PROJECTS

LSC Powers Australia at World Expo
Australian manufacturer, LSC Lighting Systems, was recently contracted to design and supply a cabinet dimming system for the Australian Governments pavilion at World Expo 2005.
Held in Aichi, Japan, World Expo commenced on March 25 th and will wind up late September. It provides a significant opportunity to promote Australia to the world and averages 20,000 people through the pavilion every day, with the grand total of visitors nearing the 2 million mark.
The Australian pavilion reflects the theme of the Expo – “Nature’s Wisdom” – from an Australian perspective. Visitors to the Australian pavilion gain an understanding that through learning the lessons of the past and using modern day technology, we are better able to provide for the sustainable future – environmentally, economically and socially. The pavilion showcases Australia’s unique lifestyle – a lifestyle that has been shaped by the harsh and beautiful continent in which Australians live and has been influenced and enriched by the diverse range of people that inhabit Australia, including indigenous Australians.
Melbourne based Think!OTS was contracted by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs to design, construct and maintain the Australian Pavilion. Canberra-based Wizard Projects were contracted by Think!OTS as directors and designers for all technical aspects to the installation. Lighting designer was Phil Lethlean. Choosing the correct dimmers for the project was a priority for Paul van der Ent, managing director of Wizard Projects.
“We wanted an Australian product that was available in Japan and we wanted to stick with a product that we were familiar with,” explained Paul. “LSC Lighting Systems were the only local dimmer manufacturer that had someone selling their product in Japan and for some time too. We were governed by Japanese rule that any product we shipped in either had to have Japanese approval or be sold in Japan. Besides, we use LSC dimmers all the time and they were certainly the right choice for this project.”
LSC Lighting Systems designed and manufactured a custom 128 channel cabinet dimmer system, based on their existing ePRO 12 channel 13 Amp models. Power management was incorporated into the racks utilizing LSC’s PowerGuard and specialty patching was added to the rear so that if there was a problem with a dimmer it could be replaced extremely fast.
“Each cabinet came with a spare dimmer module,” added Paul. “The Expo runs fourteen hours per day, seven days a week for six months and our contract stated that we had to be able to have any problems fixed within half an hour.”
Every light in the building, bar seven arc lights working off contactors, was controlled by the LSC dimmers. The building has very limited power and uses the dimmers to help with the power management of which the PowerGuard was an absolute necessity.
“We needed to be able to ensure that we could manage the power so that we didn’t go over our supply power,” said Paul. “Not only did we have to ensure power for the show that everyone had come to see but also the back of house stuff such as air-conditioning and kitchens. The only way to manage how the power was worked was to make sure that we had control over everything and we could see what we were drawing at any point.”
Paul reports that the dimmer cabinets were easily wired up and that the Japanese electricians soon took to them.
”Initially they were a bit nervous of the LSC dimmers, as being general contractors they were not familiar with them, but once they saw them physically there was a sigh of relief,” stated Paul. “I have to say that the guys at LSC did a great job of making and delivering the cabinets in the time frame that we gave them - which was very short!”
Paul also used the LSC DNANET Ethernet to DMX controller in the system so that their AMX control system could talk to the dimmers.
Photo: Adam Mortimer, Sales and Marketing from Think OTS, Pete! Ford (yes he has an exclamation mark in his name), Creative Director for Think OTS, and Paul van der Ent of Wizard Projects Pty Ltd, technical director for the Australian Pavilion.
www.lsclighting.com.au

ChromaBanks are deLUX
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Boasting one of Fremantle’s most spectacular views, the Harbourside is Fremantle’s hottest and most dynamic waterfront bar. This multi-level complex, with seven different areas of entertainment, plays host to Perth’s top DJs, Bands, Artists and Performers seven nights a week.
Lux Entertainment Technology have had a permanent hire at the venue’s Black Swan room and The Zoo room for quite some time. The Black Swan houses extensive Global F34 Box Truss, six Martin MAC250s, a Pulsar Masterpiece replay unit and a Jem Technofog. The Zoo also utilises Global F34 Box Truss in a circle with twelve Geni Shivas, a Pulsar Masterpiece 108, twelve Geni Strobe Tubes and a Martin Magnum Hazer.
The photographs show the Black Swan on a weekend when Lux’s Pulsar ChromaBanks were installed for a special function. Since purchasing their ChromaBanks Lux has had them on a variety of projects starting with four weeks in Connections Nightclub in Perth.
“Since we’ve had them they have been on numerous corporate events and recently on the “Interpol” Concert at Metropolis Fremantle,” said Dave Trapp, managing director of Lux. “They have been a pleasure to have in our inventory as both our staff and clients are amazed by a whole new realm of creativity available to us.
“Running them from the MA Matrix in the MA Lighting grandMA console produces another level of creativity again. The Chromabanks have been testament to the fact that when you introduce a new and exciting product to the market place people are prepared to pay for it.”
www.showtech.com.au

Dutyfree Obys!
If you happened to be passing through Sydney’s international airport last month you would have noticed the Downtown Dutyfree shop’s stunning window display for Yves Saint Laurent’s latest perfume Cinema.
Drawing your attention to the window display were two Geni Oby 3 moving yoke lights that, with the aid of custom-made gobos, projected the ‘YSL’ across the display and sweeping out over the concourse. This dramatic effect was further enhanced by the image projected onto the ceiling bouncing off the glass thus giving the effect of four logos in motion.
Programmed on a Martin LightJockey and then recorded onto a DMX streamer, the fixtures automatically switched on at 9am running through until midnight.
Andy McIntyre, General Manager at Graftons Sound & Lighting who installed the lighting, reports that the Oby fixtures ran for three weeks without any problems what so ever.
”This was despite the fact that the sealed display box could get quite hot - the Obys just powered on,” he added. “The client was rapt and they definitely want to do it again. The display caused such a buzz they even had people from other perfume companies coming to check it out. We’ve had quite a few enquiries about how we set up the display.”
www.showtech.com.au

Geni MOS-300 for Yu
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Yu nightclub in Sydney’s Potts Point district has been established now for over two years. It’s a name synonymous with great music, fabulous atmosphere and where the trendier party set of Sydney like to go on the weekend.
Keeping up with the latest trends extends to the lighting too and what light looks more fashionable than the new Geni MOS-300? The latest in club and live venue lighting design from Geni looks like no other lighting fixture on the market. Avsound Productions have installed eight Geni-MOS fixtures into the club.
The MOS-300 is a completely new way of approaching the design of an intelligent light by combining both a moving yoke style and a moving mirror style of fixture. By combining these two worlds you take advantage of what both styles of fixture have to offer. Moving yoke styles of fittings have an excellent coverage in that a single unit can pan around to over 360º of rotation, hitting even the most remote corner of the room. However, the moving mirror is very reliable and very fast due to its low number of parts in its moving mechanism. Add the two together and the result of the equation is the MOS 300.
The MOS-300 has a 250w discharge lamp, colour wheel with 11 rich colours plus white, a gobo wheel with 6 interchangeable rotating and indexing gobos, a 3-facet rotating prism, 0~100% dimming and 1~12 fps strobe. The unit uses a patented gear system to create full, continuous 360' movement for both pan and tilt. This means that the unit can achieve high speeds of movement with very little stress on moving parts, which in turn increases the unit’s service life.
“They’ve been really good,” said Simon Farris, Yu’s lighting operator. “They’re a very different light in the way that they operate and they’re very bright and punchy
The MOS-300 great asset for venues with the need of a lot of movement such as night-clubs. The double-sided mirror creates some unique effects, and when used in conjunction with the vibrant dichroic gobo’s and tripling prism effect you can create flipping, twisting, continuously dynamic looks.
www.showtech.com.au

The Lone Pine Tavern gets a colour makeover
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The Lone Pine Tavern is a popular hotel located in Rooty Hill, Sydney. The owner Craig Harmer felt that the gaming room was looking in need of a face-lift but refurbishments would prove costly; not only the materials and labour but the fact that the gaming machines would have to stop operating for a period of time.
Browsing through a copy of Venue Magazine Craig saw how venues could drastically change their appearance just by the addition of coloured LED lighting. He realised that he could modernise this particular section of his hotel without doing any structural work.
“I saw an article on a bar on the Central Coast that had used the Pulsar LED lights and I thought it was a great solution,” said Craig. “I believe that music and light are the twos things that stimulate people and create a warmer environment in a room. I liked the LED’s because of the variation of colours that one fitting has and the fact that they run so cold.”
“The Pulsar MR16 LED lights provided a good solution,” said Mark McInnes who handled the project for DMC Lighting. “I believe that to refurbish the roof alone was estimated at $40,000. An LED solution not only looks good and gives the venue a complete change of atmosphere it costs a fraction of the cost without disruption.”
Most notable in the gaming room are the four Pulsar ChromaCubes that are suspended from the ceiling on a custom-made bracket. Originally Craig was going to have spots added to the cubes so that they resembled dice but good taste prevailed and this idea was abandoned!
The existing lighting on the walls consisted of standard bayonet fittings for 60 watt lights. These lights were replaced by the ChromaMR16 LED lights with the decorative fittings retained.
Further ChromaMR16 LED lights are situated within the bar so that it can also change colour in conjunction with the rest of the room.
In total there are twenty-four ChromaMR16 LED fixtures in the venue controlled by a Chromazone-12 PSU and an ELC AC612XL Architectural Mini DMX controller. The slim-line ELC controller is positioned behind the bar from where the staff can easily control the lighting states with just a couple of minutes training.
Craig is hoping to replace the coloured fluorescents in the room with strip LED lighting in the near future.
Mark and Show Technology’s Darren Mclanders also presented Craig with the option of using Studio Due MiniCity. Craig loved the idea of being able to colour wash the awning either side of the ‘Lone Pine Tavern’ sign in changing hues and so two MiniCitys were attached on custom brackets.
“They’re great,” commented Craig. “It works well as it makes the venue so visible from further up the road.”
www.showtech.com.au

LSC EKO comes to the rescue at Dreamland
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The popular Dreamland Karaoke Restaurant in Perth, Australia, recently upgraded both its lighting and audio equipment which posed a problem; the venue is small and there was not enough room to install the extra power needed to spruce up the venue.
The electrician looked at the cost and space required to install a new switchboard, which would also need dimmer circuits, and decided it was not a viable option. Fortunately Andrew Newnham of Total Production Systems had recently seen the new EKO wall mount installation dimmer from LSC Lighting and he suggested that this small, single unit dimmer; with built in RCD protection was all that would be required.
The EKO incorporates a cleverly designed installation frame that can be fixed in position without the dimmer being present. Load and control screw terminals on the frame allow for building wiring to be terminated in a clear and unhindered manner. When the installation is ready for commissioning, the dimmer can be hung on the installation frame and output circuits then plugged into the special screw terminals – the 24 channel dimmer can easily be installed onto the frame and made fully operational in less than five minutes. You don’t get much neater than that!
After installation internal electronics can be easily accessed through the lockable hinged front door. The door has been designed with reversible hinges and lock that allows it to be customised to suit the installation environment.
The EKO wall mount installation dimmer is available in 6, 12 and 24 channel versions with a choice of output capacities and Andrew decided that the twelve channel version was ideal for this installation ; six for mirrorballs, projectors and effects plus six for dimming control.   
“The EKO allowed a nice, simple hook up to the existing switchboard,” said Andrew. “The EKO is a complete package so, from the electricians point of view, it was an easy to install unit. We supplied the electricians with an installation frame allowing him to terminate all the circuits. Then once the venue was near completion we supplied the dimmer, which simply hung on the installation frame. The load circuits were then just plugged in and installation was complete! We were then able to bring up a scene on the unit, so everything was operational in less than ten minutes.
Another feature of the EKO dimmer that Andrew was particularly impressed with is the Fault Log.
“Although completely unrelated to the dimmer it allowed us to fix a problem; the main breakers to the building kept tripping out and this was proving very puzzling as everything was balanced and there didn’t appear to be a regular pattern,” said Andrew. “However on looking at the Log it showed a regular failure on one of the phases and on detailed inspection we found this occurred at the same times one of the fridges turned on, hence allowing the fault to be rectified.
”The Fault Log also details information about the state of the data feeds, phase failures and internal problems which make for very quick fault finding in an installation unit.”
If you’re looking for a dimmer that is compact, simple, ergonomic, reliable and affordable then check out the LSC EKO at www.lsclighting.com.au

Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre's major lighting upgrade
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Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Australia's largest and most successful venue for conferences, exhibitions and special events, is in the midst of major upgrades and refurbishments.
The Centre's Ballroom is Sydney's largest dedicated, purpose-built ballroom accommodating up to 1000 diners which breaks down to a hundred tables of ten. The Ballroom opened in 1998 when Futurelight moving mirror lights were installed to act as individual lights for each table. By 2005 it was time to find an alternative light and so Paul Davison, SCEC’s Audio Visual Services Manager, and his team began the hunt for the ideal replacement.
Extensive research into what products were available followed. Price was not so much of an issue as this is their premier room and the team certainly liked the idea of going for a moving yoke rather than a moving mirror as they needed a fixture that gave them a variety of options to meet market demand.
The team knew that the Martin brand has significant standing in the lighting community and they were very impressed by the punch and brightness of the Martin MAC250 Entour. They also liked their robustness, an important criteria ad they rarely use all 100 tables, usually 85 or 90 maximum, and so the remaining fixtures have to be hardy enough to travel to other venues in the complex.
A total of one hundred Martin MAC250 Entours were purchased from Chameleon Professional Lighting Sales. Eighty are currently mounted permanently in the roof which holds a DMX network whilst twenty travel around the building.
The dB rating of the fans was important and the quietness of the Entours was a major selling point. Although the ballroom can have ninety or more of these units switched on at any given time, the resulting noise is amazingly minor.
The technicians at the SCEC also love the versatility of the Entours, as far as the panning and tilting of the moving head, and the minimal distortion that they deliver. When you go to full pan the amount of distortion you get out of the optics is minimal from this tight little unit.
The Entours are positioned between 4.2 and 4.8 metres in the air so when they hit a table that’s 750 mm off the ground, the punch is phenomenal. The resulting effect is amazing and apparently when people walk into the ballroom their jaws just hit the ground!
The AV department decided that a new lighting controller was needed to operate the MAC250 Entours. After lengthy discussions with people in the industry and a lot of research, the winner was obvious - a MA Lighting grandMA Light.
The guys at the SCEC had been using Jands Event and Echelon consoles but have had no trouble learning their new MA Lighting grandMA Light. They downloaded all the software onto their laptops before they actually took delivery of the console. That way the guys had a very good understanding of the desk before they even received it.
So by the time Vince Haddad, Show Technology’s Technical Director, visited the SCEC for the first training session the guys were already fairly familiar with the way the grandMA Light works.
At the same time the SCEC decided to upgrade the ceiling wash fixtures in the massive Banquet Hall. Again a whole range of products were tested to find which was most suitable, within a cost range, and the Studio Due MiniCity 150 was the go as far as light output, intensity and beam angle. Other Studio Due models were tested but because of the angles within the roof the MiniCity 150 was the best for the project. The Minicity 150s also blend into the architecture as they are the same colour as the motorised blinds which are behind them.
A total of twenty-four Studio Due MiniCity 150 fixtures were purchased for the Banquet Hall.
www.showtech.com.au

Australian International Conservatorium of Music goes Wireless
The Australian International Conservatorium of Music, based in Sydney, offers world class music education. Through their degree programs, short courses and cultural events, the AICM provides a culturally diverse, intellectually challenging and academically rigorous environment to encourage the musical development of our students.
The lighting control for their main auditorium is located in a control booth but occasionally it is required on the main floor of the auditorium especially during rehearsals. As the auditorium is well sound-proofed, with thick walls, feeding cables through the wall was not viable. Their rather inadequate solution was to run a DMX cable out of the control booth, down the stairs and into the auditorium.
Fortunately Andrew Mallam of Lots of Watts suggested they look at the Martin Wireless DMX tool which he then demonstrated to them, together with Show Technology’s Professional Products Manager Andrew Winslade. Martins Wireless DMX offers a very easy and fast way of connecting and setting up a lighting system and especially a system with remote fixtures or difficult placed fixtures, as no cables and expensive downtime is required. Your lights and effect fixtures no longer lie at the end of winding, tangled cables, loose connectors or difficult rigging installations.  Instead they need only sit within range of the transmitter box.
As a result of the demonstration, two Martin Wireless DMX tools were purchased by the Conservatorium; one (set to receive DMX) for the dimmers and one (set to transmit) for the console.
“It was a great solution for them,” commented Andrew. “It’s a nice simple solution to what would have been a difficult cabling problem for them.”
www.showtech.com.au

Spacewalker - Journey through the Universe without leaving the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast has an amazing new attraction in the form of Spacewalker which is a unique journey across the universe through extraordinary, space-themed environments - a truly special edu-tainment experience, unparalleled anywhere else in the world and based on a fantastic theme - astronomy and space science - which research shows to be the most popular of all science subjects.
It's an amazing, world-class, two-hour inter-galactic journey that heralds a new era in walk-through experiential attractions, consisting of a series of spectacular high tech, space themed special effects environments, designed to simulate a journey through the Cosmos.
Once you've been beamed from Earth Station, by the Teleporter, into Star Station Zeta, which orbits near the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy, you begin the intergalactic journey in the Arrivals Lounge.
The Arrivals Lounge is the central area of the space station being the main thoroughfare for the venue. The venue opened just prior to Christmas but Tane Thompson, director of Spacewalker, felt that the Arrivals Lounge was lacking a special feature. Although the circular room already looked stunning with a fibre optic ceiling and television monitors gracing the room, he decided that the room needed a centre piece.
The design team at Spacewalker came up with a sculptural centre piece comprising of a high voltage plasma ball mounted on a plinth that is surrounded by sixteen LED tubes.
The LED tubes were sourced from Show Technology's new cost-efficient Pro Shop LED range of products; the LED Colour Changing Tube Hi Lux. Each tube is 1000mm long, contains 144 LED's and is manufactured from sturdy poly carbonate.
The LED tubes, controlled by an SDL-109C controller, shoot colour up and down the structure on a fast chase. With the entire venue lit by mainly LED's and fibre optics, the Pro Shop LED tubes take the LED theme into a whole new dimension. [Courtesy: Show Technology]
www.showtech.com.au

Martin Mania at the Australian Pavilion, World Expo
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The 2005 World Exposition is currently on in Aichi, Japan and the inspiration for EXPO 2005 is the marvelous mechanism of nature and the power of life.
The Australian pavilion reflects this theme– “Nature’s Wisdom” – from an Australian perspective. Visitors to the Australian pavilion gain an understanding that through learning the lessons of the past and using modern day technology, we are better able to provide for the sustainable future – environmentally, economically and socially.
The pavilion showcases Australia’s unique lifestyle – a lifestyle that has been shaped by the harsh and beautiful continent in which we live and has been influenced and enriched by the people that have come to our shores, including indigenous Australians, European settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries, and more recent arrivals to Australia from Asia and all around the world.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is the overall project manager for the Australian pavilion.
The Australian Government appointed Melbourne-based firm Think!OTS to design, construct and maintain the Australian pavilion. Think!OTS joined forces with the major Japanese exhibition company Delphys Inc, which has been designing and building pavilions stretching back to the World Expo held in Osaka in 1970. Leading indigenous design firm Balarinji is also part of the Think!OTS team.
Phil Lethlean was appointed as lighting designer for the Australian pavilion with Lightmoves supplying most of the lighting equipment.
The pavilion provides a journey in three acts starting with an entrance foyer which houses a Martin Mania that projects the word ‘Eternity’, written in Japanese.
“I thought that would be a fun element,” said Phil. “The Manias are fantastic for this type of work. We just whipped out the standard gobos, played with the lenses a bit and inserted our own gobos. It gives us an animated feel.
“We also bypassed all the transformers on them so that we could dim them bearing in mind everything is 100 volts in Japan. It works really well.”
In fact the Australian pavilion is saturated by Martin Manias; thirty-two in total.
“They really deliver bang for your buck!” commented Phil.
Act One takes visitors back 65,000 years to a time when Australia was populated by its indigenous peoples alone, through the depiction of Australia’s unique environment and indigenous culture and traditions. Visitors experience the natural elements – lightning, fire and rain – and learn about the importance of nature’s cleansing and rejuvenating qualities. The focal point is the image of a Boab tree – a unique tree that exists in Australia’s deserts and survives by storing life-giving water in the swollen base of its trunk. Australia’s indigenous traditions and culture feature strongly in this element of the journey.
Six Martin Manias fade up and down with custom-made gobos replacing the standard fire gobos.
A lot of the artwork for the new Mania gobos was done by the design firm Balarinji including stylized fire and rain, plus a snake.
”We also took out the double lens in some of them, leaving just a single lens, and focused them onto the Piezo glass that encases the display,” explained Phil. “As we had put in our own transformers they could fade up and down; all of the motors run of normal mains with just the lamp transformer running separately.”
Act Two projects a dynamic and positive image of contemporary Australia through the cutting edge technology used in the pavilion’s Data Forest. Some 80 plasma screens form “data totems” rising from the floor of the pavilion – a fascinating combination of our indigenous past and our technologically advanced present. The data totems tell a story of a modern, culturally diverse and harmonious nation with a successful economy – today’s Australian experience.
The screens are situated on two faces of the triangular totems and the perimeter of the room has a woven white acrylic finish which Phil has lit with twenty-four Selecon Hue cyc lights hung from above. The white finish also reflects a lot of colour from the screens.
Act Three introduces guests to the future through the pavilion mascot – the platypus. For Australia, the platypus symbolises the past, present and future. The platypus existed 65,000 years ago and has remained largely unchanged since that time. It has outlived most other prehistoric animals due to its ability to adapt and the fact its environment has been largely unchanged by human arrival in Australia.
With the proactive cleaning-up of Australia’s riverways in recent decades, the platypus numbers are now starting to grow. The message here is that by caring about all of nature’s creatures, we provide the environment for safe and sustainable development into the future – a priority for the Australian Government.
Most of the Martin Manias are located here representing a river; the white walkway acts as an ideal projection surface for the ceiling mounted Manias which project a watery effect along the path.
“It flows at the right speed and there is very little shadow cast from the people,” said Phil. “It really looks like a swirling stream.”
Other lighting includes sixty Par 16s on droplets in the ceiling which is made of weld mesh and pressed perforated aluminium leaves through which the lights shine on a flicker chase. Behind the trees are a few 18-watt fluorescent to wash the wall. Control was LSC two phase racks built especially for the project.
Also highlighting the importance and the breadth of the Australia-Japan relationship, the pavilion has a specially-designed Trade Floor where more than 130 business events, VIP functions and seminars for community participation will take place. [Courtesy: Show Technology]
www.showtech.com.au

Surf Rocks with Martin
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The Surf Rock Hotel, located on Sydney’s northern beaches suburb of Collaroy , used to be a popular but small drinking hole for locals and surfers alike with an emphasis on surfing and rock music. The venue has just been expanded by taking over a couple of neighbouring shops and the result is two enormous floors with two huge bars, a raised stage under a retractable roof, a fountain, a dance floor, and a quality restaurant. The venue has a contemporary Australian beach feel, with an easy to use layout and an abundance of beverage services.
The project has been three years in the making with Paul Kelly Design in charge of the total project concept design and complete project interior development. Avsound Productions supplied and installed the lighting and audio.
The most striking feature of the ground floor is the stage which is located in the midst of the ground floor bar, raised above the bartenders. The stage is highly visible to all patrons on the ground floor as well as those around the perimeter of the level one void.
Lighting the band are six Martin MiniMAC moving yoke wash lights controlled by a Martin Freekie controller. The MiniMAC Washes provides a bright but gentle lightbeam with a soft undefined edge. As well as lighting the stage area, the colour and light from them spills out through the venue creating hues and interesting shadows. The compact and stylish design of the MiniMAC compliments the chic venue interior.
The upstairs space has two lounge areas, a sports TAB and Multimedia area, three external balconies, one main balcony to the ocean and a long feature bar to service all areas. Central to the area is the void that looks down onto the stage below or up through the glass roof above.
A dance floor is lit by four Martin MAC250 Krypton moving yoke fixtures hung from a mirrored ceiling. The MAC 250 Kryptons spray colourful gobo and beam effects across the area. The lights are controlled by a Martin Xciter, chosen for it’s ease of use and the fact that it allows for spontaneous manipulation of light shows when required. A JEM Magnum hazer provides the atmospherics. [Courtesy: Show Technology]
www.showtech.com.au

The Australian Racing Museum picks the winner with Lightmoves
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The Australian Racing Museum is off and running! Located in Melbourne’s Federation Square, the racing Hall of Fame, otherwise known as ‘Champions,’ is rapidly becoming one of the city's popular attractions. Employing the latest in audiovisual and display technology, this unique exhibition showcases the history of thoroughbred horse racing in Victoria.
Lightmoves' acknowledged expertise in the museum and display field, enabled them to design, supply and commission the majority of the lighting for this project. Lightmoves’ work with museums and galleries throughout Victoria includes providing the fibre optic lighting and control for Melbourne Museum. They also provided total lighting control for the entire Federation Square complex.
Fibre Optics
As the practise with most museums today, all display cabinets were lit with fibre optic lighting. The specification was performance-based, despite the contents of the display cases not being known at the time of quotation. Consequently, Lightmoves designed a system that would allow for maximum flexibility, whilst delivering the required light levels within each case.
The display cabinet lighting design was based around 48-fibre end-light cables. This was teamed with Digilin’s CDC50 adjustable, recessed fibre optic lens, that offers full gimbal movement and beam angle adjustment from 16° to 35°. To illuminate exhibits deep inside the larger cases, Lightmoves also commissioned Digilin to manufacture custom, adjustable dropper-rod versions of the CDC50.
As the light sources were required to be bright, dimmable and operate quietly, after much consideration and testing, Lightmoves chose a customised version of Martin’s FiberSource CMY150 as the primary illuminator. “The ability to dim each light source remotely was important, as it enabled the curators to reduce the amount of light on certain objects. Too much light or a high UV content can damage sensitive artefacts” explains Joe Casamento, Lightmoves Project Manager.
Electroluminescent Wire on the Horse Gait Display
The Horse Gait display is an interactive audio visual experience that demonstrates the four basic gaits of the horse (walk, trot, canter and gallop). The movements of the horse for each gait are illustrated by an animated sequence of outlines that appear on a black glass screen in synchronization with the sound of hoof beats. This unusual animation effect is produced by the sequential switching of a series of recessed 3mm wide Electroluminescent wires, using a programmable Dynalite controller.
Function and Display lighting
Complete with its own kitchen, bar and stunning views of the landmarks along the Yarra River, the magnificent top level function room has the capacity to hold 350 guests. Here, Lightmoves supplied Aureol Beam Shaper display lights to hang on the custom Circuit Tube lighting grid, custom manufactured by Browns Welding, one of Lightmoves’ partner companies. The result is a flexible installation that allows mood and scene set lighting for functions and events.
Architectural dimming
Lightmoves supplied and commissioned Dynalite dimming and lighting control for the entire three level complex. This involved intricate dimming of the fibre optics via DMX and dimming of all fluorescent, display and function lighting.
From walk to trot to canter to gallop. Lightmoves hedges no bets when it comes to innovation, technology and design.
For additional information please contact Lightmoves’ Project Manager Joe Casamento on +61 3 9701 2500 or email jcasamento@lightmoves.com.au. [Courtesy: Lightmoves]
www.lightmoves.com.au

StarStruck by LEDs
When planning for GTV9's StarStruck program was underway, several misconceptions about the availability of LED product were laid to rest, say Coemar DeSisti Australia (CDA). Lighting director Rohan Thornton and set designer Mark Dyson had previously had experience with LED products from Pulsar. Unfortunately, what they wished to achieve on StarStruck appeared to be only possible via a very costly solution.
A number of ideas included the ability to create selectable colour changing in a variety of set pieces. These included very large pieces on either side, referred to as "waffle flats" which consisted of a matrix of lycra panels with webbing in-between. At the intersection points of the webbing, they wanted a "starry light" RGB effect. Fortunately, CDA was able to offer a unique, cost-efficient solution in the form of two custom ShowLED looms manufactured with 200 full RGB LEDs and the necessary controllers and power supply equipment.
The set's backdrop is a solid panel construction on which a "starfield" effect was called for. Once again, CDA was able to achieve this via 18 strings of standard white ShowLED looms and controllers. This same product was also incorporated into a revolving piece that is mounted centrally in the main set and is used to reveal the contestants imitating selected artists. Central to the set is a large acrylic star and some circular features set into the floor. Divided into segments, the star and the circles have been lit using 500 of CDAs Covelight 100mm RGB colour changing LED strip running from three DC-8 controllers, each of which is capable of running up to 400 LEDs. The star is now a dominant lighting effect in the show with its stunning ability to segment the star using full RGB control.
Also fitted in the floor set pieces are approximately 40 MR16 downlights, fitted with full RGB DMX controllable modules, as well as an additional 70 MR16 uplighters (rated to allow full public pedestrian access) also fitted with full RGB DMX controllable modules. Other set pieces utilize 150 of CDA's white LED modules fitted flush into fixed panels.
All of the LED systems are controlled by DMX, using either the Covelight DC8 control/driver or Coemar Regoled controllers all under control from the studio's lighting console. In addition to supplying the LED lighting and control components, CDA also prepared custom-designed power supplies for all of the LED products. CDA says that its modular design includes pluggable inputs and outputs which make the weekly mounting and demounting works on the set simple and cost-efficient. [Courtesy: Coemar Desist Australia]
www.cdaust.com.au

Pappas Media Services returns from lighting Pope John Paul II's funeral
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At 2am on Saturday, 2nd April, John Pappas answered a call from The Lighting Design Group in New York, asking him to be on the next flight to Rome to light what was anticipated as the biggest media event of the year – the death and funeral of Pope John Paul II.
The Lighting Design Group is the largest broadcast lighting design firm in the USA, with clients the who’s who of US Television. LDG and Pappas Media have worked together on several occasions, namely on the Athens 2004 Olympics and the Emmy Award winning Sydney 2000 Olympics for NBC. The design team headed by LDG president Steve Brill had been commissioned to light the coverage of the funeral for the US networks NBC, MSNBC, CNN and ABC. John worked on the four NBC and MSNBC ‘booths’ along side LDG Lighting Director Monica Rose, and Gaffers Lesli Tilli and Tigre McMullen. Pappas Media also supplied London based production electrician, John Osmond.
With coverage 24hrs a day, each booth consisted of a large array of lighting grip equipment and predominantly Arri and DeSisti HMI and Tungsten fixtures, supplied by three local firms. Lighting with consideration to the ever changing levels in the background kept all the crew on their feet, constantly moving single and double stop nets, flags, cutters and silks, as well as adding and subtracting layers of ND and diffusion on the lamps Barndoors. In fact the lighting ranged from a whopping 200+fc during the day to just 19fc at night! Lighting the Basilica Dome also proved to be a task and a half with the never ending flicker problems that occur when shooting NTSC in a 50hz world with non flicker free ballasts!
The Network’s coverage was wound down on Saturday, 9 th April, with the crews departing early the following week. It is anticipated that the media scrum will return to Rome once the new Pope is elected in the following weeks.
“The Rome experience was one of a kind” John Pappas said. “Being apart of what is thought to be a first with regards to media coverage for a funeral at that scale was just amazing. The professionalism of the crews shone through – working hard within such a short time frame with the attitude of ‘we’re not leaving til it’s finished’ was great!”
Lighting Equipment used included: 6 x 4kW HMI Pars, 10 x 2.5kW HMI Pars, 8 x 1.2kW HMI Pars, 4 x 575w HMI Fresnels, 4 x 400w HMI Pars, 4 x Arri Pocket Pars, 6 x 2kW Softlights, 10 x 1kW Softlights, 12 x 1k Fresnels, 20 x 650w Fresnels, 12 x 300w Fresnels, 48ch Dimming, 2x 24ch Strand Manual Consoles
Large range of Lighting Grip Equipment [Courtesy: Pappas Media]
www.pappasmedia.com.au

Channel 10 NSW News relit using CDA LEDs and Fluorescents
Pete Koole Senior Lighting Director Channel 10 NSW had the job of relighting a totally new set for their 5pm News and Late Night News and wanted to add “RGB” LED changeable coloured lighting, so he contacted CDA to see what was the latest available.
The set involved a lot of timber panelling which had thin perpex strips fitted into it.I wanted the flexibility of having the “RGB” LEDs as I could not access these perpex strips once the set was placed together .The perspex was lit and fitted with 600+ of CDA’s Covelight 100mm RGB colour changing LED strips, running from DC-8 controllers.
Pete also used the CDA Trio 3watt high powered luxeon 6 degree led fixtures in yellow to high light some vertical equipment panels in the background of the Late Night News
In addition Pete used CDA’s Solar M100 RGB high powered colour changers to high light five equipment racks in the background of the LNNews set. These fixture use 12 of the luxeon 1 watt leds and provide a staggering amount of pure coloured light for high lighting the racks.
All of the LED systems on set are controlled by DMX via the studio’s normal lighting console. CDA prepared custom designed power supplies for all of the LED products.
Ch10 also purchased the popular De Sisti 4 bank fluorescents (now becoming an industry standard being used by Ch10 NSW, Ch7 Melb, Ch7 NSW) to light the 5pm News set as well as the LNN set. The De Sisti Fluorescents provide an unbelievable amount of light from a fluorescent source and are well liked by the commentators as they do not provide any reflected heat and are very cool to be in front of. [Courtesy: Coemar Desist Australia]
www.cdaust.com.au

Lightmoves' LED road art
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Melbourne is the home to a world-first roadway feature: a 300m interactive matrix of colour changing LEDs on the new Craigieburn Bypass road. Supplied by veteran lighting projects company, Lightmoves Pty Ltd, the LED matrix is incorporated into an acoustic barrier wall of screen-printed acrylic panels. Designed by landscape architects Taylor Cullity Lethlean and engineers Webb Australia in collaboration with local artist Robert Owen, the LED Wall is the main lighting feature of Stage One of the project which opened to the public on 21 December 2004. Lightmoves successfully tendered for this unique project designing a system that would deliver a matrix display of colour-changing LED fittings that could be individually controlled and regulated by transducers in the road.
Installed by contractors Alstom Australia, the LED Wall is one of the most ambitious feature lighting installations ever undertaken in Australia. "The magnitude of this project was quite large as a number of electrical connections were required to terminate nearly a thousand luminaires. Therefore good design, planning and documentation were paramount for this project to be on time and within budget" explains Lightmoves project manager, Joe Casamento.
The specification was predominantly performance-based, calling for a weatherproof luminaire that housed red, green and blue LEDs, and a control system that allowed individual control of every LED. The control system had to treat the wall as a low resolution video screen that allowed artists to use the wall as a blank canvas. Programming of sequences needed to include the ability to import images in the form of bitmap and video files. Transducers in the road were placed to monitor traffic levels and trigger the display of various lighting sequences.
The custom LED fitting needed to meet the performance specifications whilst fitting within the relatively tight 40mm diameter area of the acrylic screen fixings. It also had to endure Melbourne's diverse weather conditions and high UV radiation. Lightmoves collaborated closely with Brisbane-based supplier Digilin to develop a suitable LED fitting. Although Digilin is renowned for their range of Fibre Optic lighting products, they also manufacture an extensive range of LED strips and luminaires. Several prototypes were produced in the process of developing the LMCB40 for this project. The finished product is an IP66-rated, stainless steel RGB LED fitting with a UV-stabilised lens. With nearly 3,000 channels of lighting control to contend with, Lightmoves used Dynalite's 48-way constant current LED controllers as the basis of its control solution, using DMX512.
The innovative Colour Tramp system from Artistic Licence was chosen to provide the overall control of the LED Wall. Its ability to control large numbers of LED fittings with a user-friendly graphically-based screen made it a logical choice for the project, say Lightmoves. It's ability to easily import bitmaps and videos simplified an otherwise complex programming process. Joe Casamento said: "Colour Tramp was a great tool for us. It easily enabled us to program the wall by importing the artist's computer bitmaps. And the ability to have a full on-screen representation of the wall meant that a lot of programming could be done off-site."
Colour Tramp uses the Art-Net DMX over Ethernet protocol as output for its multiple streams of DMX data. Datagate, a product recently developed in Melbourne by Enttec, was selected to translate the Art-Net data into standard DMX. The first Datagate off the production was given a baptism by fire for this project, having to process seven streams of DMX information - a task it did with ease. Housed in a 1RU rack-mount enclosure, the Datagate has, amongst its wide variety DMX and Ethernet translation capabilities, the ability to convert Art-Net to eight streams (4096 channels) of DMX.
Finally, an AMX Netlinx NI-3000 was used to process information from the traffic counter system. Three induction loops in the road sense traffic flow across three lanes of traffic and pass this information via a traffic counter controller to the Netlinx using switch closures. The Netlinx then triggers Colour Tramp via its RS232 input, thus selecting certain sequences depending on the volume of traffic.
www.lightmoves.com.au

Geni Oby 5 fixtures go to Tassie
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The Hotel Tasmania in Launceston has refurbished their Saloon Bar a popular nightclub and live band venue. As well as making use of their old Martin Pro 218 fixtures, that still work great after many years, venue owner Steve Williams was on the look out for new lighting equipment. He contacted Frontline in Launceston to supply and install the lighting and audio and their Lighting Manager Stefan Wronski researched the moving head market.
Stefan soon discovered that you can’t beat the Geni Oby moving heads for value for money and so six Oby 5 fixtures were ordered.
“What you get for your dollar is just great,” said Stefan. “They’re fast, lightweight and punchy – what more could you ask for?”
The Oby 5’s are situated above the stage from where they can light both the stage action and the dance floor. The Saloon’s lighting operator Matt Loone is thrilled with the fixtures.
“The Oby 5’s are nice and bright, they can punch through PAR64’s really well,” he said. “They also have really nice gobos in them. In all, the Oby 5 is a great light especially for the price. I find the colours are great for example they deliver a really true 106, amber, and 181.
“We looked at other products but they really were the best value and the touring lighting guys who have used them have all liked them.”
A Geni Gigastrobe was also purchased and is located on the dance floor truss.
www.showtech.com.au

Hopewell Centre Hong Kong Island Hong Kong
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In September 2004, Laservision’s Simon McCartney contacted Peter Kemp, MD at Coemar De Sisti Australia, to discuss a conceptual lighting proposal for the Hopewell Centre in Hong Kong.
Simon’s interest was sparked after seeing a linear LED tube, which CDA had been developing in association with an Asian manufacturer. In line with the unique designs for which Laservision are renowned, Simon needed the LED to be more interactive than simply providing illumination, taking advantage of the individual addressability of the LED modules and the advanced control features being built into the product. This, he reasoned quite correctly, would allow the system to feature text and graphics as well as providing enhanced illumination for the building. As part of the overall concept, Laservision also included a high-powered YAG laser facilities into the overall design theme.
After visiting the manufacturer and discussing the proposed enhancements to the software and hardware configurations, Peter Kemp and the team were able to commence the development of a control system that would both meet the needs of Laservision’s project as well as result in a much-enhanced product. Quite by accident, a new version of the LED tubing was currently under development to suit large-scale exterior projects.
Over the months that followed, and armed with some of Laservision’s computer renderings showing various designs, close cooperation between all parties saw the product come close to fruition quite quickly. Laservision’s primary client for the new systems had some quite stringent timelines for the installation of the new products and the laser system. Specifically partial installation and testing was needed prior to Christmas with the complete install finalized before Chinese New Year (Feb 9 th 2005) - no small feat. Following a meeting between Mr. Brett Starkey, Laservision’s General Manager, Peter Kemp and the manufacturer’s detailed requirements for the system and the time frame were finalized.
As with many projects, installations are always governed by variations of “Murphy’s Law” and client timelines always seem to be minimal time less 10%! In this project, the timeline was spread across Christmas and New Year, further adding to the complexity of the task. Despite this, the LED tubing and control system was pushed into production and, twice weekly, shipments of product were dispatched to HK for the installation company (TCA) to commence the installation.
By late January, all necessary LED product and the control system had been delivered to site. The software and hardware manufacturer’s representatives, Peter Kemp, TAC (the installers) and Laservision engineers spent a week in commissioning the system using a Laservision-designed graphics show and ensuring that the system was up and running for Chinese New Year.
Laservision’s engineers were able to connect the system to the Internet, thus allowing them to program the system remotely from the opposite side of Hong Kong Harbour. This allowed them to have the perfect vantage point to view and program the show.
Since the successful Chinese New Year “premiere”, Laservision’s engineers have been further developing the “looks” for the new installation. Shortly, this new building will be added to the HK Harbour Lighting Show, and will be the first of the second stage buildings to join the scheme. The Harbour Lighting Show is a project of the Hong Kong Tourism Commission, in which Simon Mc Cartney was the principal consultant having created the feasibility study and again with Laservision as consultants for the implementation. Peter Kemp Managing Director of CDA was also heavily involved in the supply of equipment (some 30 tonne) for stage 1 of the Harbour Lighting Show.
The Harbour Lighting Show takes place everyday of the year at 8pm and has become a major tourist attraction for Hong Kong.
The Hopewell project has proven a fantastic endorsement of the skills of all involved. Considering the restrictive time frame (basically 2 months), it is quite stunning that some 2500m of LED tubing has been manufactured, a complex graphics control system developed and installation has been carried out on a 68 story building in Hong Kong - all fully commissioned by Feb 9 th.
The newly developed control system allows the user to utilize any still images (.bmp, .jpg files, etc), scrolling text & video files to display as output on the building. The control system is interfaced with a Laservision Digital Data Pump show controller, which also controls the Laservision YAG laser.
Project Credits:
Overall design, concept - Laservision
Laservision Design Director - Simon Mc Cartney
Laservision General Manager - Brett Starkey
Laservision Project Manager - Alan Chambers
Laservision Engineers - Brett Slattery , Robert McRostie
Supply and development of LED tube and control system - Coemar De Sisti Australia
CDA Project Director - Peter Kemp
Installation Contractor – TAC, Hong Kong
Installation Manager - Paul Munro
Manufacturer of Led System - PR China
www.cdaust.com.au

A Current Affair LEDs
With recent changes to the TCN9 Sydney studios, the A Current Affair set was remodelled to include a range of LED products from CDA.
300+ of CDA’s Covelight 100mm RGB colour changing LED strips were installed running from three DC-8 controllers , each of which is capable of running up to 400 leds.
Two large rear projection screens on set are surrounded by RGB Covelights allowing for the screens to be bordered with any colour the director chooses. In addition to the projection screens, the plasma screens at the rear of the set are also surrounded by RGB Covelights.
All of the LED systems on set are controlled by DMX via the studio’s normal lighting console. CDA prepared custom designed power supplies for all of the LED products.
Contact CDA now on (03) 9467 8666 or via email at sales@cdaust.com.au for further information on this project or previous projects. Visit our website and see details online at:
www.cdaust.com.au

Room 99 Geelong
Transformed from a dingy old nightclub, the new Room 99 in Geelong has quickly become a hip and trendy clubbing destination for the town’s youth. Comprising of two floors, the venue has dance floors on both levels and an area for live bands on the first floor.
Lighting and audio was supplied and installed by Kevin Bishop and the team from Bishop Audio & Lighting, also based in Geelong. Kevin chose a cost-effective yet spectacular lighting system embracing both Martin and Geni equipment, a combination of products he finds compliment each other well.
The first floor dance floor is serviced by four Geni Mojoscan III moving mirror fixtures with custom gobos, two Martin Acrobat and a Geni OBY 3 moving head with custom gobos. A Martin DC1 water effect light turns a plain wall into a rippling feature whilst two Martin Mania PR1 projectors decorate the room with the logo ‘Room 99’. As you can see in the photographs, the Mania PR1 projections cut through the rest of the lighting to produce a sharp, clear image.
”One of the Mania PR1 shines onto a wall at the top of the stairs leading to level 1 whilst the other is placed next to the stage,” explained Kevin. “I showed the client the photos of the PR1’s in action at The Mean Fiddler in Sydney, (that were on the Show Technology web site), and he thought they looked great.”
Lighting the stage are eight Kupo Multipars and four Kupo Par 56 with a JEM Magnum hazer supplying atmospherics.
“The Kupo Multipars have been great,” stated Kevin. “They are placed quite close to the band and previously we had Par 64s that the bands were always complaining about as they got too hot. The Multipars generate a lot less heat and the bands have been a lot happier.”
Controlling the dance floor lighting on the first level is a Martin Freekie which Kevin says he chose for its simplicity in use.
“We needed something that could be turned on by any staff member and a show would run,” he said. “That’s simple to set up with the Freekie. We’ve programmed a few light shows and all the bar staff have to do is press a button.”
On the ground floor two Geni Mojo Colour colour changing lights that are audio-activated project onto a 20” mirror ball. A further four Geni Mojoscan III fixtures are utilised on the ground floor as well as two Martin T-Rex effect lights. A Geni Atmosfog AF-1200 supplies fog.
“The Mojoscans represent good value for money and they can be DMX controlled or stand alone,” said Kevin. “The shows that are built into them are very good; it looks like you’ve spent a lot of time programming whereas it just comes with the fixture! They’re also quick and easy to install.”
www.showtech.com.au

Whitehorse, pinkhorse, bluehorse.........
The recently refurbished Whitehorse Hotel in Sydney’s Surrey Hills is marked by a magnificent rearing statue of a white horse. Situated on the roof of this stylish new venue, the horse is clearly visible against the daytime sky but is lost at night so hotel-owner Ron McCulloch decided to have the statue lit up for all to see.
Avsound Productions were consulted to provide a solution and they did not hesitate to recommend the Martin Exterior 200, a conveniently compact and powerful, short throw, CMY colour changer designed for outdoor use.
“We’ve used two Martin Exterior 200 units which were chosen for their weatherproof housing and their asymmetrical wide-throw flood beam which makes them perfect for applications where projection distance is limited,” said Matthew Kline, managing director of Avsound.
For control a Martin LightCorder, an easy to operate lightshow recorder that allows you to record and playback any DMX-512 output in real time, was used. LightCorder switches on the lights at the same time each night, turning them off when programmed. The lights were programmed using Martin LightJockey and although a myriad of colours have been programmed, Ron prefers the horse to be lit in white for most of the time.
www.showtech.com.au

Scruffy Murphy's upgrade with Martin
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Scruffy Murphy’s, located in the heart of Sydney’s entertainment district, is one of the country’s premier Irish pubs. Always packed, seven nights a week, the hotel does a roaring business catering to many young backpackers and a local crowd seeking a good night out.
Recently the hotel-owner decided to upgrade their lighting and audio, calling on Sydney production and installation company ‘Bigger than Hollywood’ to do the job. The project included the main ground floor bar and the basement nightclub.
It was essential that the lighting was extremely durable, easily maintained and simple to operate as the hotel trades 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“In a venue such as Scruffy Murphy’s it is critical that the equipment can be serviced quickly and spare parts can be sourced as soon as possible; that’s why we chose Martin,” said Steve Mitchie of Bigger than Hollywood. “We’ve always found Show Technology to be exceptional with service, turn around, spare parts and advice, particularly from their technical people. I’ve spoken to Philip on many occasions and he can’t help you enough. Darren McLanders is again unbelievably helpful. Obviously in the past we’ve looked at other fixtures and companies, but we haven’t found anyone who can match the service you receive from Show Technology. They’re also very price competitive!”
The basement nightclub has a very low ceiling, which hampers the placement of lighting equipment. Mitchie came up with a solution: hang Martin MX-1 Scanners upright onto the walls from where they can light up the room and the dance floor.
“It was the most logical solution and the MX-1 Scanners are reliable, easily serviced and simple to operate,” said Mitchie. “There’s a large turnover of DJ’s that perform in the venue, as well as many different managers, so it needed to be simple. With everything in the venue, they just wanted to be able to flick a switch and leave it.”
Mitchie was so impressed by the MX-1 Scanners he ordered another eighteen for the main bar making a grand total of thirty-six MX-1 Scanners, filling the relatively small venue with a mass of colour and shape.
Also from Martin are six Ego 3 effects lights, four in the nightclub and two upstairs, which project a psychedelic swarm of swirling colours. A Geni 1800-watt strobe is placed on each floor for added effect.
Fog effects are supplied in the main bar of the nightclub by a JEM ZR33 and a Martin Magnum Pro 2000.
www.showtech.com.au

Project News October 2003 - November 2004

Project News August 2002 - September 2003

Project News up to August 2002