|
MISS WORLD 2008 IN SOUTH AFRICA |
|
|
The most technically advanced Miss World event to date took place in Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, defined by stunning visual aesthetics and architecture created by Tim Dunn’s lighting & visuals design and Dewet Meyer’s set.
|
|
All the creative and technical resources and talent required to produce the event were sourced locally, and the show utilized the services, expertise and technical savvy of 6 companies in the Gearhouse South Africa Group: GHSA, LEDVision, SDS, In2Structures, GH Power and Havaseat. Together they spanned 10 technical production disciplines to provide design, rigging, staging, lighting, audio, video, specialist visuals, set building, power and seating in SCC’s Pavilion venue.
The event was the first in the world to feature 12 of Czech Republic-based lighting manufacturer Robe Lighting’s new DigitalSpot 7000DT digital moving lights and 32 of their new REDWash 3192 LED wash fixtures, which were an integral part of the lighting design.
The show was broadcast live by SABC (the South African Broadcasting Company) to 2 billon people in over 200 countries on 373 TV stations. It was also one of the greenest Miss World’s to date, consuming approximately 30% less electricity (with double the amount of lights) than the last time it was staged in South Africa -in 1995 at Sun City- also lit by Tim Dunn.
Gearhouse’s project management team of Jesse Wang, Michael Lewis, Lee Reynold and Eyal Yehezkely coordinated the ambitious task of getting 28 trucks of equipment into the building in a week -via two expediently sized service lifts and an 80 ton crane. In the process, they organized and looked after 65 Gearhouse crew from the different companies, plus up to 150 locals.
LIGHTING & VISUALS
Tim Dunn’s innovative and eye-catching lighting design was based on a series of curved trusses which evolved after he saw Dewet Meyer’s impressive 40m wide spherical stage design, based on an African jewel. This comprised 7 complex multi-level interlocking circles and delineated the performance space.
Dunn and Meyer worked closely to ensure that their aggregate visuals fused at every juncture to produce real energy and a harmonious performance space. For this reason, and to maximize the potential effect of the lighting and particularly the special digital lighting that Dunn was pioneering on this show, the set was clad in grey toned skins.
It was important that the space had a contemporary African flavor and plenty of depth, so Dunn had PVC printed truss borders made with a triangulated pattern to cover the fascias of the large amount of metalwork up in the roof. These were also in differently graded grays -a simple idea which made a lot of difference- and, along with the set, lit beautifully.
Always keen to embrace cutting edge technology and bring it to South Africa, Dunn broke new ground on this one by using 12 of Robe’s new DigitalSpot 7000DTs and 32 REDWash 3192 LED wash lights -the first time this many of either fixture has been used on a show worldwide.
The design also incorporated 230 conventional moving lights -a mix of Robe ColourWash 2500E ATs, Robe ColorSpot and ColorWash 700E ATs, Martin Professional MAC 2K Spots and Washes and High End Studio Colors. These were scattered all over the trusses.
Conscious of power consumption issues -always a controversial issue in South Africa, where load shedding is a common occurrence- Dunn had 117 i-Pix Satellite LED ‘bricks’ ensconced into the set, hung on special custom brackets, which wrapped around the internal perimeter. These were pixel-mapped via one of two grandMA Video media servers. They are well known for their brightness and low power consumption, and were used for lively mid-level chases and colour bursts around the set.
He also used 32 of the new i-Pix BB4s LED wash lights to highlight an 80m long by 8m deep printed cyc that wrapped around the exterior of the set. Each cell in the BBs was patched individually, allowing complete control for the creation of some awesomely smooth, undulating color ripples.
With all 109 contestants onstage at key moments, Dunn needed really good even coverage all across the set and stage, so the rig also included 32 5K fresnels, rigged on the FOH trusses to produce large washes. These were all photometrically calculated to provide optimum and constant light for the cameras.
The Robe DigitalSpots were all located on one centre stage truss and fed by ArtNet protocol. Dunn used them as true digital moving lights rather than as projectors.
He commissioned GHSA’s specialist visuals department, Gearhouse Media -headed by Chris Grandin and Marcel Wijnberger- to create a series of 30 bespoke video clips that were uploaded to the heads of the DT7000s. These included black and white and sepia toned sequences, carefully crafted to give ethereal liquid and fluid effects all over the set.
Using the DT7000’s inbuilt LED modules, he added color and further texturing to these images, producing some incredibly innovative results and great camera candy on the fins and outer ramp of the set. He was highly impressed with their brightness, quality of output and color temperature as well as the sheer creative potential.
The REDWashes were hung on both ends of the curved pod trusses, with others on the truss just behind this. Again, he discovered plenty of uses for these, including richly colored stage and set washes, creating a host of interesting colors particularly in the pastel range. This is often problematic for LED lightsources, but possible with these fixtures due to the homogenized LED sources. The REDWashes flat point source also introduced a nice juxtaposition to the circular lightsources on the rig.
Robe’s SA distributors DWR provided onsite technical support for the digital lighting, with Nick Britz and Bruce Riley on hand for the build week and show.
On the floor were 24 MAC 250 Wash fixtures for set and scenic washes, 4 MAC 2K and 4 ColorSpot 700s profiles underneath the screen for aerial effects and rear fill for the cameras.
Dunn ran the show on an MA lighting grandMA full size lighting console -his desk of choice- with another grandMA full size operated by Wijnberger running visuals from one of two grandMA Video media servers. A third grandMA full size was run in tracking mode providing hot backup for Dunn’s desk. The second grandMA Video media server -in Dunn’s console- was utilized for pixel mapping the i-Pix Satellites.
The rig consumed a total of 17 universes of DMX including the media servers, 4 alone for the 12 DigitalSpots and another for the i-Pix. DMX was distributed via 3 networked MA NSPs, and the consoles were also all networked.
The lighting crew -7 on the in and out and 5 for the duration, plus the 10 follow-spotters- were led by crew chief Lucky Nkosi. There were 10 followspots, three 2K Super Troupers a side along each side of the room for key fill, and four 3Kw Gladiators providing the front fill.
Chris Grandin from Gearhouse Media devised the networking control needed for lighting. The DT7000s were run via an ArtNet network for easy uploading of new content as it was finished. The fixtures and all their video content was triggered via Dunn’s grandMA. Cat 6 cables were fed into an Ethernet switch in the middle of the truss. Another Ethernet switch was located in one of the roof catwalks with a trunk running between the two for full and seamless signal path redundancy. There were 2 more Ethernet switches connecting FOH and dimmers with the catwalk switch.
Clips for the central LED screen and Satellites were also created by Gearhouse Media and Dewet Meyer -interlinking static and moving set elements. The centre screen ones were stored on Wijnberger’s media server and the Satellites were pixel mapped and controlled from Dunn’s. At any time, Dunn could either run video through the fixtures for more random output or use them as conventionally controlled lightsources when something more uniform was appropriate.
This configuration ensured a continuity and coherence between all onstage video content whatever the source or the playback surface -the central LED screen, set, stage, underside of the pods or through the Satellites.
The output of Wijnberger’s screen media server was routed into an Image Pro standards converter and then through a Barco Encore multiscreen control system supplied by Gearhouse AV and operated by Wayne Susman.
The Encore fitted everything to the screen and created all the picture-in-picture (PIP) formatting for a 4x3 window appearing in the main screen -an 11m by 5m high-resolution Lighthouse R16 LED. This was located upstage centre and supplied by LEDVision.
Three feeds from SABC’s OB truck -one TX from the cameras and 2 from their EVS machine including all the Miss World graphics, stings, bumpers, squeezebacks and VT inserts- were sent to screen directly from the truck, and additionally run through the Encore, in case any improvisation was required.
The Gearhouse Media team also produced the opening edit and three custom video sections -some of which were edited onsite on their two Final Cut Pro suites- that played out on the main screen during the show’s production numbers.
The 10 camera mix was directed by Ian Hamilton and output to the main LED screen window direct from the OB truck. It also appeared on 2 side projection screens -supplied by Gearhouse AV- that were dedicated to IMAG relay for the live audience.
SET
The stage and set build was one of the most challenging elements. It engaged the dexterity and lateral thinking abilities of Sets, Drapes and Screens (SDS), In2Structures (steel set substructure) and Gearhouse SA. The newest Gearhouse Group company SDS’s team of 12 carpenters worked round-the-clock shifts to build the actual set, led by Pieter Joubert and Craig Pretorius. This once again illustrated how Gearhouse Group companies can combine talents and skill sets for the bigger picture.
It was a completely bespoke structure, with outside dimensions of 40m wide by 40 deep, constructed predominantly from wood. SDS received confirmation relatively late, leaving them only 3 weeks to plan and complete the set pre-installation build in the workshop.
The set arrived on site on ten, 22m trucks, and was built in a series of boxes, which had the dual function of forming bases for the different levels of set. The perimeter ramp was constructed from 18 panels of Steeldeck and built to be flexible and strong. It was lifted into place on 4 motors and supported by 15 ground support legs, 7 on the left, 7 on the right and one centre. In2Structures also supplied 8 tons worth of steel sub trussing for the set and designed and built the Satellite holders and the rolling rear staircases.
SOUND
Sound -both FOH and monitors were mixed by Adriaan van der Walt- from the FOH position, and supplied by Gearhouse Audio.
An L-Acoustics Kudo system was specified for the show, primarily for its variable dispersion, which makes it very flexible, along with its smooth quality. The main left and right hangs were 9 a side, the top 3 elements in long throw mode to reach the back of the seating stands, with the other 6 boxes in medium throw mode.
The width of the set meant the main arrays were wide apart, so they added a subtle centre cluster of 6 dVDOSC centre fill, aimed at the front rows of the audience. The whole system was powered by L-Acoustics LA 48A amps.
There were 3 main production performance numbers in the show and guest appearances by UK rockers McFly and singer Alesha Dixon.
The processing was all XTA -a mix of 224s and 226s and the FOH console was a Yamaha M7CL with no outboards, ensuring a tidy audio footprint. Monitoring was supplied by 5 L-Acoustics HiQ wedges, tucked out of the way in the overhead trusses, providing playback for the dancers and band. They ran 5 sets of Sennheiser IEMs and 12 channels of Shure MA radios, 10 handhelds and SM and Beta 58s, complete with 2 Countryman E6 headsets.
Nathan Thiart was the dedicated comms tech, responsible for running a combination of Clearcomm cabled and radio comms to the whole production.
RIGGING
The first crew on site was the Gearhouse Rigging team led by Kendall Dixon. Working with 7 riggers, 4 in the roof and 3 on the ground, they managed to shoehorn in 2 pre-rigging overnighters the weekend before the main show rig commenced, giving an essential head start.
With 120 points -all Lodestar hoists- and a serious amount of bridling, 21 tons of production was suspended in the roof with 5 tons of weight loading claimed by the LED screen. All available methods were explored to gain every possible millimeter of the Pavilion’s 11m headroom, including the application of some extra clever bridling and top hanging many of the motors.
There were over 160 sections of trussing in the lighting rig including Gearhouse’s new TFL folding truss. Accuracy was key, as everything flown in the air had to match up to where it needed to be in relation to the set below. Motor wise, it was Gearhouse’s biggest rig to date.
Miss World 2008 -which culminated in the crowning of Miss Russia Kseniya Sukhinova as Miss World 2008- has been hailed as one of the best looking Miss World’s ever, and proved that a mix of technical audacity, imagination, superlative onsite teamwork and dedication to pushing the boundaries to achieve an outstanding result, is worthwhile.
It gave Gearhouse South Africa another opportunity to demonstrate its efficiency in providing the bigger picture, energizing its unique inter-departmental collaboration in the delivery of a high profile, high production value event.
Text and pictures © Louise Stickland. |
|
|
|
.gif)
|
