Chauvet brings balance to Young Frankenstein
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Glen, of Nick Glen Lighting Design, was aided in his effort by a collection of Chauvet Professional Maverick MK2 Spot and COLORdash Par-Quad 18 fixtures, supplied by Show Systems Australia. “The performance features of the Mavericks and colours of the COLORdashes allowed me to create a range of looks,” he says. “We needed this diversity to support the show, both as a comedy and as a more straightforward story.”
Hung from upstage and mid-stage electrics, the 12 Maverick MK2 Spot fixtures in the rig were controlled wirelessly through Chauvet DJ D-Fi Hub units. The 440W LED fixtures were moved throughout the show, their quiet operation eliminating concerns about distractive noise.
Drawing on the wide beam angle (13° to 37°) of the Maverick MK2 Spot, Glen had them fill a variety of roles during the freewheeling musical comedy, from creating broad crisscrossing patterns for show-tune-style dance numbers to more focused down spots for dramatic moments. The dual rotating gobo wheels of the Maverick MK2 Spot also came into play, as Glen relied on speckled gobo patterns to underscore a lurking sense of danger during some of the ‘monster’ scenes.
The Maverick fixture’s variable frost feature that allowed it to transform from a spot to a wash helped Glen convey a variety of moods. "The frost feature is absolutely top as far as I'm concerned," he says. "Being able to quickly flip between wash and spot effects was incredibly useful for particular scenes within the show that called for sharp changes in energy, such as the musical numbers."
(Jim Evans)
