CFDA Fashion Awards Take a New Creative Direction with Video Support from WorldStage

	CFDA Fashion Awards

The CFDA Fashion Awards, honoring the best and brightest in American design, drew the international fashion community to a gala ceremony in June at the Hammerstein Ballroom. WorldStage provided video support for the event, which was produced by KCD and directed by Julie Mannion working alongside the KCD production team.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. (CFDA) is a not-for-profit trade association whose membership consists of more than 500 of America's foremost womenswear, menswear, jewelry, and accessory designers. The CFDA Fashion Awards, in partnership with Swarovski, are the highest honor in fashion and recognize outstanding contributions to American fashion in a number of categories. WorldStage has supported the event for almost 20 years.

"This year's awards brought in a new creative director, Stefan Beckman, and the creative group extension of Conde-Nast for a very large, multi-screen presentation, which WorldStage supported with gear and advice for the team," says Noah Loschy, senior production director at KCD. He previously worked with WorldStage on the Zoolander 2 premier at Alice Tully Hall and the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund dinner for emerging talent.

"For a long time the awards were held in a smaller space with a more standardized projector package, then we moved to some video mapping," he explains. "This year WorldStage helped us work through the aesthetics and technology of delivering synchronized images to eight different screens."

The proscenium stage featured a large center hero screen flanked by clusters of smaller, custom KadaN Productions' screens. WorldStage provided a total of seven Panasonic PT-DZ21K projectors and PT-RZ970 laser projectors for the front projection of content that included graphics, IMAG, and pre-produced roll-ins spotlighting the honorees.

d3 Technologies 4x4pro media servers were used to program the show the week before the event and play back the content in a complex choreography across the eight screens. A Grass Valley Karrera production switcher managed all the screens.

[WorldStage account executive] "TJ Donoghue and his team were great. They were really fantastic collaborators and partners and are always very generous in support of a non-profit with a fundraising event," says Loschy. "WorldStage exhibited true professionalism and expertise. From my perspective, I never want to use anyone else!"

Donoghue gives kudos to a "fabulous Local One crew from Theatrical Resources" who played a key role in the production. At WorldStage Armando Acevedo was the project manager, Joan Mateo the head projectionist, and Raul Herrera the d3 programmer. Noted digital artist Alex Czetwertynski was the screens coordinator working with KCD.