LOST HIGHWAY FINDS SUCCESS
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.