[AcesJames]

For those teams making the trip up to Montreal this weekend, be weary of the "atmosphere" of the event. It is MUCH different from many other regionals in that the crew running the event are working very hard to put on quite a show.

In a nutshell, the entire field is surrounded by floor to ceiling black curtains, and the only lighting on the field is spotlights and other colored lights. Last year there was a LOT of diffuser pumped into the air as well, to make the spotlights look like beams onto the field. If you are using camera targeting, you may want to spend some extra time on the practice field on Thursday calibrating your camera to the very, very different lighting conditions that Montreal has.

With that disclaimer out of the way, good luck to those teams competing at the Festival this weekend, it should be quite a show. Even as a first year event last season, Montreal was one of the best run events I've ever attended. It is run very differently from almost any other regional, but it is very fun.