Lost Highway is a cinematic theatre production portraying a modern day version of the Bible story of the Prodigal Son through the use of film and a live band performing secular rock music. The story deals with life, loss, and healing. Feedback received after the show indicated the relevance of the story and that modern audiences could relate to the message. Central to the production is a movie which was produced and filmed in Port Elizabeth by Rooftop, a local video production company. The story is told by cleverly interweaving the lyrics of secular, well-known rock songs and ballads with lines of text displayed on the screen during the movie.
Lost Highway debuted at the end of 2011 in an 800-seat venue in Port Elizabeth. In November 2012 the show ran for the second time with two shows in the Eastern Cape and three shows in JHB. Responses after every show indicated that audience members enjoyed a moving and thought-provoking experience.
The production started 4 years ago and has been an evolving work-in-progress since. Ronnie van Jaarsveld of LineOut audio-visual company was approached to assist in tying it all together technically as well as providing overall production management.
Every chapter of the video had to be synchronised exactly with the band in order for the text to be displayed as it was sung during each chapter. The entire band used in-ear monitoring systems enabling cues and click tracks to be sent to all musicians without it interfering with the performance. Video chapters were triggered utilising queuing software and were triggered automatically from the music director's PC on stage via MIDI. A second, manually triggered system, ran a backup video into a seamless switcher for redundancy. Full communication was made possible between music director and band, monitor engineer and technical crew, while two channel communication was set up between the production manager and the rest of the technical team to facilitate the smooth running of the production.
A major technical challenge was to design the lighting so that it does not distract from the video experience yet complements each scene in the movie. "A large central screen flown above the band made this even more of a challenge," says Ronnie. Utilising flexible fixtures with minimal beam spill helped overcome washing out the screen. A Martin M2GO Lighting Console was purchased for the production. Added to the existing lighting inventory were 350 Entour LED Profiles and MAC Auras. "The Auras performed beyond my expectations", raves Ronnie "they are definitely some of the most versatile fixtures we have ever employed." The 350 Entour fixtures proved themselves too when they were used for the first time in the JHB shows. "They have incredible brightness for their size," says Ronnie "and their added power and weight savings are a bonus".
His full lighting gear list includes:
6 x Martin 401 Wash
12 x Martin AURA Wash
6 x Martin 250 Wash
6 x Martin 250 Profile
2 x Martin 575 Profile
2 x Martin 700 Profile
2 x Martin 350 Entour LED profile
Martin M2GO lighting Controller with Elo 22" touch screen.
Lost Highway seems set to be performed for some time to come. If you're open to a unique theatrical experience make sure you catch it next time it is staged in your part of the country.
FROM GARAGE TO AUDITORIUM
Everybody loves an overnight success story, but when you look closely many years of hard work are revealed. This is also the case in the story of Ronnie van Jaarsveld and LineOut.
"I was at school when I started building speakers in father's garage" says Ronnie. His interest in and aptitude for amplifiers and mixers got him involved with bands and sound systems at his church in Port Elizabeth.
"In 2003 I started Servecom IT," continues Ronnie "but this was predominantly IT technical services and sales." Over the next couple of years Ronnie focused on his IT business, but built a new client base by providing audio and sound services for church and school productions. In 2009 he established LineOut; a division devoted to AV with two areas of focus: Sales & Installations, and, Productions & Equipment Hire.
By 2011 the AV division had grown so big that Ronnie sold Servecom IT to concentrate completely on LineOut. According to Ronnie things started happening fast. "I was doing work for more and more national artists, as well as large corporate conferences. I was appointed as head of sound at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. And I joined the Lost Highway team as production manager."
In 2012 Ronnie continued his involvement in the running of Lost Highway as well as the National Arts Festival.
Halfway through 2013 he's showing no signs of slowing down. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started Apple in a garage; so keep an eye on Ronnie, the sky's his limit.
The Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town's Foreshore area is in the process of upgrading the lighting facilities of its three theatre spaces. The centre was originally established in 1971 as the Nico Malan and was renamed Artscape in 2001 under the aegis of the provincial administration.
With its close proximity to Cape Town's central business district, the new International Convention Centre and the V & A Waterfront, Artscape is ideally situated to serve the Cape's performing arts, film, tourism, entertainment, conference and exhibition industries.
Covering an area of some 14 000 square meters, the Artscape complex consists of a fully equipped Opera House, seating 1 487, a Theatre Auditorium seating 540, the smaller Arena theatre seating 140, a piazza, gardens, rehearsal rooms and ample parking.
It is a prominent feature of the Cape Town cultural scene with thousands of top acts and actors entertaining hundreds of thousands of people over the last four decades.
Towards the end of 2012 the complex received funding to upgrade the lighting rigs of the theatre spaces.
Artscape's Senior Lighting Technician, Nicholas Tilney, says there were two objectives with the upgrade: "Firstly, our Martin Mac 2000s, which were installed in 2000 and 2004, were getting old. Secondly, all three the venues at the Centre are getting busier and we needed a system with a quicker turnaround time." With more shows and with shorter runs it is essential that time spent setting up and focusing be kept to a minimum. Nicholas and the rest of the crew had a discussion and came up with a list of equipment that would cut down the time they spent focusing lights by half. "We feel we came up with a list that matched good quality with the versatility and flexibility that is essential to our multi-discipline venue" says Nicholas.
The Artscape crew's decision was to stick with Martin Professional products because of the incredible service the Mac 2000s had given over more than a decade. This meant they turned to Electrosonic SA's Robbi Nassi to guide them through the process. "Electrosonic SA was an automatic choice," says Nicholas "Their service – and that includes back-up, spares, and especially training – is superb, I can't fault them".
The upgrade was planned to take place in two phases. The first phase was the delivery and installation of 15 Martin Mac III's. The second phase included an additional 9 Mac III's and 24 Mac 700s. This does not mean the Mac 2000s are being thrown out: "After 12 years they are still great, we've given them lots of love and attention and they have given us fantastic service, and they will for a while yet" says Nicholas.
Included in phase two were 2 Robert Juliat Follow-spots. "The rig already contained a number of RJ Victor 1800 watt Follow-spots, but we're adding two RJ Lucys" said Electrosonic SA's Robbi Nassi, "they're world-renowned for their superb optics".
Artscape had previously acquired a Compulite Vector Red lighting desk and subsequently added Blue and Violet desks to control their lighting rig. "We feel there was no need to upgrade them as they are still sufficient to drive all three venues in Artscape" said Robbi.
For Nicholas the most attractive element of the Mac III is its zoom capability. "It has the widest zoom on any unit I have ever seen and is extremely useful for our venue," he explains. Another attribute Nicholas appreciates is that the shutter module that can be added to the lamp is included in the initial offering and does not have to be purchased separately. The 1500 watt output is also impressive. "No other moving head that I know of has that high a lamp rating" he says.
At the time of going to press both phases of the new rig installation had not been completed, and only a once-off concert had been presented. Nicholas is looking forward to setting up for a production with a long run. "We don't fully appreciate yet what the features can do for us. We'll learn as we go," he laughs, "We can't wait to use them to their full capacity in a full artistic environment".
Next time you're in Cape Town, make the effort to catch a production at the Artscape and experience the benefit of a state of the art lighting rig in a world class South African entertainment venue.
QUESTION: What do Twakkie and the Borg Queen have in common?
ANSWER: Nothing, except that Rob van Vuuren and Alice Krige – the actors portraying the Most Amazing Show's moustachioed hero, and Star Trek's evil villainess – are both alumni of the Rhodes University (RU) Drama Department. With its integrative approach to drama studies the department gives students plenty of opportunity to perform in pieces across the spectrum of theatre disciplines. The Rhodes University Theatre is constantly in use for performances as well as rehearsals.
In 2012 Royden Paynter of the RU Drama Department approached Robbi Nassi of Electrosonic SA for advice on upgrading the lighting system of the theatre, with the specification that only the latest and greenest in lighting technology was to be used. "We recommended the new and extremely powerful M2GO Lighting Controller," said Robbi. Jacques de Kock (who took over after Royden fell ill) was very impressed: "It's user-friendly. Ideal for a situation where students all have to jump in and help at the lighting desk". Robbi also suggested the Mac Aura LED Wash Moving Head. "Not only does it have impressive lighting output, but it's an LED based moving head which would require no lamp replacements and is low on power consumption", continued Robbi.
After thorough demonstration of and training on the equipment the Drama Department decided to purchase the Martin Products. The motivating factors were that they are products that stand the test of time and that Electrosonic SA and Martin provide excellent back-up service.
Further purchases included ADB Warp Zoom Profiles to add to the theatre's existing ADB Inventory. "The Warp Zoom Profile is unique with its conical ring system to Focus and Shutter the beams of light," enthused Robbi. This added to their High End Decision to purchase a high standard of Lighting Luminaires and Control. The ABD F101 1kW Fresnel was also supplied to add to their inventory of existing ADB Fresnel's. A JEM Magnum 1800 Smoke Machine – the industry standard - was also supplied.
"We thank Jacques and Tersia du Plessis (who has since taken over from Jacques as production manager of Rhodes Theatre) for their continued support," adds Robbi "we look forward to collaborating with Rhodes Theatre in future".
Electrosonic SA's Annual CM Motor School was hosted by Chris Jones from CM (Columbus McKinnon) Entertainment Technology in the UK.
Electric Chain Hoists or "motors" as they're more commonly called in the entertainment industry are used for applications such as lifting and securing overhead truss systems, lighting arrays, and speaker clusters. The CM Lodestar electric chain hoist is recognised worldwide as the industry workhorse. For generations professional entertainment riggers and organisers have trusted the CM Lodestar to reliably deliver sterling service.
Chris is a qualified engineer and senior technician with over 20 years' experience and is perfectly qualified to train members of the local industry, as well as answer queries regarding the Lodestar and other CM products.
The first leg of CM Motor School was held at Electrosonic SA's Johannesburg office on 25 February. Two days later the second leg was held at Electrosonic SA's Durban Office.
The first two legs were fully booked, but for Cape Town, Renier Smit – who organised the School – decided on a different approach. Renier is the CM Technical Sales and Support person at Electrosonic SA. He explains: "The Cape Town guys had too much work to devote a full day to School, so Chris and I spent the time visiting clients, building relationships, and tending to any problems". The Cape Town clients visited included: Gearhouse, CCPP, Ultra events, C & S Audio, Artscape, and Eden Electronics.
The School's coursework included the following sections: how to maintain CM motors, trouble-shooting, on-the-spot repairs, as well as chain inspection and repair.
According to Chris the aim of his visit was to promote safe and efficient use of all CM lifting equipment. "We believe that training on the most current techniques, product features, and industry requirements is critical to a safe work environment and sound maintenance program" said Chris.
"It was a great opportunity to visit our distributor, Electrosonic SA, and to meet some of their customers in person," he continued.
Renier was satisfied with this year's Motor School: "A lot of fun was had and everybody learned a lot – so our objective was achieved. We can say that CM Motor School 2013 passed with distinction!"
