Page 344 - Protec PR Book Volume 2

FEATURES: LIVE
is the most complex and time-consuming part of the lighting rig.’ The lighting specifications were outlined by the main Tomorrowland show designers in Belgium and included Robe’s Pointe, K10 Washes, Scenius Profiles, VL3500 Washes, Stormy CC Strobes, SGM P5s and Molefay 4 light/PAR 36 fixtures.
‘It was important that we used fixtures as specified in their lighting rider so that all the Tomorrowland Unite shows around the world have the same visual aesthetic,’ Ms Bates adds.
‘In addition, we used SGM P2s and some more Robe Pointes to light the VIP deck, and a combination of SGM P2s and LED PAR cans to add some colour and atmosphere to the catering/bar area outside.’
Yet it wasn’t, as you might expect, synchronising the lighting design that gave the team its biggest challenge. ‘The main challenge for lighting on Tomorrowland has been the physical rigging of the fixtures,’ says Ms Bates. ‘For every fixture – and there are around 80 attached to the stage façade – the exact position needs to be determined. It is important to be as precise as possible when doing this because the lighting/stage
Protec’s Mambo 9mm LED 16x10 panel screen provided the visuals
design has to look the same as the other Unite events, and a fixture or group of fixtures rigged in the wrong place would be very noticeable when the live stream footage is playing from the other countries.
‘Once the position of the fixtures has been determined, a hole has to be made in the set, a pipe put through this hole and then a rigging structure installed on the back of the set to hold this pipe in place. This whole process means that for every fixture, at least four members of the lighting crew and one staging technician are needed.’
Thankfully the audio setup was more traditional and presented ‘no challenges at all’. ‘We used our L-Acoustics K2 with K1-SB subs flown above and SB28 subs on the ground,’ shares Protec’s head of audio, Ed Ross. ‘It differed from last year as we had a lot more weight-loading capacity this time around so we were able to fly a very large array for the main hang and then a small Kara array for delays for the VIP deck.’
The hangs comprised 18 K2s per side flown underneath four K1-SBs, with delay hangs comprising six Karas and two SB18s per side. A further 24 SB28 subwoofers on the ground added the necessary low-end for such an event. For comms, three Clear-Com Helixnet base stations were networked together alongside 10 Clear-com FreeSpeak II wireless systems, selected for their ability to maintain a strong and continuous wireless connection across an expansive area. For video,
the team deployed Protec’s Mambo 9mm LED 16x10 panel
screen with two VX4S controllers for main/backup and a Roland V-800HD switcher to switch between Resolume, the satellite camera feed and Playback Pro.
The set design, while not radically different from the one used in Dubai last year, also required a rethink as the entire set had been scaled down to a height of 15.8m and a width of 22.8m, in order to fit inside du Forum. ‘The towers were the most challenging part of the new restrictions as we had to cut them down by a total of 2.4m,’ recalls Leigh Snyman of Protec’s scenic and staging department. ‘This meant we had to remove a large section of each tower without compromising the structural integrity and the overall appearance of the towers.’
Because of attention to detail given the set design and accuracy, getting the entire visual effect to be uniform across all the venues involved working closely with the lighting team.
‘Because of the changes made, lights were shifted slightly and we had to cut new access holes into the set panels for them,’ Mr Snyman added. ’Those were the only major changes and challenges we had on site. Yet we had also planned a worst-case scenario schedule for this gig to ensure we were prepared for any pitfalls or external factors along the way. In short, we were extremely well-prepared for the gig from the very beginning.’
‘Our goal is to bring people from all walks of life, countries, backgrounds and unite them as one with the power of music,’ says director of Envie Events, Barry Pavic, reflecting on a successful festival. ‘It is with the help of strong partners like Protec, and many others, that have made this concept such a huge success in the UAE.’
Akin to the emergence of sophisticated virtual reality solutions, audiovisual technology is now helping people connect with their favourite artists directly, breaking down geographical boundaries.
www.l-acoustics.com www.productiontec.com www.robe.cz
Ground stacked underneath each hang were four SB28 subs
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November–December 2018 PRO AVL MEA 67
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