Universal Pixels Delivers Dynamic Video System On Dave’s UK Arena Tour

Dave’s first UK tour in four years, in support of his latest album, The Boy Who Played the Harp, demanded a production design that could expand and contract with twists and turns of the show. Video specialists Universal Pixels delivered a dynamic screen and media server system designed to keep pace with the performance and bring the show narrative to life.

Following on from previous collaborations, Universal Pixels were delighted to re-unite their working relationships with video director and show creative Matt Askem, lighting and show designer Tim Routledge, production manager Paddy Hocken, and Neg Earth Light’s Sam Ridgway who led

At the centre of the video design, were eight moving tracking screens suspended above the stage, which shifted position and orientation throughout the performance. The system was built around a real-time workflow linking automation, tracking and content rendering, where positional data from the moving screens fed directly into Disguise GX3 media servers. This allowed the servers to continuously update a digital model of the stage, with content mapped and re-rendered on a frame-by-frame basis. Rather than triggering pre-defined cues, the system constantly recalculated how content should be displayed in relation to the position and angle of each screen, ensuring it maintained spatial integrity as the physical setup moved.

“We effectively had a digital twin of the real world and the system rendered the correct content for each frame,” explained Universal Pixels’ Technical Specialist James Morden. Running at 50 frames per second, the system provided the update rate needed for content to track accurately with the movement of the screens in real time, while keeping latency low enough that the relationship between movement and image remained coherent. “You’re not just playing back content,” added Morden. “You’re responding to movement in real time and making sure what the audience sees always makes sense in the space.”

The Disguise GX3 servers handled playback, tracking data, live camera feeds and generative content via Notch, allowing the system to respond dynamically to lighting, audio and performance cues. This level of integration enabled a series of effects built on alignment between physical movement and rendered content. Layering, transparency and controlled lighting states allowed the screens to feel solid at times and almost disappear at others.

That sense of depth was achieved through a combination of screen design, content and lighting. The ROE Vanish V8T panels, with their semi-transparent construction and high brightness, allowed light and imagery to pass through and interact across multiple layers of the system. As the screens moved and lighting states changed, this created shifting levels of opacity and visibility. In addition, two further ROE Vanish V8T screens were used as static I-Mag screens, again fed via Disguise media servers, and all processed on Brompton SX40s.

Alongside this, six Panasonic UC4000 system cameras, including two on Junior 5 remote controlled motorised dollies, were deployed with six Blackmagic Design Micro G2 cameras for cutaway shots. The feeds were mixed by Askem on one of Universal Pixels’ Kula PPUs, bringing the live performance into the server system and supplying real-time imagery to the media servers and screens.

Shooting in v-log allowed the cameras to retain a wide dynamic range, which was critical in an environment where lighting levels and colour temperature were constantly changing. This gave the team greater control when matching camera feeds to rendered content and LED output, ensuring a consistent image across both real and generated elements. “There’s a lot of colour science going on in the background to keep everything looking consistent,” explained Morden.

Universal Pixels also supplied video infrastructure to support the performance environment. A distributed CCTV system, comprising multiple cameras and monitors, ensured that band and crew could track the artist’s position across the main stage, thrust and B-stage.

Assembling a skilled, close-knit crew was key to delivering, adapting and refining the show throughout the tour. Universal Pixels worked with Matt Askem and Paddy Hocken on crew selection, which included: Video Crew Chief Al Bolland, Server Programmer/Operator and Colour Wizard Richard Turner, Video Engineer Briony Margetts, Lead LED Al Wright, Head of Cameras Patrick Hall, and LED/Camera Crew Jules Blagg, Paul Borthwick, and Oscar Winter.

Universal Pixels’ practical considerations extended beyond the show itself. Custom transport solutions were developed to streamline load-in and load-out, consolidating multiple rack systems into single units. The moving screen design added complexity around power and data distribution, requiring an approach that delivered consistency as the system constantly shifted.

The successful delivery relied on close coordination between departments. Early testing, ongoing communication and continuous iteration were key to maintaining system stability within a complex, moving setup. “If in doubt, let’s have a call and make sure everything works before we move forward,” said Morden. Even in the final stages of the tour, refinement continued. “It’s that continual push to get it as close to perfect as possible.”

For Universal Pixels, the tour demonstrates an ability to deliver complex, real-time video systems in a major touring environment. Real-time rendering, tracking integration and live colour processing worked as a single system, supporting the creative without putting focus on the technology itself. Delivering at this level reinforces not just technical capability, but the ability to operate reliably within complex, high-pressure productions.

‍