Australian Outback Spectacular’s Heartland production debuted in 2018 and is more popular than ever and relies on an advanced technical installation to provide the audience with a unique experience where they are transported into the outback through complex and immersive audio, lighting and projection.
With the existing extensive lighting system having delivered over 12 years of faithful service, the Australian Outback Spectacular team decided the time was right to upgrade.
The new rig had to satisfy both the needs of the current production with minimum creative changes, as well as provide flexibility to service any future productions. There was also a requirement to provide a completely Lamp Free LED solution, as well as a fixture choice that allowed for reduced service and maintenance costs wherever possible.
The technical team at the venue turned to Show Technology to offer a solution to fit their needs. Having supplied the majority of the previous system, and supporting it for over a decade, Show Technology was well equipped to offer a fresh new lighting solution for what is a challenging venue.
After trialling several fixture options, the venue was amazed that a unit as small and compact as the ShowPRO R3 wash was able to completely replace their complement of much larger fixtures. The affordable price point also made it possible to fit the quantity needed to the budget available.
Ultimately the decision was made to design the new system almost exclusively around the R3 wash, with 110 units in total making up the full package. Having the same unit throughout the whole rig allows for both consistent full even washes when required, whilst still allowing for specific specials or beam looks when desired.
As an impressive projection mapping system now creates much of the imagery and texture in the show the need for gobo/profile units is greatly reduced.
To fill the texturing and gobo requirement that remains, as well as handle profile specials, 26 Neptune 400 Hybrid fixtures were selected. Whilst the venue is indoors, the lighting rig has to cope with a large amount of dirt and dust created from the sand performance surface. Selecting an IP65 profile fixture has allowed the venue to greatly reduce the extensive maintenance previously required being as how the fixture internals is not prone to ingesting a large amount of dust. Whilst only a 300w LED source, the Neptune 400s actually punched through brighter than the previous 1500w discharge units! The Neptune 400s all have a custom gobo load to suit their more theatrical application here than their traditional use.
A small complement of 4x Neptune 200 IP65 Beam fixtures was also added as replacement for some Rush units that had served their time.
24 Claypaky Sharpy and Axcor 300 Beam units from the exiting rig remain for effects whilst the venue waits out some further development on this type of fixture using alternate light sources.
As all access to the lighting rig is via EWP, size and weight are important factors. The compact nature of both the R3s and Neptunes allowed both the artistic AND manual handling needs of the show to be met.
The final piece of the puzzle in fixture selection was backup, service and support. A very important consideration for the venue when selecting a fixture brand, given the long-term success they had with their previous European units. The extensive number of ShowPRO units working out in the market, backed by the solid reputation and support of Show Technology gave them the confidence required to go with the ShowPRO brand.
As the Australian Outback Spectacular runs every week of the year, the installation of the rig upgrade had to take place over a number of months to fit around the show schedule and allow for reprogramming. With the upgrade complete the shows are enjoying a fresh new look, reduced power consumption by over half, and greatly increased reliability from the new fixtures.
