Front of House Productions recently supplied the technical production for the queen of techno Charlotte de Witte. Presented by Untitled Group, the show was held at Melbourne’s The Timber Yard with lighting and video designed by Gig Control’s Nathan ‘Sloth’ Aveling.
The rig was all Showtech gear with 36 x ShowPRO Pluto 250 Hybrid, 36 x LED Duet Blinder, 2 x ShowPRO Pharos LED Profile, 1 x MA Lighting MA3 full size and an MA3 NPU.
The actual design concept was created during the middle of the lockdown when Nathan eased his boredom by drawing random designs and archiving them for potential later use.
“This gig came up and it was perfect for this particular lockdown design,” he said. “The design is based on LED screen ‘pods’ which I treated more as lighting fixtures rather than simply running content through them. The LED pods were run through a Resolume media server with every pod on its own layer and each layer was patched in the MA3 full-size console as a custom-made profile. I triggered shapes, colours, and simple chases over the crowd to deliver a darker techno-esque aesthetic for the gig.”
Between the pods and doing all the grunt work was the 36 x ShowPRO Pluto 250 hybrid moving heads with a 3-30° electronic zoom system that is fast and smooth.
“Their hybrid nature makes them so versatile and the only moving head you need on a gig like this,” commented Nathan. “You can zoom them down to a very tight beam and zoom them out for a wash look. My favourite feature is the linear 5-dot gobo on the rotating wheel, which when focussed correctly and zoomed out is simply such a strong look. Nice and crisp.”
Nathan also remarked on the efficiency of the Pluto 250’s colours and brightness as well as their light weight.
“We already had to build a large ground support for the pods, so the fact they’re pretty compact and lightweight was very useful” he added.
A wall of 36 x ShowPRO LED Duet Blinders in a six-by-six grid was created behind the DJ emulating a tungsten wall for a strong silhouette look.
On the acquisition of the ShowPRO Pluto 250 Hybrid, Michael Eather, FOHP’s Production Manager/Head of Lighting, says they were after a budget-friendly fixture to add to their inventory.
“We often find ourselves after a fixture that we can deploy in bulk quantities in venues with low roof trims, such as The Timber Yard. As a result, we don’t often need the punch some of the top-end fixtures on the market offer, however, we have been pleasantly surprised by how punchy the Pluto 250 has performed in even bigger venues.”
Michael adds that the wide zoom range was one of the key features that attracted them to the Pluto 250 over other options on the market.
“Along with the great gobo selection over two gobo wheels, it makes the Pluto 250 such a versatile fixture choice. The Pluto 250 fits in well with our existing Pluto inventory of Pluto 350, 2000, 4000 and 800 …. it was a no-brainer!”
Michael says that Show Technology’s excellent customer service was also a key deciding factor for FOHP, being able to pick up the phone and know they will get customer support should they need it is always reassuring.
Production management: Gig Control Australia
Photos: @ashcaygillphotography (Instagram)
