show highpoint.

Don’t miss all the new creative being showcased at Mediatech 2017 – an amalgamation of skill, technology and creativity all under one roof – on the hour every hour. Register for Mediatech now: https://event-rsvp.com/MediatechAfrica2017/. Or SMS your email address to 30529 to receive a link for easy registration on your mobile device.