Production, Production, Production

Having not given out any production tips on the site for a while, we decided it was worth scouring the music industry for a handful of opinions about the importance of production. Whether you're putting together a festival, working in a venue or are just one of those people that likes to pick flaws with production choices that are not to your taste, there's no denying that good production makes for a good experience for all involved. Here's what a few people that know a thing or two about production had to say on the topic;

Rob Star, Eastern Electrics Festival

Production is really important to Eastern Electrics, although we are still really small in festival terms and don’t have massive budgets, we try to make each stage unique and different, with no two arenas looking or feeing the same.

We also try to add lots of non-musical elements into the event and work hard with the team who design the Electric City area of the site to incorporate art, fashion, cabaret and interactive entertainment which enhances the experience of the people coming beyond just listening to a series of DJ’s all day.

Festival goers travel all over the world to go to events these days and parties like Burning Man, Mysteryland and Tomorrowland all have incredible production values, which people then expect to see when they return to the UK. It is part of the escapism of going to a festival to be transported to a magical place and the site needs to reflect that.

Sarah MacBriar, Up Productions (has also worked on Glastonbury)

High production values, attention to detail and innovative approaches, adds another element, another form of art to an event or festival. In today’s environment, people want and expect more and as a creative producer, I believe it is important to push for more. 
People want to go on a journey, experience more through surprise and discovery at festivals and this is achieved through the production as well as the music.

Rob Searle, Mad Ferret Production (Hideout, Parklife)

Creative production within the club and festival scene is now something which all promoters are realising is essential in order to create a vibe which the consumers will remember. With both scenes becoming increasingly saturated the need to stand out from the crowd has never been more apparent. An entire club or festival brand can be created through the use of production which is not always possible through just the acts which are booked. 

Gemma Ross, The Qube Project

Music and visuals naturally go hand in hand with each other. We are creating an environment which aims to enhance the music and its effects. This means playing with light, the mapping and seeing what the audience respond to. For series 002 we filter everything we have learnt into a cocktail of visual pleasure to enjoy with our incredible DJs. I think that's exciting.

Superbros, (The Qube Project, Global Gathering, Snowbombing)

We do think that great production and visuals go together and an incredible DJ set looks more complete with its own visuals accompanying. We believe when you see a band playing you see them performing – the guitarist plays guitar, singer sings and dances, and drummer plays the drums – and this extra entertainment that pleases your eyes. 

Especially In electronic music the performer is quite often hidden behind the decks. Visuals make up for this. When I studied Cinema I learned that production is 50% visual and 50% audio, and if you have great sound design and music in your movie it will look better.