Sinus Awards 2024: Interview with Alex Luthwaite from Sphere Entertainment Co.

Sphere represents the forefront of entertainment innovation, transforming the landscape of live events. This cutting-edge venue serves as a creative playground for top-tier artists, inventors, and storytellers, offering unparalleled experiences that elevate narrative art and immerse viewers in both tangible and fantastical realms. Sphere is renowned for hosting exclusive Sphere experiences crafted by eminent filmmakers from Hollywood; live shows and extended performances by globally celebrated musicians; and flagship events of the highest caliber. Marking its debut in Las Vegas in September 2023, the inaugural Sphere venue has quickly become a seminal attraction in Las Vegas, equipped with avant-garde technologies designed to stimulate the senses and foster communal experiences on an unprecedented scale.

About Sphere Entertainment

Sphere Entertainment Co. stands as a leading entity in the domain of live entertainment and media. The inaugural Sphere venue was launched in Las Vegas in September 2023. Moreover, the company encompasses MSG Networks, managing two regional channels, MSG Network and MSG Sportsnet, focused on sports and entertainment. It also offers a direct-to-consumer and authenticated streaming service, MSG+, which provides a broad spectrum of live sports coverage and additional content.

Sphere – an architectural and digital innovation is this year’s winner of the Sinus Award

A quick look at the impressive data and figures shows the gigantic scale of this project: Sphere is the largest spherical structure in the world, a proud 112 meters high and 157 meters wide. Its outer skin, the Exosphere, covers an area of 54,000 square meters, is fully programmable and equipped with over 1.2 million LED pucks, setting new standards in digital display technology. It presents itself as the world’s largest LED display, with a resolution that is unprecedented. Inside Sphere is an impressive 15,000 square meter LED display with an extraordinary resolution of 16k x 16k for a unique visual experience. With capacity for up to 17,600 spectators for seated events and increasing to 20,000 for standing events, Sphere is a place where technological wonder meets architectural brilliance.

Tonight: The Award Ceremony at Hotel Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof

This year’s Sinus Award ceremony will take place, March 21, 2024, during an opulent gala dinner at the 5-star luxury hotel Steigenberger Icon Frankfurter Hof! We had the opportunity to interview the Senior Vice President, Show Systems Technology at Sphere Entertainment Co. – Alex Luthwaite – shortly before the award ceremony tonight!

Creating groundbreaking live experiences is part of Alex Luthwaite`s Career

As Senior Vice President of Show Systems Technology at Sphere Entertainment Co., Alex Luthwaite oversees the show technologies and show control systems at Sphere. This includes the Las Vegas venue’s LED exterior – the Exosphere – as well as inside the main venue bowl and Sphere’s interior LED display plane. In addition, he is responsible for the immersive technology experiences featured in the venue’s Atrium. Alex’s career has spanned various areas of entertainment technology and production, where he has been part of creating groundbreaking live experiences for some of the world’s leading artists, brands, performing arts spaces, and venues. Prior to joining Sphere Entertainment, Alex’s experience includes as a project manager at TAIT, a global live experiences company, as well as NEG Earth, a leading entertainment and lighting company in the UK. Alex Luthwaite graduated from The University of Salford with a degree in Popular Music and Recording.  

 

So first of all, congratulations to Sphere winning this award. Tell us a little bit about Sphere and the concept behind it.

The concept came from our Chairman, Jim Dolan. Our sister company owns Madison Square Garden, one of the most successful arenas in the world, as well as Radio City Music Hall, and we see the types of shows that repeatedly come through those venues. And our Chairman wanted to change how the audience interacted with these shows, and wanted to create a new medium for entertainment experiences. How do people come and experience shows collectively and are immersed in something that is different? We wanted to put something together that really shone and just did something differently.

 

How many companies were involved in the project and how did this collaboration come about?

In terms of technology we had to go to lots of different people globally and say ‘-what is the most future thinking piece of technology you have available at the market’? The idea of Sphere is that you are completely immersed in an environment, and so anything inside the bowl has to be behind the screen. So if you put anything between yourselves and the image you’re seeing, it really detracts from that image. That means you can’t hang traditional speakers. You can’t have traditional theatrical lights or trussing or anything that’s done in a usual environment. We had to really go and find new ways of doing that. We collaborated with lots of companies globally and had to get them to come together and go, – ‘Ok, great, you’re going to make an LED screen. We know how to do that. We know how to make one that’s curved in one axis. Now we want to make one curved in two axes, which is difficult. And we want to make it really really big.’ And people are like “oh.” And you have to get everything perfect, because for example if you had a seam between the LED’s, you’d see it, and it would ruin the effect. With speakers, we had to go find the audio solution but couldn’t put it anywhere traditionally in the building. We had to hide it behind the screens and the screen vendor raises their hands and goes “I’m uncomfortable with that because I’m going to bust an LED screen with a lot of high power audio.” And then the audio company raises their hand and goes “I’m concerned with that too, because it’s going to detract from my audio quality.” So we have to get both of those companies together and do a lot of testing. Then we have to find somebody who can mechanically make them work together. And then we had to make a system that would control all of those things. The people that read at Prolight+Sound understand the levels of complexities. You have to solve each of the individual elements and then you have to actually put them together into a show, and that’s where the complicated piece comes in.

 

How did the design idea come about?

That came from our Chairman. A Sphere is perfect because it has no corners. When you go into the bowl, and it’s all screen and it’s completely spherical, that is the perfect environment for us to completely manipulate where you are and the feeling you have. If you have a screen that has four corners, you normally always see the lines; you always see a reference point. And even when it’s very good, with these virtual production stages and things at the moment, the reason they can control that is because the camera is in one fixed position, so they know the field of view of the camera. We want to put 18,000 people in Sphere, so the camera is in 18,000 places, and we couldn’t do that with any traditional screen. We had to make it completely spherical.

Las vegas lights up, flashes and there are shows everywhere – how does that make a difference?

I think there are several ways. The exterior obviously dominates the skyline and has become an iconic feature of Las Vegas. But I believe our choice of content on the exterior is really making it an icon. We are very conscious about this – the artwork and the advertising has to be of really high quality, and we want to make people want to go and see it. We find there’s a car lot next to Sphere, and many people drive up there, sit in the back of their trucks and watch it like a show. And we want to maintain that level of interest so that it doesn’t just turn into a billboard. That’s the exterior, obviously making a significant impact. It’s also right underneath the flight path of the airlines, where people flying in can see it as one of the first things. Then, when people go to the show, I think no other show is like it. It doesn’t matter if you’re going to see “Postcard from Earth,” which is our cinematic show, or you’re going to see U2, you are put into such a unique environment that is so different from anything else out there at the moment. I think that draws a lot of attraction. It’s so new, in such a new way of doing things.

Because honestly, a phone simply cannot capture its essence. I’ve tried hundreds of times now, and every time I attempt to take a photo with my phone, it just doesn’t do it justice. It’s like going to the Grand Canyon or something similar; you stand at the edge, take a photo with your phone, and find yourself thinking, “Wow, this is enormous, incredible.” Even if you manage to take a panoramic shot, looking back at it on a 4-inch screen, you realize, it still doesn’t truly capture the experience.

Where do you see this technology in the future, and how?

I believe this innovation introduces significant ripple effects. The physical hardware and technology we’re deploying are truly pioneering, setting new benchmarks with unprecedented resolution, bit depths, and video quality that outpace anything previously available. On the audio front, our capacity to manipulate sound within a 3D space enables the precise placement of any instrument or sound effect, a capability not commonly found elsewhere. This advancement elevates expectations when bands and artists experience the crystal-clear quality of our audio system, making traditional arena systems seem inadequate by comparison. Currently, we’re collaborating with artists like Phish, and following U2’s recent performances, it’s clear that once they’ve experienced this level of audio quality, there’s no going back.

We’ve significantly raised the standard, encouraging a demand for superior quality, higher specifications, and more engaging video content. The essence of live performance innovation lies in constantly pushing boundaries. As performers and audiences become acquainted with these possibilities, expectations for what constitutes a memorable show are redefined. This shift not only influences current trends in live entertainment, such as the move from one visual theme to another, but it also challenges creators to reimagine what can be achieved with the latest technology at their disposal.

In essence, it’s about the tools available to creators, allowing them to ponder, “What tools do I have in my palette to craft the next groundbreaking show?” With access to a suite of novel tools previously unavailable, I’m confident these will be enthusiastically adopted, significantly influencing both artistic expression and the creation of live events. This evolution heralds a new era in live entertainment, driven by technological innovation and creative ambition.

 

Do you think there will be copycats?

Yes, I certainly hope they do. Responding to your earlier question about the impact on the market and other areas, this is precisely the mechanism of influence. When people see what we’ve achieved, they’re inspired to replicate a video element, an audio feature, or aspects of show control. Perhaps they’re drawn to the spherical concept or the idea of creating an immersive environment that transcends solitary experiences to embrace group interaction. I hope that all these innovations contribute positively to the industry, setting new standards and expanding the possibilities for audience engagement and entertainment.

What reactions did you get from visitors? How did they experience it?

The reaction varies depending on the show, but take our current cinematic experience, “Postcard from Earth,” for example. You can actually hear the audience gasp in surprise during certain moments – the collective gasp is both audible and genuinely heartwarming. It’s a delightful moment.

I had the privilege of attending U2’s opening night and found myself overhearing conversations in elevators. Families and individuals alike were buzzing with excitement, discussing how the experience surpassed their expectations and how thrilled they were to have come to Las Vegas for this. They eagerly anticipated sharing their experiences with others. Hearing such enthusiasm was incredibly touching.

Standing somewhat inconspicuously in an elevator corner, I couldn’t help but smile to myself, reflecting on the six to seven years of effort behind this project. It’s a profound feeling to realize that after all this time, we’ve finally opened this experience to the public.

Are there future plans for Sphere?

We’ve only begun to explore the possibilities. U2 had to construct their show before the building was even completed, requiring us to have faith in the technology and our ability to integrate everything seamlessly. We were in the midst of finalizing the building’s construction while they were in rehearsals, making it impossible to offer them a conventional preview of the venue. They were preparing their show in tandem with our construction.

This experience leads me to believe that we’ve merely touched the tip of the iceberg. A wave of creatives are now engaging with us, discussing future shows and brainstorming innovative ideas. It’s clear we have a long journey ahead, full of potential and discovery. I anticipate that everyone involved will grow increasingly bold, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible even further.

I’m genuinely excited about what the future holds and the new horizons we’re set to explore together.

 

What was the most exciting thing for you about this new technology and the fact that everything works together?

For me, the thrill lies in the ability to deploy this level of technology so flawlessly that it becomes invisible to the audience—that’s the magic of it. People might not leave humming the tunes of the lighting sequences, but they depart with the profound sensation of having been part of an extraordinary collective experience. This distinction sets it apart from any other show, imbuing it with a unique allure. The culmination of years of hard work behind the scenes to ensure this seamless integration pays off immensely. Humanity tends to focus on flaws, so if even a single aspect falters, it disrupts the illusion, snapping us back to reality from the immersive jungles, deserts, or any fantastical landscapes we’ve been transported to, making it feel suddenly foreign.

The true joy stems from attendees genuinely feeling transported—whether it’s to the Swiss Alps, complete with the sensation of cold air and moving seats, or to other breathtaking locales—all facilitated by the immersive environment we’ve created. Witnessing audiences feel as though they’re being whisked away to entirely different worlds is exhilarating. This aspect of creating immersive experiences that profoundly impact people, offering them a glimpse into places and sensations they’ve never before imagined, is incredibly rewarding to me.

 

And how does it feel for you winning the Sinus Award?

I do think it’s incredibly cool. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been a follower of Prolight + Sound for many years, which aligns with my background. Having spent a decade on concert tours and focusing on lighting before that, I’ve consistently kept up with the latest in light and sound technology. Throughout this time, I’ve seen various innovations and projects get highlighted, but nothing has quite compared to this experience. It fills me with a sense of pride and excitement to be involved in something so groundbreaking. I’m truly grateful and thrilled to be a part of this project.

 

Thank you very much for the exciting interview and congratulations!