"It was an enormous undertaking, to say the least," reports Rudolph. "I regularly programme multiple media servers with grandMA2 - it's my main console - but I hadn't done anything of this size. The entire set at the Oscars was projection. We had 34 Hippotizer HD units outputting 53 discrete active outputs and some spares with control from the grandMA2 light console. In addition to the screens, we also took care of the scenic tracking for the moving elements which acted as projection surfaces."
Rudolph had three grandMA2 lights on hand: a primary controller and backup plus a separate system located back of house for programming. "We could run one line to the show console and load the entire show into it," he says. Rudolph operated the console during the Academy Awards telecast.
"Everything worked great. I did a lot of timecode triggers, and grandMA2 worked without a hitch. The grandMA2 light is a perfect size: It gives me all the features I need and plenty of workable space. I also like the new user interface, the way the macro system works, and the layout view," he says. "It's a very efficient system."
VER provided the grandMA2 for the gala occasion. A.C.T Lighting is the exclusive distributor of MA Lighting in North America.
(Jim Evans)
