Specializing in show production, French company SDEI Spectacles relied on Modulo Player, a media server solution by Modulo Pi, for the latest creations installed in the Terra Botanica and Legendia Parc theme parks.
Based in the French region of Pays de la Loire, SDEI Spectacles offers turnkey shows to its clients with artistic creation, direction, and audiovisual integration. When working on new shows for Terra Botanica (“The Peddler of Dreams”) and Legendia Parc (“The Wolves’ Hostel”), SDEI Spectacles chose Modulo Player, the versatile media server solution
developed by Modulo Pi.
For each performance where video projection, music, light, and machinery are combined, Modulo Player centralizes all elements of the show. Clément Evans, Artistic Direction Assistant and Modulo Player operator, explained: “Some theme parks like to have an audio player for the audio, a video player for the video, a show controller, but if one of these systems breaks down, it doesn’t change the matter: the show cannot run. In my opinion, it doesn’t make sense to have so many devices. Modulo Player, it’s the turnkey solution that allows the centralization of the entire show. I’m now using it for all the new shows I design.”
Looking at renewing its shows offer, the Terra Botanica park gave free rein to SDEI Spectacles. Launched in 2018, The Peddler of Dreams is the 5th show created by SDEI Spectacles for the park based in Angers, and the 3rd relying on Modulo Player. “The venue we worked in was already well equipped in terms of infrastructure with a pond, water jets,” said Clément Evans. “However, we changed the entire scenography and audiovisual
system.”
Artistic director and producer of the show, Christophe Dagobert created a 12 min performance, The Peddler of Dreams, to explore the theme of botany, with references to Grimm, Perrault and Andersen’s fairy tales.
A movie directed by SDEI is displayed through a Panasonic PT-RZ970 video-projector. Around this video projection and the music, a complete show was designed to plunge the audience in the plant life with lights, water jets, scent diffusion machines, machinery with 3 fly lofts for the scenery, and a big red curtain.
Modulo Player is the cornerstone of the installation. Modulo Pi’s media server was used to program the show, and to centralize the whole show control. Modulo Player sends music in 7.1 through an RME Fireface 802 sound card. An Enttec ODE Mk2 handling lights and water jets is controlled by Modulo Player through Art-Net. The media server also has control over the system that handles the curtain and fly lofts’ movements through a TCP/IP connection.
Finally, Modulo Player sends and receives requests from a WAGO I/O Systems interface through TCP/IP to control the doors, the scent diffusion machines, and other lights and alarms. An operator can launch the show every 15 minutes from a remote room, thanks to a camera feed. In Legendia Parc, also produced and directed by Christophe, The Wolves’ Hostel show features several actors and a ghost on stage. The ghost appears through a projection made with an Epson EH-LS100 video-projector, and two 65’’ full HD displays from iiyama.
The 40-minutes show is entirely programmed and controlled through Modulo Player. Music and sound effects are sent by Modulo Player in stereo through an RME Fireface 802 sound card, and then distributed over an 8 channels sound system. In addition, Modulo Pi’s turnkey solution controls an Enttec ODE Mk2 through Art-Net to handle lights.
The overall show is controlled through a dedicated user panel which was designed in Modulo Player. While most of the show is programmed and available in a playlist, the stage manager can launch some sequences live whenever needed.
Clément Evans, who has been working with Modulo Player since 2016, explained: “When the need for complex show control arose, we immediately opted for Modulo Player as it’s a reliable, user-friendly and versatile system. By synchronizing the entire show, it allows us to have only one person and one intelligence in charge, which helps us simplify the process, and also reduce our costs.”
