By Adam Ghassemi
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – They only get moments to setup before the world is watching.
"One reason you rehearse it is because you only have seven minutes to get it on the field and ready to go," said video designer Ken Gay who opened the state-of-the-art LMG Design Studio on Lower Broadway in December.
Inside the workspace full of illuminated LEDs a team created the idea for the stage Madonna made her SuperBowl debut.
"Your eyes fill in the gap between the resolution so therefore it tricks your eye," Gay said explaining how the stage in Indianapolis worked based on a smaller model in the studio.
Gay worked with Danny Whetstone of Smyrna-based DWP Live to install projectors that flew 150 ft. overhead to display images onto cloth on the field below -- something never before attempted during a SuperBowl halftime show.
"The pressure is extreme. It's the world's stage. Everybody's watching," Gay said Monday.
The performance only lasted 12 minutes, but every layer of the stage and projection had to be customized to the artists and their songs during the non-stop performance.
It took months of testing to make sure when they were live, they didn't miss a beat.
"Every time a concept would be brought up we would actually do scaled model testing we'd be able to do proof of concepts so we would take technology to be able to say yes this can be achieved," Gay went on to say.
When it was over it took roughly 100 crew members and 500 volunteers only 5 minutes to clear the field before the start of the third quarter. That finally gave Gay and the rest of the team time to enjoy a successful halftime complete with a Nashville touch, before cranking up their thinking caps for how they'll top it next time.
"Every year we know that it's going to be high profile," said Gay.
The newly opened studio is used by artists of every genre to creatively brainstorm how to make their performances better through lighting and video.
The LMG team usually only does video performances every couple of years, according to Gay. They're already thinking about the 2014 show, which is scheduled to be outdoors at the new MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
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