Alongside nachos and chicken wings, PixMob is gradually carving out a place among the Super Bowl must-haves. For a fifth year in a row (and the sixth time in total), the Montreal company specializing in wireless lighting participated in the traditional halftime show.
It is to the SME which is established in the district of Ahuntsic-Cartierville that we owe the approximately 60,000 remotely controllable luminous bracelets, which hung on the wrists of the lucky ones who were able to attend the match live from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, came to enhance Usher’s performance during the intermission.
Made from recycled plastic, PixMob bracelets are equipped with multi-colored LED lights, which are activated to the rhythm of the music. A sort of luminous choreography, which, in recent years, has accompanied Rihanna, The Weeknd and even Eminem during their time at the high mass of American football.
“Even if it’s several times, you don’t get used to it. We are always impressed to be part of this immense production,” commented Jean-Olivier Dalphond, sales manager and partner at PixMob, when The duty contacted him in Nevada 48 hours before the fateful moment.
The company’s order book includes the crème de la crème of global entertainment, led by the Queen of Pop Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Lady Gaga, as well as sports circuits like the NBA and NHL. But the Super Bowl is always special. It’s not every day that we participate in the biggest show annual worldwide broadcast, broadcast in 150 countries. “It’s a contract that we always take with humility. It’s one of the biggest shows in the world in terms of broadcasting. It is important,” said Mr. Dalphond, emphasizing each of his words.
Exactly, how do we manage to keep our place in the sun with the NFL, one of the biggest global players in the world of entertainment?
As with great quarterbacks, it’s a matter of reliability and hard work, according to those involved. “We have always delivered the creative vision [attendue par les artistes] », summarizes Mr. Dalphond. “People in the NFL trust our team and our product. In a live event, you don’t get second chances. It has to work. »
For this, PixMob has opted for technology that has been recognized and proven for decades. If the lighting effects created by the company are impressive, they are based on the same process as that used to open the television. In fact, the bracelets that were used on Sunday are activated by simple infrared emitters.
“At our house, we love simplicity. Everyone has the same technology in their living room with their television controller. Instead of going from station 2 to 3, we tell the bracelet to go from red to yellow,” summarizes the PixMob manager.
The use of infrared also makes it possible to avoid the interference that accompanies the use of radio frequencies, while creating “very organic, fluid and moving effects” in space. All in the service of a show that we want to be larger than life.
“Yes, we are making light. But it creates collective joy,” underlines Jean-Olivier Dalphond. “When everyone’s bracelets light up at the same time, we synchronize. A feeling is born that you cannot have in your living room. This feeling elevates the energy of the crowd. And the artist feels this and gives it back to the spectators. It’s a loop of positive feelings, which makes the performances even more grandiose. »