Footage from ELF the stage show

Footage from Peter Pan the stage show

Stage Backdrops

Animated Video Backdrops for Pantomime Tours & Arena Shows

With over 20 years’ experience, I create dynamic, stage-optimised animated video backdrops for large-scale family theatre, pantomime tours, and arena productions.

Previous credits include:

• Horrible Histories live stage shows for Birmingham Stage Company

• Multiple pantomimes for Qdos Entertainment

• Seasonal productions for Butlins

• Full video backdrop packages for Jon Conway Productions on major titles including Peter Pan, Elf The Musical, and The Wizard of Oz

I deliver flexible, high-quality content that works on both LED video walls and projection systems — from HD up to extra-large resolutions for multi-screen mapping.

Working primarily in Unreal Engine, I combine fast real-time rendering with a mix of purchased assets (to control budget) and fully bespoke 3D props and builds. Scenes are designed to be easily re-edited later — add new content, remove elements, or make changes without starting from scratch. Additional effects and polish are applied in After Effects for maximum visual impact on stage.

Elf The Musical: I created a full set of animated backdrops for a three-screen system (centre 16:9, sides 4:4). Some videos were formatted for individual screens while others were rendered as extended full-width versions to cover all three seamlessly. This design avoided playback lag and kept the workflow simple, especially as the side screens were also used for live actor camera feeds.

ELF Video layout