Despite the complexity of the flying manoeuvres (and AVW's heavy workload elsewhere in Europe during the fit-up), Brown reports that the system went in smoothly, and has coped well with the demands of a fast-moving show. "We did a lot of work with Delstar who provided the mechanical engineering. Although we have AVW control at the National Theatre, this is the first time that Impressario Advance! has been in the West End, and it's being used to control several moves with motors running at full speed."
The Impressario Advance is the second generation of theatre controllers from AVW, and was launched just prior to the show's opening. Based on the original Impressario product, the new system adds several housekeeping functions, as well as improved group control for sophisticated moves and a repertory function for theatres and venues with several productions in rotation. Using standard RS485 infrastructure, the Impressario console is connected to three motor control racks at the Cambridge Theatre; on the fly floor, loading floor and substage. Each rack contains IMP motion control modules, which are set up individually according to the type of motor or device being controlled. Return information to the console (vital for safe operation) can include limit switches, positional encoder signals, over and underload sensors and datum references from friction-driven systems.
The lighting elements of Our House saw many of the Chitty team re-united with Mark Henderson as lighting designer, Fraser Hall as production electrician and Stuart Porter as the programmer. Suppliers likewise, with White Light providing the conventional equipment and The Moving Light Company delivering the automated rig and Wholehog II control system.
The similarities didn't end there; as with Chitty, Henderson was faced with little space in which to position any lights, and therefore spec'd those he knew would work hard. Working with the video projection also provided extra challenges for the team, as well as ensuring that the lighting didn't give away any of the show's secrets (go and see the show and you'll understand). Following their success on Chitty, Henderson built his rig around 15 High End Studio Beams; in addition, there are some 60 Martin MAC 500/600s and five MAC 2000s; Dataflash strobes; 70 Rainbow scrollers; 80 ETC Source Fours and 100 Par 64s. Atmospheric effects come courtesy of a Le Maitre LSG 300 smoke machine.
Projection designer Jon Driscoll teamed up with film editor Richard Overall, and video 'scientist' Richard Turner to produce the visuals, working in close collaboration with Henderson and Tiger Aspect's production manager, Steve Rebbeck. The production's principal projection sequence takes place during the seminal Madness hit 'Driving in my Car'. The Morris Minor car comes onstage, and the minimal set turns into a giant three-sided screen surface, in old-fashioned Cinema 180 film projection style. The footage propels car and cast on a journey which starts on the streets of Camden Town, careers into the English countryside, via a giant wooden rollercoaster in Great Yarmouth into the sky and then into outer space.
Driscoll wanted to keep the material filmic and panoramic in homage to the Cinerama era. He utilized a combination of 35mm and Super 16, shot on an Arri 435 camera, and an Arri SR II camera employing time lapse and long exposure techniques along the way. The footage itself was shot on a tracking vehicle on location in Camden, East Sussex, East Anglia and Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach, where the original Madness 'House of Fun' video was shot. The insert's final aerial sequences were shot aboard a light aircraft, whilst the space sequence is a computer-generated animation created by Richard Overall.
The projectors are four front-proj
