Kinesys Raised on Country with Chris Young
- Details
Integral to the stage design - created by production designer Chris Lisle - is a 30-axis Kinesys automation system being used to move six lighting pods and four video screens which are essential visual elements of the show, together with the general lighting and video. Production manager (and lighting director on the road) is Michael Stanley.
Chris Lisle explains that from the initial meetings with Young and his management, they knew that they wanted some motion in the show to offer a variety of looks. He then started drawing and experimenting with exactly which production elements would move, and how, when and where to make these happen.
Moving the lighting pods produces fresh new angles and distances from which to throw light onto the stage, while the look of the pods in motion also adds additional visual dynamic to the show.
In charge of operating the automation for the tour is Christian Hindley, a freelance operator, programmer and creative designer who was hired by Atlanta Rigging Systems (ARS), the production’s automation and rigging vendor. The company has made substantial investments in Kinesys in recent years, adding to their already extensive Kinesys inventory
The system comprises 18 half-tonne vari-speed Kinesys hoists (running on Elevation 1+ drives) which move the lighting pods, plus four x one-tonne vari-speed hoists and eight x ½-tonne vari-speed hoists which are used for moving the video walls.
Three Kinesys Array PD-ES control racks and an Array 485 controller complete the system, together with Kinesys Vector control software.
The pods are each picked up on three motors while the outside video screens are picked up on two motors and the centre screen is on four motors. All these elements move into different positions changing the architecture of the space as well as adding shifts in mood as the set unfolds.
The six lighting pods are loaded with Chauvet Maverick MK Pyxis moving lights, and these travel up and down as well as pitching and tilting.
Christian highlights the fact that Kinesys control makes it fast and straightforward to edit cues and adjust to different trim heights and stage spaces which is essential when touring a show.
“The ability to change things quickly is brilliant. That might sound obvious, but I have used a lot of different automation systems and sometimes it’s a challenge!”
(Jim Evans)
