“I’ve been incredibly impressed with Depence […]. I’m always relieved when I see Depence in the festival previz suite—it really makes the process smoother.”
Conor Biddle began using Depence at festival previz suites and was very impressed with its capabilities. Last year, he covered a colleague's show that had been timecoded using Depence and was amazed at how few changes were needed when transferring to real-world values. Following this experience, Biddle switched from another program and has been using Depence since.
Recently, Biddle was working on KNEECAP's sold-out Irish and UK tour. KNEECAP, the Northern Irish trio known for their distinctive fusion of punk and hip-hop, were set to embark on their tour, featuring an impressive lighting and production setup. With a reputation for thought-provoking lyrics and engaging performances, KNEECAP combines powerful social commentary with infectious beats. The tour showcased their latest songs alongside fan favorites, all enhanced by dynamic visuals and immersive stage design that elevates the live experience. The main design brief was to create an atmospheric show with strong, homogenized looks that follow the music tightly to enhance each musical quirk. The design aimed for a strong minimalist industrial look, incorporating shadow play and a heavy smoky atmosphere. Most of the sources are out of sightlines, and the design primarily uses soft wash and strobe sources with no beam fixtures.
Depence was utilized from the very start to create static and video renders of the initial design to send to the artist. The realistic render engine was invaluable in providing the artists with an accurate idea of their show. Once all the design elements were finalized, Depence was crucial for the programming. Using NDI, Biddle could live program the visuals as well, using Resolume. He programmed in his studio and used screen capture to send full sessions to the visual artist and the rest of the team. They would make notes, then reprogram and re-render. With the entire show being timecoded, using Depence meant they knew exactly how the show would look, resulting in minimal tweaking at the venue. This was fantastic, considering there are over 13,000 timecode events for the lighting alone. The show was designed with touring in mind, featuring ACME Pixeline as the main fixture. Perfectly visualized in Depence, the Pixeline resembled compact, powerful and durable enough to withstand the intensity of a KNEECAP stage.
The assurance of knowing that all off-site programming would closely relate to real-world values, along with realistic and flattering renders to convey the design ideas to the client, was a significant benefit. This show is one of the most complex and tightly synced Biddle has been involved in, using over 5,000 recipes, 3,000 cues, and 13,000 timecode events. The accuracy and quick frame rate capabilities of Depence allowed for tight synchronization with any track in both lighting and visuals. The confidence of knowing all the time spent in the studio was invaluable.
“This was a strong, minimalist design that followed the tracks and visuals with precise detail—achieved only because the band and management trusted us to spend two weeks buried in the previz studio. The result is a show that integrates cutting-edge technology for a tight, cohesive experience. It wouldn’t have been possible without Depence […].”
