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Christie Projectors Play Integral Role In State-Of-The-Art Staging For Cher

CYPRESS, CA – (October 22, 2008) – Christie projectors are helping legendary performer Cher create some of Las Vegas’ most memorable musical productions at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.  Cher, who contracted for a three-year run, is entertaining audiences with innovative staging and lighting technology, breathtaking choreography featuring countless dancers, unique Bob Mackie costumes, aerialists, and music spanning a successful four-decade career. 

Solotech, one of North America’s largest suppliers of sound, lighting and video equipment, provided a total of 16 Christie projectors for Cher’s sophisticated multimedia presentation.  These include six Christie Roadster S+20K 3-chip DLP® projectors, six Christie Roadie 25K 3-chip DLP projectors, two featuring Christie Twist™ image warping and blending functionality, and four Christie LX1500 projectors.

Geodezik International, a renowned specialist in the design of cutting-edge video projections created the stage production.   Olivier Goulet, president of Geodezik International remarks, “Cher is one of the world’s greatest entertainers, so she doesn’t do small shows.  Every set needs to change quickly and dramatically to satisfy her demanding audience.”

The Colosseum stage is immense, 120 ft. wide by 70 ft. deep, “so there’s a lot of space to fill,” according to Goulet.  He solved the challenge by creating multiple levels of stage with different size screens and projection surfaces, allowing for a wide range of special effects.  About midstage, a giant 62 ft. by 16 ft. white screen, which can be moved up and down, is flanked by two stationary tower screens, 40 ft. by 12 ft. that help to visually “extend” the stage.  An array of four Christie Roadster S+20K in portrait mode feed these three surfaces, providing blended images across the entire stage.  In addition, two smaller screens, 12 ft. by 9 ft. and 8 ft. by 8 ft., are intermittently rolled on-stage for different set pieces.  A Christie Roadster S+20K follows these screens on a trolley, projecting unique moving images upon them.

Another set of screens, 40 ft. by 40 ft. are set on either side of the stage, each receives additional content by a Christie LX1500 projector.  A third Christie LX1500 is used for a startling special effect during the Cher presentation that always proves a show-stopping surprise.  LED screens cover the walls surrounding the theater, except for the area by the entrance, creating a spectacular, immersive audience experience.

“We’ve always used Christie projectors, and all of our technicians are trained on Christie. We have an excellent relationship with them,” said Goulet. “Christie offers unbeatable quality, but more importantly, they pay attention to all the little things.  That includes modifying the equipment to ensure the maximum compatibility with our other technology, so that we get precisely what we need out of their projectors.  It’s a highly interactive relationship that no other manufacturer comes close to duplicating.”

Throughout the Cher concert, an enormous 120 ft. by 40 ft. screen is utilized as a “curtain” that covers the entire stage, allowing for transitions and set changes to take place behind it.  It displays content such as animation, images and old movies of Cher.  It is fed by four Christie Roadie 25K projectors, two on each side of the stage, their images blended into a single, continuous image to cover the entire screen seamlessly. 

According to Goulet, a lot of the visual impact comes from treating the stage and walls of the theater as a single, continuous surface.  A dot can leap across one screen to an LED wall, for example; a bird can fly from one screen to another seamlessly.  Meanwhile, the various layers of screens on stage are ideal for recreating 3D effects, which is especially effective in one scene that features a giant pop-up book.  Other special effects include transforming the environment into a “little box” from which flowers and birds come out.  Another effect is creating an old 1960’s checkerboard in 3D, which changes into swirling black and white patterns.

“Geodezik is widely recognized for its extraordinary video projection presentations, highlighted by unique visual effects that have never been seen before,” said Dave Muscat, director of sales, Christie Digital Systems Canada, Inc. “Christie’s technical expertise is an integral part of the service we provide to our customers. Geodezik’s confidence and enthusiasm for working with our people and our products is a direct result of our commitment to always exceed customer expectations.”

About Christie

Christie, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ushio, Inc., Japan, (JP:6925), is a leader in visual solutions for world-class organizations, offering diverse applications for business, entertainment, and industry. A leading innovator in film projection since 1929 and a pioneer in digital projection systems since 1979, Christie has established a global reputation as a total service provider and the world's single source manufacturer of a variety of display technologies and solutions.  With the acquisition of Vista Controls Systems, Corp., Christie offers the most complete and advanced solutions for cinema, live venues, control rooms, business presentations, training facilities, 3D and Virtual Reality, simulation and education as well as industrial and government environments.

About Solotech

Solotech is one of North America’s 10 largest suppliers of sound, lighting and video equipment, with over thirty years of service at both national and international levels.  With a team of over 300 professionals located in Las Vegas, Nevada and Montreal, Quebec, the company’s sales and rental departments work in tandem to find the ideal technical solutions to make vision a reality.  Solotech is committed to delivering spectacular experiences through passion and innovation.  For more information, visit www.solotech.ca.