Kinesys
automation was an integral element of Sean Burke’s elegant production design
for Mariah Carey’s ‘Sweet Sweet Fantasy’ tour which just completed a substantial
UK and European leg as the multiple Grammy award winning, chart-topping artist
delighted audiences on her first mainland European tour in 13 years.
For the
arena shows, four 8 metre high by 2 metre wide projection columns glided on and
offstage with video content mapped precisely to them as they moved, a stunning
result achieved using an interface between the Kinesys Vector automation control
system and the VYV Photon media server.
Just
upstage of these, four lighting ladders also moved into different positions related
to the configuration of the screens at the time, allowing the moving lights
rigged on them to beam through the gaps.
The
Kinesys system was operated by Jonathan Wood of Event Automation & Lighting
Services and supplied to the tour by lighting contractor, Neg Earth Lights. The
media server was operated by Ellie Clement from Lucky Frog with projection equipment
supplied by CT.
The
moving screens flanked a static circular screen centre-stage and worked either
as four striking individual columns or as two larger screen areas, with VT and
ambient projection running through most of the show.
These and
the trussing ladders immediately upstage were rigged on new Litec DST52, a 52
cm stacking truss product developed by Litec with Kinesys supplying the
trolleys that run within it.
Neg Earth
Lights connected these two innovative products to ultimately produce a solution
for the client.
The DST
system operates using an inbuilt rack-and-pinion drive and the Kinesys Elevation
1+ powered DST trolleys can move up and down its entire length – in this case
24 metres for screens and the two 10 metre lighting trusses.
Each beam
trolley has two lifting points used to pick up the lighting ladders – each ladder
containing a mix of Clay Paky Mythos and Martin MAC Viper AirFX fixtures.
Around 15 different movement looks that
changed throughout the show were programmed into Kinesys’ Vector control
software.
It was
Sean’s first tour with Mariah Carey, although he worked on some large one-offs
and TV specials for her before being asked to create the touring production
design, which was energised in a very short timescale with a few practical
requirements to consider based around available truck space.
Sean
planned automation in the design from the outset because “visually we needed THAT something extra, and being able to
move the screens and the lighting ladders added a whole new layer of choice and
new perspectives to the space”.
They also
needed a compact system to fit into the trucks space and Kinesys, utilising the
DST52, proved a perfect practical as well as aesthetic solution that upped the
drama and dynamics of the show.
Tom
Woodcroft came on-board as video editor while Sean asked Richard Turner of
Lucky Frog to join the team and ensure this content would work a stage / show
context as well as design the hardware system and co-ordinate all things video.
This included
synchronising the positional information transmitted by the Kinesys Vector
software as the screens move with the video content being projected, a feat achieved
with the application of some serious algorithmical magic in the Photon media
server.
“Kinesys
is very user friendly and I will happily use it again and more of it,”
concludes Sean who was delighted with the results.
He and
Jonathan Wood have also worked together for many years and Jonathan – a
lighting technician before specialising in automation – has used Kinesys
regularly since a 2006 tour with Muse. On this occasion, he was working for Neg
Earth Lights.
On the road,
Jonathan could build up all the comparatively light and straightforward to use
automation elements utilising four stage hands which made things extremely
quick. For him, the Kinesys Vector control platform is very well established, reliable,
fast to use and a logical choice!
The 3 metre
lengths of DST52 were all fitted 4-high on custom wooden skates built by Neg
Earth Lights and wheeled on / off the truck each gig providing an extremely
neat travel-solution for the entire movement system.
Neg Earth
Lights was one of the first UK rental specialists to invest in Kinesys over a
decade ago and is currently the only UK company stocking the DST52 trussing
system, the latest in a long line of creative automation products they have
embraced.
http://www.kinesysusa.com
Photos
: Louise Stickland
