visual dj :: Case Study

Parade Ball

Two Thousand five hundred Graduating officers & guests

Sandhurst Military Academy, Surrey

To completely transform an eighteen metre by thirty metre gymnasium for one night. We had to design a room that would be completely different from the other three entertainment/dancing venues on-site. The gymnasium needed to be interactive with the guests and take on its own identity and stand out from the other alternatives.

Penguins provided the full event production – including full audiovisual set-up, lighting and special effects, draping and set design.

We installed a fourteen metre by five metre ground supported vertical box truss that featured three four metre by two metre back projection screens. As there were no rigging points available in the gymnasium the box truss also housed with twelve moving lights and the sound system together with two HD camcorders that would send live feeds to the other venues.

An additional eight moving lights and speaker delays were then positioned further down the gymnasium for additional room and drape lighting.

The visualdj and live percussionist were positioned on two stages in the front of the middle of the large screens with the dance floor built around them.

The large screen projection area provided the perfect backdrop for six hours of non-stop music and visuals. The parade during the day had been captured on DVD together with a number of digital photographers, which went down really well with guests who couldn’t attend the parade during the day.

The rest of the night was divided up with the latest DVD music releases and party classics, together with themed visuals, digital party photography and live camera feeds. Even the Midnight firework display made it live onto the screens.

Six additional Plasma screens were then built into the back of the bar and the opposite end of the gymnasium relaying the same images as the main projection screens keeping the guests at the crowded bar entertained and involved.

Two additional projection screens were then flown in the adjoining Casino Marquee to provide casino themed graphics and animations, together with the live feeds from both the dance floor and other venues.

The visualdj team now take up residency in the gymnasium three times a year for the Parade Ball.

“Everyone was genuinely blown away with the event.”

“You impressed a lot of people and did a great job.”