RED Digital Cinema has supported Epic Cinema and acclaimed director Stijn Verlinde in capturing DJ David Guetta’s “The Ultimate Monolith Show” at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, it has revealed.
The production deployed a fleet of RED cameras, including RED’s Cine-Broadcast live production system.
Staged across three sold-out nights, from 11-13 June, the event drew more than 240,000 fans.
The “ambitious” finale of Guetta’s tour was a “fully immersive audiovisual experience featuring a striking monolith-inspired stage and groundbreaking live-performance technology”.
“This was truly a career milestone for our team,” said Verlinde. “David is one of the biggest artists in the world, and the energy he has in his shows is unmatched.
“His ‘Monolith Show’ demanded a solution that could deliver a cinematic impact, cameras with a high dynamic range to shoot in the crowd and capture the LED show without over- or under-exposing. RED provided the flexibility to operate across live broadcast and cinematic capture without compromise.”
Epic Cinema was tasked with delivering “comprehensive video capture”, supporting live IMAG projection, near-live highlight creation, and cinematic content production for the official aftermovie and an upcoming documentary.
To handle the demands of production and deliver “stunning” visuals, Epic Cinema deployed a 22-camera setup consisting mostly of Komodo-X and V-Raptor cameras with the V-Raptor XL [X] systems for the live Cine-Broadcast workflows.
This included:
- Handheld and gimbal systems for dynamic crowd and stage coverage
- Fixed-position cameras throughout the stadium for wide and beauty shots
- Speciality rigs, including a Spidercam and telescopic jib
- Dedicated RED Cine-Broadcast configurations equipped with Fujinon DUVO 25–1000mm PL-mount box lenses for live long-range stage coverage
Additionally, several unmanned RED cameras were strategically positioned on and around the DJ booth and the stage’s architecture, operated remotely to capture “immersive performance angles without disrupting the visual design”.
In parallel, multiple camera feeds were transmitted back to the live production control room, where they were colour-matched and switched in real time for IMAG screens, ensuring a “consistent, cinematic look” across both the in-venue experience and the recorded content.
The integration of RED’s Cine-Broadcast system enabled Epic Cinema to “bridge the gap between high-end digital cinema and traditional live broadcast workflows”, RED said.
“RED’s renowned image quality combined with real-time signal output enabled the team to deliver broadcast-ready feeds for live switching and projection while simultaneously capturing high-resolution RAW footage for post-production,” it continued.
“This workflow also supported on-site highlight editing and rapid content turnaround, allowing the production team to maintain a cinematic aesthetic while meeting the demanding timelines and technical constraints of a live stadium production.”
“This event vividly demonstrated how RED’s live cine-broadcast solution can truly capture the power of the emotional experience for the artists and the audience,” added Andy Newham, head of sales, EMEA, at RED Digital Cinema.
“The cinematic image quality of the RED camera, combined with the global shutter and low-latency output, is ideally suited to the rigorous technical demands of a show of this impressive scale.
“It was a privilege to support Stijn and Epic Cinema in delivering results that were cinematic, scalable and fully optimised for a live production, delivering a staggeringly unique experience.”
