So You Think You Can Dance Australia is set to be television’s smash hit of 2008! After the US series proved a ratings winner, Network Ten embarked on the local version to showcase Australia’s best undiscovered dancing talent. Currently filming at Sydney’s Carriageworks this spectacular production is lit by Francesco Calvi using masses of Show Technology gear supplied by Chameleon. The set was designed by Mark Dyson.
LED lighting abounds on this production with Francesco using two of the hottest LED products on the market; the GLP Impression and the Martin Stagebars.
Impression is the first LED moving wash light to give the equivalent of a 575W wash in a compact, lightweight housing, offering 660° pan and 300° tilt – with a complete 660° swing taking less than two seconds; this makes it application-perfect for touring, stage and TV as well as clubs and bars. It’s no wonder that Francesco was impressed with the Impression!
“The Impressions have been really good: punchy, small and have a really tight beam which is different for an LED,” he said. “They’re just a really cool fixture and also very robust, they’re great.”
The twelve Impressions are situated on the floor of the set whilst the sixteen Martin Stagebars are hung on a circular truss high above the stage.
“The Martin Stagebars have been excellent and are very punchy,” Francesco commented. “What’s unique about them is the fact that they have amber and white LED as well as the usual RGB mix. The amber allows you to get warmer looks and the white is good for colour mixing. They have an amazing throw and it’s surprising how much grunt they’ve got. They deliver a really nice, defined beam which you don’t normally get out of the RGB models. They’ve been amazing.”
Forty-two Pro Shop Honeycomb LED fixtures are situated behind the main screen from where they can make the backdrop change colour.
“They’re ideal for this as they’re low heat and have lots of colour options,” said Francesco. “I don’t have to dick around with bulbs and stuff. They’re very punchy and good value for money. We’ve put a bit of frost over them to help break it up a bit.”
Thirty-two Pulsar ChromaBanks and forty-eight Pulsar ChromaStrip are also used to light behind set pieces. Miles of LED Neon Flex is used to highlight the set.
Moving lights include thirty-six Martin MAC700’s, twenty-one MAC250 washes and fourteen of the MAC TW1 tungsten wash movers; a fixture that Francesco describes as great.
Control is via two MA Lighting grandMA consoles; one in the control booth to the side of the stage and one used for programming out front and as a back up console.
www.showtech.com.au
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