From set design, creative direction and video content, to developing and delivering the final product, darmah is a much sought-after one-stop shop that uses state-of-the-art technology to bring emotion to the audience and create unforgettable moments. A big part of that is Brompton Technology LED processing, which has been key to the company’s success story over the last six years.
“Brompton makes reliable, easy-to-navigate LED processing that allows us to make all our video and xR work look amazing,” said Rodrigo Proal, founder of darmah. “As a Brompton partner, we continue to have a great experience with their people and products.”
Recent successful projects include Daddy Yankee’s YouTube Concert (most views of a concert on YouTube for the first week of December), the Billboard Latin Music Awards and Premios Juventud 2020 Awards, amongst many other live and recorded performances.
“It’s especially important to use reliable equipment on these important awards shows that are putting on COVID-sensitive events. We love how Brompton makes the integration of video and xR smoother and provides us more control. It also leads to creating visual backgrounds beyond any imagination that keep our clients returning to us for additional projects,” adds Bianca Moncada, partner.
Brompton’s Tessera LED processing solutions are used on everything from huge global world tours to pioneering virtual productions and virtual studios, which highlights the value of both its image quality and reliability and which darmah depends on. “The image we get by using Tessera is sharper and more vivid than anything else out there,” Moncada explains. “We really appreciate the ultra-low latency and the high frame rate, too. But none of that means anything if we can’t count on it, and it’s incredibly reliable. That’s key to delivery of our product to artists, award shows, sporting events, and corporate clients.”
“Our origins were in Live Events but today our processing is key to a lot of film, XR and broadcast work as well,” notes Rob Fowler, Brompton’s Senior Business Development Manager, who goes on to explain that Brompton has always focused on the needs of end customers such as darmah, and also forging close links with their preferred LED screen vendors, often in China to ensure the processing system marries up nicely to the LED panels it will be deployed with.
“Although our R&D and processor manufacturing is and likely always will be carried out here in London, we have also grown our presence in China to support partner manufacturers and now employ a diverse team of engineers, account handlers and support staff at our office in Shenzhen, China,” he adds. “In addition to that, we are growing our presence in North America and despite some delays due to Covid 19 we hope to have our LA Office open in 2021.”
As a forward-thinking studio, darmah quickly realized the ROI in terms of creative possibilities and the all-important competitive edge Brompton could offer them. “Although Brompton is associated with a slightly higher upfront cost, when we look at the total cost of ownership its Tessera processors definitely deliver and keep on delivering great value for our projects,” stated Moncada.
According to Fowler, reliability is one of Brompton’s strongest points, as is 24/7 customer support from technicians with real world experience of the production industry. “The other key part of the Brompton difference that companies such as darmah can benefit from is free software upgrades like our recently launched Version 3.1 with support for HFR+, frame remapping and IP control which add new functionality to existing platforms,” he adds.
Training is another subject which is close to Fowler’s heart. “We have always seen training as a key plank of developing our business and the market for Brompton products, that’s why we always aim to provide training to anyone who wants it, such as offering free monthly classes at our HQ in London as well as one off courses at venues world-wide.” The training was further adapted during the pandemic, when the team also started offering courses via video-conferencing systems using the innovative streaming rack solution.
Moncada agrees, saying that their team took courses to be fully trained, and they appreciate how Brompton keeps them up to date with its Tessera updates. “At darmah, we’re all about learning – it’s a nonstop part of what makes our studio distinct. It’s always about the right person with the right knowledge, and that’s a philosophy shared with the people at Brompton,” she said.
“It is incredibly satisfying to see how brilliant companies like darmah use our products as one of the building blocks needed to continue thriving and delivering great service to their customers,” concludes Fowler. “Here’s to darmah’s success and many more exciting Brompton-powered projects to come this year and beyond.”