CSI Control system’s power wows show producers and audiences alike
Imagine walking into your next exhibit or presentation knowing that every step is already built in, every moment thought out, pre-programmed and ready to go with the push of a button. Turntables, winches and every movement needed for a dynamic show are already at the site, set up and running. This would make anyone’s projects worry-free, and that was the idea behind Chicago Scenic Studios’ development of CSI Control, a new automation and show control system that ensures projects will run smoothly time and time again because they can be pre-programmed and tested thoroughly to avoid embarrassing miscues at a live event.

“We knew that if we made the upfront investment in this system, our customers would greatly benefit from it. Rather than cobbling together a system of owned, rented and subcontracted items, we can now offer a powerful ‘plug and play’ show control system at a great price,” said Chicago Scenic founder and president Bob Doepel. CSI Control is ready to operate as soon as it’s hooked up at the job site, and that translates to further cost savings.

“Its flexibility is what makes it so powerful. No matter what a project calls for, it can be quickly reconfigured and reprogrammed to meet any client’s needs,” said Doepel.

The control system can handle the most complicated automation demands for a wide variety of potential applications, including trade shows, corporate presentations, auto shows, television, theme park and theatrical productions. While its primary purpose is to run and control mechanical systems from turntables and winches to pneumatic cylinders and hydraulic platforms, it can be easily programmed to interface with audio-visual equipment and lighting. It can handle up to 100 axes of motion and up to 1,000 cues, and then repeat it over and over, which gives it a real “wow factor”.

Chicago Scenic typically sends an operator to run the system, but because it was designed with customers in mind, CSI Control’s touch screen is so intuitive that even the most technically challenged can be successfully trained to use it. When project manager Mark Ewing engineered the program at Chicago Scenic, he did not overlook any details. The system prompts the operator for every potential need, and can automatically adapt to international power requirements. Keeping wiring to a minimum is the ethernet cable that connects the operator control station to the AC inverters or other control components and safety devices running the various motors, turntables and other mechanical devices. Also built into the system is the capability for the inverters to provide 50% more power in short bursts to better control fast moves or heavier loads. Changing the programming is extremely simple and can be done both onsite for short-term projects, and for long-term and permanent installations, CSI Control can be accessed through the Internet to change the system’s programming, for troubleshooting or as the client’s needs change.

CSI Control made its premier at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, where Chicago Scenic worked with Clear!Blue to provide scenery and automation for General Motors’ highly anticipated press events. The system was used to fully integrate the video with automated rotating LED-covered walls and a 20-foot turntable that provided a 360-degree view of GM’s newest cars. Chicago Scenic also provided many of the other elements of the GM event, including an oversized hanging screen surround, cyc wall, stage, steps and press risers.

The system also was in play at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show, where Chicago Scenic, working with George P. Johnson on the Toyota and Scion press events, provided three turntables and two tracking LED walls, all of which were controlled by the CSI Control. CSI also provided a 4,000-sq.-ft. deck and ramps for the cars to drive on, support structures for large LED panels and a fabric backdrop that completed the set.

In addition to turntables, Chicago Scenic can provide motors and traveling deck winches and will soon offer cable-pull winches that can dead lift 1,000 pounds at three feet per second with redundant braking for safety purposes.

“This new, rentable system grew out of the groundbreaking set we engineered for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” more than two years ago,” said Doepel. With multiple ways to reveal guests, bands or special acts, the objective was to allow for the greatest flexibility and striking appearance while keeping Oprah near the audience.

A series of mechanized devices allow for numerous stage configurations. In all, the set contains nearly 50 axes of motion. Noteworthy items include: a 30’ diameter center stage turntable with eight hydraulic lift stages, a center close-down of double-sided light boxes that open like a clamshell to reveal the turntable or raise into themselves and disappear into the ceiling; three double-sided light boxes that swivel 90° and host 42-inch plasma monitors providing a creative reveal option; a 16’x30’ LED wall designed in four separate pieces, all of which track both side to side and up and down; and Oprah’s home base, which is designed to allow three positions of differing proximity to the audience.

Even though it is reconfigured and reprogrammed every day, the system has been running error-free at the Oprah Show for two years. “Reliability is key. CSI Control provides a high level of sophistication and reliability to our customers who demand and deserve it,” Doepel said.

CSSI benefits from Local Economic and Development Council’s employee training program; New employee gives back to the community
The saying “what goes around comes around” may not always have the most positive connotation, but Chicago Scenic is proud to have recently been part of a positive chain of events.

Chicago Scenic has always been active in the community, including working with Chicago’s Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Council. CSSI president Bob Doepel serves on the board of directors as vice chair, and Chicago Scenic has supported its annual holiday program for needy children.

Now we are on the receiving end of the council’s work in the form of newly trained employees. Among the council’s services is its Entry Level Industrial Skills Training (ELIST) program that provides adults with training in manufacturing, building maintenance and the trades. They also provide program graduates with job placement assistance which has led several employees to Chicago Scenic’s doors.

Reggie Grant is a proud graduate of the ELIST program. He has worked full-time in CSSI’s traffic department for more than a year and hopes to further his career by entering CSSI’s apprentice program. Reggie has worked on many CSSI projects, including Cool Globes, a recent public art exhibit in Chicago. Reggie was proud to share that project with his five daughters, ages 11 to 24.
Grateful for the helping hand he received from the LEED Council, Reggie, along with a few friends, created a community organization, 100 Men Standing. The group is comprised of local men from all walks of life including teachers and law enforcement officers who share the common goal of giving underserved children opportunities that they otherwise may not receive. The men hope to teach the young adults that “you are not just a product of your environment. You have to make your own decisions,” as Reggie said.

By providing children with guidance and opportunities to explore their world during their vulnerable early years, 100 Men Standing strives to provide hope and a more positive future for the children they serve.

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