Adele One Night Only, performed at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles on October 24th and aired on CBS on Sunday, November 14th, incorporated a Motion Impossible AGITO Trax modular dolly system from John Perry in Los Angeles – who owns both the Trax and Sports drive options – to help bring about the emotion of the singer’s performances for the two-hour CBS special, including three new songs from her album 30. This was the first new material from the artist in six years.
“This is the second time I’ve worked with Fulwell 73 Productions, and the line producer and I have worked on numerous projects and awards shows over the years,” said Perry. “He knows I own three AGITOs, which have been a hit on many recent live shows. Due to the positive reputation of the AGITO – along with our successful work history – he reached out to book the AGITO for this show.”
In early October, CBS had announced that Adele would be performing this special somewhere in Los Angeles, but gave no indication as to where the secret event would be held. After the production wrapped, the event at the Griffin Observatory was confirmed to be the location for the two-hour CBS television special, Adele One Night Only. The Griffith Observatory, in addition to its main function, has been used as a location for numerous movies and TV shows.
According to Jeff Lee, director of education and product Specialisation at AbelCine, who served as the AGITO tech, Dave Eastwood served as the AGITO pilot, as well as camera and gimbal operator.
“Due to the inclement weather forecast in Los Angeles on the original concert date, we had a condensed schedule,” explained Lee. “That gave us Saturday for set up and rehearsal, with more rehearsal on Sunday with the performance that evening. This wasn’t an issue for the AGITO, as we’re able to set up quickly regardless of any scheduling pressure.”
To accommodate the special staging at the Griffith Observatory, a customed curved track was built at the front apron. “Normally, the AGITO would use a tower, but with the placement of the AGITO so close to the stage, we didn’t use a tower so as not to obstruct the sightlines of the audience,” said Lee. “Since the camera crew, including Dave, had to be hidden from the other cameras, we utilized the mag-stop sensors so he could confidently navigate the entire length of the track even without ideal line of sight. He used the foot pedal controls so his hands were free to operate the gimbal, allowing him to focus on capture the best angles of the performance without worrying about the specifics of the technology.”
“This is yet another example of how the AGITO can give directors another creative tool, especially for live entertainment productions,” said Rob Drewett, CEO and co-founder of Motion Impossible. “We’re really pleased to see AGITOs being used more extensively in live entertainment, sports, movies, and commercial production.
