Playbill’s 60th Anniversary was a celebration of the past, present and future. Bringing together Playbill Group staff, clients, supporters, partners and friends from across Australia’s live entertainment, music, theatre and sporting industries, this milestone event celebrated Playbill’s success as an independent Australian company that has grown from its initial publishing background into a global business operating in 10 countries today.
Leaders from across the NSW and Australian live performance, sport and entertainment scene came together to celebrate the past and embrace the beginning of a new era, with the recent successful announcement of the long term lease of the Hordern Pavilion.
Tim Macfie of TDM Productions was asked to design the lighting for this gala event and as it was to showcase the variety of events held at the venue, his lighting had to reflect this.
“The lighting had to reinforce the multi-function facets of the venue such as rock, corporate and expo,” explained Tim. “I’ve done quite a few gigs at the Hordern and RHI during my career so I know the venues quite well. I just took bits and pieces from the various types of shows they host and went from there.”
The lighting was supplied by Resolution X and Tim was delighted to have their new PROLIGHTS AIR5FAN battens on the show. AIR5FAN is a pixel-FX moving head, able to control the spread of its pixels through the motorised lens system, passing from a sharp linear beam effect to a multi-ray effect.
“The feedback I got from people at the event was that the AIR5FANs really made the room!” said Tim. “They created such a nice theatrical look. They’re very punchy and just create a completely different look. You can do really wide spreads with them throughout the room, which was a key reason I used them. Plus they are cost effective …. yet effective!”
A total of eight AIR5FANs were used, six on the back grid and two on the floor. When the main artist Anthony Callea took to the stage, the AIR5FANs helped create a moody, static look but as he moved to the faster tracks the AIR5FANs picked up speed and wowed the audience.
Powered by 5x40W RGBW/FC LEDs, with a 2° beam each, the AIR5FANs deliver stunning brightness for large setups and feature infinite rotation over pan and tilt. The AIR5FAN also allows for the mounting of a mirror on its housing allowing for an added effect as moving projecting surface bouncing beams from other light sources.
The room lighting was dominated by a stunning chandelier lit from within by Martin RUSH MH6 washes and used as a projection surface for Claypaky Mythos gobos.
“We rigged a square truss around the perimeter of the Horden for the Martin MAC700s and Claypaky Mythos, fixtures that are good for a nice corporate look throughout the room, keeping the punchy lights for the stage,” added Tim. “The front truss for the stage held Claypaky Alpha Spot 1500, chosen for their fantastic zoom and punch as a front wash, and the rear truss held a few ladder bars. Each bar then held Claypaky Sharpys, B-EYE K20s, LED molefays and AIR5FANs.”
For control Tim ran an MA Lighting MA2 light.
Lighting Designer – TDM Productions – Tim Macfie
Dave Stevenson – Producer – Playbill Venues
Lighting – Resolution X – Matt Glover – Project Manager
Audio – JPJ – Ian Brown
Furniture – Event Hire Services -Scott Koch
