The Timber Yard is built on the philosophy of recycling, upcycling and bringing people together for amazing events. Located on 6000 m², comprised of indoor and outdoor space, in the Port Melbourne industrial precinct, the site has been restored remaining true to its heritage of second-hand timber storage and fabrication.
Recently the venue upgraded its lighting system with the assistance of NW Group and a key consideration was the desire for energy-efficient fixtures that were compact and lightweight to suit this amazing venue.
“The warehouse space is very customisable in that it’ll face one way one day and the other way the next. Whilst for the customer it is great to have this versatility, as a production supplier it brings about challenges for tight turnarounds. We made the decision to choose a moving framing fixture to heavily reduce the amount of lifter work and ensure quick turns for the venue and customer,” commented John Herrity, NW Group’s Regional General Manager VIC/SA.
With this in mind, a total of sixteen feature-loaded Martin ERA 400 Performance CLD were chosen as their full curtain framing system offers a high degree of flexibility to achieve precise looks on stage. When fully focused, gobos can be nicely framed with a soft edge, and each of the four framing blades can cross the entire beam independently for a full blackout. The entire system can rotate 90 degrees, allowing light to be directed exactly where you want it to go and achieve unique movement effects not otherwise possible.
In addition to the logistical advantages, the ERA 400 Performance CLD gives the venue versatility to achieve a variety of creative looks
“As well as the framing, the ERA 400 Performance CLD offers a great selection of gobos and they are very bright,” added John. “From one side of the room to the other, we can still get a tight frame so they are perfect for doing lectern lighting or lighting a banner on stage. Throw in a bit of smoke and we have beam looks for days for all the galas, launches and music events.”
Rather than opt for a straightforward wash fixture, sixteen Prolights Astra Wash19Pix were chosen as their bonus exterior pixel ring is a favourite eye candy look with clients. Fitting the ‘small, lightweight and bright’ brief, the Astra Wash19Pix is a real workhorse in this venue combining the classic LED wash look with an extensive range of built-in effects.
“The wide zoom range, from beam to wash, makes the Astra Wash19Pix a very versatile fixture,” remarked John. “They are also fast and offer so many creative effect possibilities.”
According to John, the crew at The Timberyard love their new fixtures and are currently being trained on their new MA Lighting MA3 light which is running in MA3 mode.
“All the new gear has been reliable, the clients love it and it’s suited to the different events that come through said John. “It’s not just corporate work but also product launches, expos and touring music acts, for us it is just a simple reconfigure of the rig to suit.”
