Sunday, 21 April 2013

Music Awards developed for GENERATION Y!


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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