Maschera needed a fixture with the power of the MAC III Profile to handle long throw distances as well as a stage dominated by an LED wall; a high impact light that could cut through the many videos involved in the show.
Reliability was also an important factor. Maschera was especially concerned about the need to project gobos diagonally because of the difficulty in maintaining focus at varying distances and angles.
Enter the MAC III Profile, which had recently been purchased by Italian rental company Musical Box Rent. "It is really quite different from what we see with other fixtures," Maschera stated. "The ease of lamp replacement, the modules and the base, and the idea to divide the fan (cold) from the lamp (hot), tells me that it is really well engineered. The MAC III is really the future."
The launch event included a concert, the traditional christening of the ships and fireworks. The 3,780-passenger Pacifica and 2,826-passenger Luminosa - each 35m high and 300m long - were lit from two audience towers and two stage towers, each tower holding five MAC III Profiles in protective domes. An additional 15 MAC III Profiles were used on stage for backlighting.
"I am proud to have designed the lighting for such an important event and am happy to have worked with such a professional and skilled company as Musical Box Rent," added Maschera. "I am also happy to have had the opportunity to use the MAC III Profile. The time we had to programme the show was limited and the weather was very bad but the MAC III helped me to obtain a very good result; the client was very satisfied with the scenography and lighting and that is the most important thing."
(Jim Evans)
