2016 saw a pre match opening the likes of which Australian NRL has never seen. For the first time ever, the ANZAC Ceremony was performed live to broadcast under a spotlight amongst a blacked out AAMI Park. The bright lights of AAMI Park were momentarily turned off, creating an electric atmosphere to honour the heroic men and women who have served for Australia and New Zealand.
The pre-game spectacle included a cultural performance on behalf of both countries, prior to the lighting of a commemorative cauldron honouring the 100th Anniversary of RSL, the Battle of Fromelles and the Battle of Pozieres as well as the 75th Anniversary of the Siege of Tobruk and the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan. In a stunning display, Melbourne Storm’s starting lineup was projected onto the roof of AAMI Park prior to the teams entering the field together, with the traditional Ode, Last Post and Minute’s Silence capturing the attention of the jubilant crowd.
Stav Hatzipantelis, Creative Director and Lighting Designer at Pro Light & Sound in Melbourne, envisaged projecting the players onto the inside walls of AAMI Park Stadium in conjunction with the Audio Visual presentation of the opening line up. Going to black was a huge concern for Fox Sport producers, but a simple demonstration by the PL&S Team showed that 8 x Claypaky HPE700 were more than adequate to the task of lighting up the ceremony for Live Broadcast around the world. A total of 18 x Martin Professional MAC Vipers were used for the projection of the players during the opening show.
The event was a tremendous success and the Pro Light & Sound team were again invited to produce another spectacular opener for 2017.
