Plan UK, the global children’s charity, has teamed up with brand experience agency BEcause to launch a year-long programme of consumer-facing events, aimed at boosting sponsorship and awareness levels.

The national roadshow is designed to give Plan ambassadors a platform to talk directly to potential individual sponsors about the work the charity does to help children in the world’s poorest countries.

The campaign kicked off at The Adventure Travel Show at Olympia, Londonthis weekend (28-29^th January), an occasion billed as “the UK’s only event dedicated to discovering the world off the beaten track”.  Visitors were invited to spend some time in the Plan Base Camp where they could watch videos of the charity in action. Guests were also invited to learn how to create their own Paper Batik – one of the craft skills that Plan teaches to help lift people out of poverty.

To allow conversations to develop, a small café served free cups of tea and coffee.  Brand Ambassadors talked to consumers about the work Plan does to improve education, health, water, sanitation and creating economic stability for people who need it the most.

Katie Penfold, Senior Account Director at BEcause, comments:

“We’re really proud to be working with such a passionate group of people to help lift the profile of a very worthy cause.  We hope that the chance to reach globally-aware and active audiences at relevant consumer shows this year will allow Plan to secure the support it needs and deserves.”

The roadshow is due to visit other events this year including The Malvern Spring show and The Vitality Show.  Its next outing will be at The Times Destination show on 4^th February 2012.

Projection mapping by British creative agency Knifedge lit up the closing ceremony of the inaugural Kuwait Professional Squash Association Cup, staged in Kuwait City at the end of 2011.

Knifedge worked with Sydney-based Great Big Events to produce the spectacular light show, watched by thousands on the city’s landmark Green Island.  The 3 minute sequence was designed in Cinema 4D and After Effects and projected onto the island’s iconic water tower, using 2 x 20K Barco Projectors using PRG’s M-Box programming system.

Jonathan Brigden, managing director of Knifedge, comments:

“Projection mapping is a fantastic way to entertain and amaze public audiences – from large scale sports events like this, right down to more intimate music, theatre and corporate events.  We were delighted to help bring this inaugural tournament to such a spectacular finale.”

The Kuwait PSA Cup, staged from 23-29 November 2011, was held to honour the 50th anniversary of Kuwait’s independence.  The event was chaired by Sheikha Fadyha Al-Sabah, daughter of the Patriarch Amir HH Sheikh Saad Abdullah Al-Saba.  Forty-eight of the world’s top squash players competed for the title, which was eventually won byEngland’s James Willstrop.

Knifedge is no stranger to working on sports events in theMiddle East.  In 2010, the company wowed crowds at the Opening Ceremony of the World Athletics Championships with more projection mapping, this time onto two floating heliospheres.

Directed and choreographed by Mitch Sebastian, this new production features set design, projection content, animations and visual engineering by award-winning production designer Timothy Bird and a 10-strong team at his London-based creative agency, Knifedge.

Pippin is a darkly humorous coming of age story, originally set in an historical world when it was first performed on Broadway winning five Tony awards.

The Menier Chocolate Factory’s new high concept production updates the story to a contemporary, virtual world, where Pippin’s ‘ticket to an extraordinary life’ is played out as a computer game live on stage.

Whilst director Mitch Sebastian has incorporated Bob Fosse’s original Tony award-winning routines into his production, this version of Pippin combines new visual technologies with live performance to bring the show into the 21^st century.

Tim Bird said: “In designing the multimedia content for the production, we’ve drawn inspiration from computer games and films such as Tron.  To achieve the desired results, we have collaborated closely from the outset with the director, Mitch Sebastian as well as lighting designer Ken Billington, costume designer Jean-Marc Puissant, sound designer Gareth Owen, artistic director of the Menier Chocolate Factory, David Babani, and with Stephen Schwartz himself.”

From a technical perspective, Knifedge has used five Panasonic 6k projectors and two DL Moving Head projectors (supplied by XL Video) to throw its creations onto a simple, apparently concrete set.  The video content is supplied by two Catalyst media servers, and controlled by a Grand MA lighting desk.   Clever use of blinding light, permeable set walls, hidden access points and 3D animations of the actors create stunning special effects, with players seeming to appear magically on stage.

Knifedge’s Timothy Bird has previously worked with the Menier Chocolate Factory as Projection Designer for the critically-acclaimed Sunday in the Park with George, which won multiple awards for Best Design, awarded jointly to Timothy and to Set and Costume Designer David Farley.

Creative agency Knifedge has worked on a wide range of projection design projects recently including Snow Patrol’s performance for the BBC’s Children in Need Rocks concert inManchester, a 10-month tour for American singer-songwriter Josh Groban, and animated projections forWest End show “Backbeat”, the story of the birth of the Beatles.

Tim Bird added: “At Knifedge, our aim is to create powerful media content that makes audiences stop and go “wow”. Content which goes way beyond people’s expectations, touches them emotionally and prompts powerful reactions.”

Pippin runs at the Menier Chocolate Factory until 25^th February 2012.

Brand experience agency BEcause has been hired by Gü, the premium deserts brand, to launch a sampling and pampering experience aimed at Christmas shoppers at key locations in December.

Gü’s “Give In To Sparkle” campaign will provide a pop-up experience where shoppers can rest their weary feet and enjoy some pampering. Brand Ambassadors will invite the public to enter a competition to win indulgent little treats.  They will also hand out samples of Gü puddings, whilst emphasising key brand messages and encouraging people to seek out those sparkling little moments of happiness.  A team of Gü brand ambassadors will also be on hand to provide on-site makeovers.

Gü was launched in 2003 with a chocolate pudding range that proved highly popular in supermarkets across theUK. Today the company estimates four Gü puddings are eaten, somewhere in the world, each second.

Anna Bradshaw, Account Director at BEcause, comments:

“Shoppers are frantically going from pillar to post in the run up to Christmas. So we want to remind them it’s OK to take a moment for out and give in to sparkle! Gü is all about those little pleasures in life and we are delighted to be running this campaign to strengthen the brand message just before Christmas.”

The roadshow will appear in Westfield(WhiteCity) and Covent Garden on the 16^th and 17^th of December respectively. It will then travel to The Bullring in Birmingham on the 21^st of December, and The Trafford Centre inManchester the following day.

Animated graphics by creative agency Knifedge provided an atmospheric backing to Snow Patrol’s performance of “This Isn’t Everything You Are” at last week’s Children in Need Rocks concert at the MEN Arena, Manchester.

Knifedge’s animations were inspired by the Golden Eagle which features prominently on the cover of the band’s new album, “Fallen Empires”.  In the 4-minute visual sequence, eagle silhouettes fly over stylised fields and cityscapes, offering dramatic bird’s eye views on abstract landscapes below.

The visuals were screened on 7 giant LED screens during the 2 hour concert organised by X Factor judge and Take That star Gary Barlow.  The event was attended by 14,000 people, and watched by 4.3m viewers on BBC One, as a precursor to the BBC’s annual Children in Need Telethon the following night.

Jonathan Brigden, managing director at Knifedge, comments:
“We were delighted to support Snow Patrol at what turned out to be a brilliant concert for a great cause.  We’re already working with the band on plans for its 2012 Fallen Empire Tour, and look forward to helping create a stunning series of events next year.”

Knifedge’s visual creations were also on show at another major event this month at Madison Square Garden, New York– when US singing sensation Josh Groban played the last gig in his “Straight to You” Tour to a packed house.  Knifedge has produced all the moving image content for this 8-month tour, involving complex projection mapping onto a giant arched set.

The Knifedge-created Christmas e-panto campaign, aimed at companies in the City of London, was featured in The Evening Standard’s City Spy, plus the business diaries of The Independent and sister paper ‘i’.

Meanwhile, sustainable laundry product manufacturer EcoEgg was the subject of a full page profile in The Daily Express today.

Well done team!

Projection design specialists Knifedge have unveiled their latest theatrical collaboration in Backbeat – the stage adaptation of Iain Softley’s cult 1994 British film about the birth of The Beatles – which has just made its West End debut.

Set in the early 1960s, Backbeat tells the story of the fifth Beatle and original bassist, Stuart Sutcliffe.  As the band made its name in the backstreet clubs of Hamburg, artist Sutcliffe fell madly in love with German photographer Astrid Kirchherr.  Sutcliffe’s struggle in choosing between his best friend John Lennon and the band, or the woman of his dreams and his art, is the focus of Backbeat.  All time Beatles rock ‘n’ roll classics from the era are performed live on stage throughout the production.

Knifedge’s projections – co-designed by Timothy Bird and Nina Dunn – play both a narrative and emotional role in the production.  They bring the work of the two main visual artists to life – Sutcliffe’s paintings and Kirchherr’s photographs. The Knifedge team, which also included Lucy Ockenden, Sam Hunt, Aaron Trinder and Vron Harris, worked in close collaboration with the rest of Karl Sydow’s creative team. The show has been substantially reworked for the stage by director David Leveaux.

“The Beatles’ time in Hamburg provided a catalyst for all the protagonists and their art: Stuart as a painter, Astrid as a photographer and the Beatles as a band,” say Nina Dunn of the Knifedge team. “Our projections aim to represent the emotional importance of visual art to the story, and interweave the idea of how Kirchherr, Sutcliffe, their photographs and paintings contribute to the development of the most iconic band of the 20^th Century.”

From a technical standpoint, the need to project onto multiple surfaces has called for a sophisticated rig.  Knifedge is using four front-of-house projectors that are cross-focused to reduce actor shadow and internal set shadow, as well as an on-stage projector.  These are driven by two main Catalyst media servers, with two back ups.  Video is triggered via the lighting desk.

Backbeat runs at the Duke of York Theatre, London until March 2011.  Co-written by Iain Softley and Stephen Jeffreys, the production is directed by David Leveaux and produced by Karl Sydow, with musical direction by Paul Stacey.  Andrew Edwards and Christopher Oram provided the set and costume design, with lighting design by Howard Harrison and David Holmes.  Sound design is by Ed Clarke and Paul Groothius.

Following the success of its work on the British Gas Sustainability Café this summer, brand experience agency BEcause has been hired to help amplify the energy company’s sponsorship of the RAC Future Car Challenge on 5^th November 2011.

The Future Car Challenge is an annual race from Brighton to London involving cars of the near future.  The winner is the vehicle which uses the least energy.  Entrants range from commercial manufacturers to privateers.

British Gas is the energy and EV charging sponsor for the event.   The company is entering three electric vehicles into the event, including a Nissan Leaf Electric car to be driven by Smooth Radio DJ Mark Goodier and Scrapheap Challenge presenter Robert Llewellyn.

BEcause will be responsible for creating a relevant consumer-facing exhibition stand for British Gas in a solar-panelled container at the Ceremonial Finish on Regent Street.  Over 500,000 people are expected to attend this event, where more than 60 entering vehicles will be on display.

Crisis, the UK homeless charity marking its 40^th anniversary in 2011, is calling on City businesses to support its most inventive Christmas e-card campaign yet; an e-pantomime, starring popular celebrities including Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, Matthew Kelly, presenter and actor Joe Swash and boy band Blue.

Sponsoring businesses will be able to entertain all their contacts by inviting them – with special e-tickets – to watch mini comedy scenes from the panto classic Jack and The Beanstalk, online.

Stand-up comedian Ian Stone and panto professional Chris Jarvis wrote the e-panto scripts – and the celebrities star in traditional panto roles, wearing wigs and make-up, set against the back-drop of a cut-out Victorian theatre.  Each one minute scene ends with the strapline, “Don’t make a panto out of a crisis,” before a final screen from the sponsoring company wishes the recipient a Happy Christmas.  The campaign has been designed by creative agency Knifedge.

Joe Swash said, “I’m thrilled to be supporting Crisis, performing in this hilarious fundraising Christmas card for the charity’s corporate supporters in 2011.  There is also a serious message too – in these tough economic times, homelessness could happen to anyone and Crisis works hard to help transform people’s lives.”

The campaign coincides with a time of rising homelessness inLondon, due to economic uncertainty and cuts in housing benefits.  Recent research from Crisis shows that 3,975 people slept rough in London at some point during 2010/11, an increase of eight per cent from the previous year and an increase of a thousand people since the same survey took place in 2005/6.

The Christmas campaign’s objective is to raise over £650,000 from corporate supporters in the City, which will help to provide food, companionship and vital services to around 3,000 homeless people.  Crisis centres will be open from 23-30 December in Zones 1-3 ofLondon, residential centres in Zones 1-3 and day centres in North London,Stratford, Bermondsey, Hammersmith and Deptford.

Companies can sign up to one of five sponsorship packages by visiting a dedicated Crisis at Christmas microsite at http://christmascard.crisis.org.uk.  The campaign is being promoted with a series of ads in the Financial Times and all companies that purchase the e-card will be thanked in future ads to run in the newspaper.

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