Prior to lockdown, ei Productions provided full production for the Gallen vs Huni fight at the Aware Super Theatre at Sydney’s ICC.
“We’d put production for shows into this venue many times, even a smaller boxing event, however, this was the first main event style production that was going out live on Foxtel for us in there,” commented Neale Mace, managing director of ei Productions. “The client was sending us videos of huge Vegas boxing events and wanted it to look like them and it fell to us to design and supply the whole production.”
After a couple of on-site production meetings and some Vectorworks time, Neale had a look that they were all happy with.
Bryce Mace designed the show, room lighting, ring lighting and boxer’s entry lighting and also operated the show on an MA Lighting grandMA3 light while another grandMA2 light ran the lighting for the fighter’s entry looks.
The main focus has to be the ring whose lighting has to be right for the Fox broadcast and so 24 x Martin Quantum Wash covered the main ring whitewash and could also be used for room effects.
“We filled the room with lighting and eye candy from room trusses over the seating areas plus additional lighting on the main ring truss and a series of Global U-Drops hanging near the rear wall,” added Neale. “The boxer’s entry looks were challenging as the client wanted two entries – one for the support matches and another one just for Justis Huni.”
A Martin Sceptron tunnel, on mobile bases, was designed for the support figures entrance. Running on DMX, the Sceptron tunnel looked great and read well on camera.
The client wanted a big reveal for Justis Huni’s entrance so they built a free-standing truss “room” in the loading dock behind the large entrance doors. The fully draped truss structure had a VuePix LED screen at the rear, a roof full of ACME LED Pars and LED Sunstrips down each support leg.
The intro music plays, the loading dock doors swing open to reveal Justis in the “room” in front of the LED screen, the lighting going nuts as he emerges in a cloud of haze and low fog, upright pre-rig trusses of PixPads light up as he walks past each one on the way to the ring for the main event – it came up great both live and on Foxtel.
For the vision component along with the Huni entrance screen ei also supplied two portrait screens of VuePix Er5.9 on either side of the DJ / Fox camera staff for content and playback and another floor standing VuePix screen behind the DJ.
Some Martin EC10 LED screens were also flown in the centre of the room for iMag / Fox Playback.
Audio was designed by Murrey Carr and although he initially designed a full flown Martin Audio system, it ended up easier and “minimum-mucking-around” to use the house PA for the main seating area. Ei then supplied flown Dynacord Cobra 4 boxes for the seating areas around the ring on the floor.
“It’s always a challenge balancing the client’s expectations and budget with the live broadcast requirements and I think we satisfied both parties with this production,” said Neale. “Full credit to the ei Productions crew on this event that stretched over several days on-site prior and a long show day.”
Main gear list
24 x Martin MAC Quantum Wash
16 x Ayrton Ghibli
20 x GLP JDC-1
24 x Claypaky Sharpy
16 x ShowPRO Quad 18
30 x ACME LED Par DI-100
30 x Martin Sceptron
16 x ShowPRO PixPad
16 x LED Sunstrips
32 x AC101
2 x Robert Juliat Victor Follow spot
3 x MDG Hazer
3 x Look Solutions Unique
2 x DJ Power Low Fogger
Prolyft Motors (500kg + 1000kg)
52 x Martin EC10 LED Screen Panels
108 x VuePix ER5.9 LED Screen Panels
Roland V1-HD switcher
Roland V60HD switcher
Yamaha CL5
Shure UR + ULXD wireless
Dynacord Cobra 4 Mid / high boxes (flown)
3 x Pioneer CDJ2000 Nexus
1 x Pioneer DJM900 Nexus
DJ riser
Various trusses from Global – F44, A33, Pre-Rig + feet
Global U-Drops
1 x MA Lighting grandMA3 light
1 x grandMA2 light
