After the success of the BAFTA award-winning TV series Blue Planet II, Motorpoint Arena visited the depths of the ocean with BBC Studios and FKP Scorpio’s 13 date live tour. Accompanied by BBC presenter Anita Rani and the City of Prague Orchestra, the incredible wildlife footage came to life, creating a highly enjoyable evening suitable for all the family.
“When the opening sequence began, the camera quality as well as the screen quality really gave the shots the presentation and grandeur that they deserved”
The arena was buzzing by the time we arrived, with many an eager audience member finding their place in the vast seating area. Despite the size of the venue, the scale of the show was impressive with an 80-piece orchestra and state of the art 200 square metre 4K Ultra HD LED screen. When the opening sequence began, the camera quality as well as the screen quality really gave the shots the presentation and grandeur that they deserved.
“The orchestra was extremely talented with their flawless transitions in mood and tempo; the choir’s ability to switch between pure, angelic voices and the more sinister, jarring harmonies being highly commendable”
Conducted by Matthew Freeman, the City of Prague Orchestra performed the original music score written by Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea and David Fleming for Bleeding Fingers Music. The orchestra was extremely talented with their flawless transitions in mood and tempo; the choir’s ability to switch between pure, angelic voices and the more sinister, jarring harmonies being highly commendable. They reproduced the soundtrack perfectly, capturing both the comedic and tense moments of the scenes, but, in some ways, this didn’t always work in their favour. As their performance was faultless and the music fitted so smoothly alongside the footage, I sometimes found myself forgetting the orchestra were there – it seemed a shame that they weren’t louder and given more attention due to the overwhelming power of the film clips. Nevertheless, their performance was remarkable.
“The headlights of the underwater boats, the movements of the sea life and the murky environment were recreated with spotlights, smoke and the addition of laser beams”
The use of lighting and smoke machines made the show fully immersive as the colour and nature of the lights which surrounded the screen and shone from above and below as spotlights. Moving patterns matched the colours and lighting of the film clips. One moment in which this was particularly effective was during the footage from the deepest depths of the ocean. The headlights of the underwater boats, the movements of the sea life and the murky environment were recreated with spotlights, smoke and the addition of laser beams, creating a phenomenal atmosphere that left the audience in palpable silence.
“Her fairly cheesy and over-animated style didn’t seem particularly suitable for the more down-to-earth, natural tone of the show”
As the footage was wonderful and the overall experience immersive, I felt entranced and thoroughly involved in the situations, so when each clip ended and the host, Anita Rani, reappeared to talk about the marine life, it all seemed rather disjointed. The facts she gave were interesting and she successfully created a presence for herself but her fairly cheesy and over-animated style didn’t seem particularly suitable for the more down-to-earth, natural tone of the show. I was expecting a more Sir-David-Attenborough-style of commentary (big shoes to fill) and I think it would have flowed better without so many breaks but Rani was great at catering to the family friendly nature of the event.
From orcas to eels, puffins to humpback whales, Blue Planet II Live didn’t fail to deliver, taking the audience on a tense and, at times, emotional tour of our waters and those we share them with. Freeman and the City of Prague Orchestra, along with the technical crew, excelled themselves in creating a truly immersive and enjoyable experience that I would recommend to anyone.
8/10
Katie Moncur
Blue Planet II Live in Concert continues on its UK and EIRE Arena Tour until 28th March and tickets can be bought here: https://www.blueplanet2live.co.uk/
Featured Image courtesy of Katie Moncur
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