While the Democratic party’s five candidates for president might not have been completely authentic during their first debate, which aired October 13 on CNN, the stage’s video wall looked flawless behind Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley, Lincoln Chafee and Jim Webb.
That’s thanks to rental and staging integrator Data Display Audio Visual, which used over 320 Christie MicroTiles to create the 8-foot tall by 50-foot wide display that CNN used to display graphics behind the candidates.
Click for More Photos of the Video Wall in Action
While Christie’s MicroTiles aren’t a typical rental and staging solution, the installation went as smooth as could be, said Mark Swanson, technology director, Data Display Audio Visual in a Christie press release.
“We did a good color balance the first day, which took about four hours. The next day CNN had their content up and it looked good. We did another tweaking here and there and it came together quickly.”
Christie talks Microtiles, market position and more in a Commercial Integrator interview:
More from the press release:
Swanson said the bright CNN studio lighting had an impact on the setup, so additional adjustments were required to ensure colors didn’t look washed out. “Once we had tested everything beforehand and had everything locked in, the wall was rock solid throughout the debate,” Swanson said.
“We made sure we had enough spare light engines and everything worked before going live. We were fully prepared; there was no way any section of the wall wasn’t going to work,” added Shawn Rockefeller, vice president, Data Display Audio Visual. “Failure was not an option.”
With a television audience of 15.3 million in the United States alone watching live, the Data Display team checked and double-checked everything and while the team wasn’t nervous, he admitted they felt more pressure than the dozens of trade shows they routinely do with machine-like efficiency.
Christie MicroTiles – an efficient rental staging solution
“When we first saw the MicroTiles and got the brochure, we were intrigued by them. I showed some of my customers that are always looking to do something different for their display booths,” said Rockefeller. “And I showed them the brochure and I sold it (the MicroTiles) sight unseen.”
While not specifically geared for the rental staging market, Christie MicroTiles are definitely a viable solution for tradeshows and one-off broadcasts – not to mention permanent installations.
“We need extremely high resolution for most of our shows because of the software being used. And space is always an issue with us so the MicroTiles fill that technology hole,” added Rockefeller. “Using MicroTiles gives booths a lot more usable space because you don’t need projectors shooting across the open space. MicroTiles are a creative tool and I equate them to Lego. You can do whatever you want with shapes and you’re not dedicated to a 16 x 9 aspect ratio.”
