Music
Awards and events can no longer be simple! They have to be ‘remarkable,’
‘extravagant’ and ‘extraordinary’ in their content, entertainment and technical
ability to feed our hunger for sensory overload. We are Generation Y!
Gen Y
“are people born between 1977 and 1997. They personify multitasking: using the
TV, DVD player, stereo, and the internet all while calling friends on their
mobile,” (Sonder, 2004).
So we have already touched on how digital technologies
make it easy for music events to market themselves, distribute news and
exclusive footage and engage with their audience more personally. As well as
this online ticketing and registration has become ‘standard’ making it a
convenient and easily administrative process both for attendees and organisers. But
technology goes way beyond the internet and computer systems. Technology has
enabled the Music Awards to push the boundaries creatively, crafting jaw
dropping performances, and aid in the accuracy needed to build, programme and broadcast
the events. . “Just as the music, motion picture, theatre and television industries
have enhanced their presentations, our industry is moving towards highly
produced events,” (Sonder, 2004).
Visual presentation technology
Visuals at music events are crucial in establishing
the WOW factor. You want the audience to resist even blinking in case they miss
something. IMAG (image magnification) is now at most large scale events where
footage from the stage is projected onto a large screen making the audience ‘in
the gods’ still feel close to the action. There are much advancement in types
of projectors for video and imagery used at special events from CRT projectors,
video/data projectors, LCD projectors and digital light procession projectors. All
are used for different reasons and effects.
A wonderful demonstration of the power of artists but
also the use of technology to create that “WOW” factor as well as to support
and enhance the amazing talent of Beyoncé…
Audio systems
Special events, like Music Awards, require audio
systems both to amplify the human voice as well as the sounds of musical
instruments and recordings. For speech there are 4 main types of microphones;
wireless handheld, wireless lavalier, wired lectern, and wired handheld. Distributed system of speakers in generally
used, which “consists of multiple smaller speakers that amplify mid-range voice
frequencies,” (Matthews, 2008).
With the variations in frequency, pitch, and volume in
music performances a different audio system much be used to provide a clear and
audible sound to the entire audience. The speakers used much also be able to amplify
frequencies from the entire spectrum too. The placement of the speakers also
proves critical to quality for example; “speakers that amplify the middle and
high frequencies are better placed as high above the audience as possible in order
to avoid reflection, absorption and diffraction of the high-frequencies,”
(Matthews, 2008). In addition, there is also a full monitor system that must be
balanced and equalized for all musicians so that each can hear exactly what
they are meant to. It’s no wonder sound checks are so lengthy in prep for
events!
Lighting systems
Lighting isn’t just used simple for visibility. No. It’s
used to help purposefully transform the event space into a new, exciting and
unique environment. A wide array of lighting has been developed with different
capabilities to interact among the TV, movie, theatre and special event industries.
Main categories include: spotlights, floodlights, projectors, automated
fixtures, and specialty lighting.
As well at the creative advantages of advancements in
LED lighting there are also many safety and efficiency benefits too.
Broadcasting and Webcasting
Technologies now allow us to not just broadcast live
via the TV but also now via the internet, providing access to more potential
attendee and viewers. Once the recording equipment has captured the event for
the audience “there is special equipment to encode the provided signal into the
chosen format and other necessary equipment that the end user must have in
order to decode that signal back into the audio and video that they are
interested in receiving,” (Sondor, 2004). The good thing is that the end user
only needs a computer and Internet connection, to acquire the necessary
decoding software at no cost.
Videoconferencing has also enabled the music awards to
give award winners there acceptance speech without them physically being there.
There is obviously much more to technology and how it
has developed to evolve the world of special events. The décor, camera footage
and infrastructure of music events have also got more and more lavish over the
years, including staging, rigging, tenting etc. Computer systems and databases
are also used to aid in timing and accuracy of the event operations to avoid
human error.
If you interested in event production…
Books:
Sonder, M.
(2004). Events Entertainment and Production
Matthews, D.
(2008). Special Event Production
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