Hilary Duff kicked off her Still Most Wanted tour in LA in July and will be touring the US through September. Teaming up on the tour are the Martin Maxxyz lighting console and Maxedia media server along with MAC 2000 Wash, MAC 300 wash lights, VL3000s and conventionals, all in the hands of lighting designer Seth Jackson. Tour lighting supplier is Bandit Lites.
"The plot was changing up until a day before the truck loaded," Jackson commented. "If it weren't for the flexibility of the crew (Sam Harden, BK Waggoner and Billy Willingham) and the endless amounts of drawings and input from Dizzy Gosnell, I doubt we would have had the success that we did. The 3D Cad work (done by Diz) allowed us to spot several problems that wouldn't have been found out until rehearsal."
In fact, in putting the show together tour/production manager Scotty Ross and Jackson had hourly conversations. "Scotty is just one of the best," Jackson comments. "He was able to accomplish months of prep work with me in a matter of days, and still never stopped smiling."
Jackson calls the Maxxyz / Maxedia combination a powerhouse. "I have never done a show with such flexibility and ease of programming; limitless options at your fingertips. Our lighting director, BK Waggoner, was able to learn the desk in three days with the help of the Maxxyz staff (Matthias Hinrichs, Michael Nevitt, and consultant Ed Motts) at the Martin West Coast office. Their support has been invaluable and they were right there with us every step of the way. I used Maxedia to drive a 48 by 33ft Mainlight SoftLED curtain. The SoftLED curtain (provided by Screenworks and XL Video) is a fantastic way to use video as a scenic element. Because of the pixels being 4 inches apart, you have to be crafty with what you feed to the curtain but we found some fantastic clips and graphics that we were able to endlessly manipulate with the Maxedia.
Jackson also expressed his satisfaction with the MAC rig. "The Martin MAC 300 is still my favorite light! The power and look of that little fixture is just perfect. The MAC 2K Wash is also becoming a favorite of mine. The brightness and color system are great, and the flexibility of the beam sizing gives me tremendous options. Also, we have several with wide angle lenses inside of the scenery and they don't lose an ounce of punch despite the lens. Martin went far beyond the role of manufacturer with this one. The West Coast guys absolutely shined and backed us up 110%. The Maxxyz, Maxedia combo was a home run and it was a blast to do this show."
A laser system provided by PDI and Howard Ungerleider has become a major element of the show. "Scott Wilson's programming integrated perfectly into the show, becoming part of the lighting system, not just a special effect," Jackson stated. "The system is so compact and easy to set-up you would never believe the power that comes out of that little box."
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
