Marenghi required dramatic floodlighting of the central pyramid and powerful aerial effects, so he approached Jack Calmes at Syncrolite in the USA, and 16 of the new 10kW dichroic searchlights and 12 8kW units were flown in from Dallas. The 10kW Syncrolites were placed behind the central pyramid and it can be seen from the photographs how effective these new units are.
The 8kW units with their standard gel scrolls and gobo effects were placed in front of the pyramid and further floodlighting of the side pyramids was achieved with Griven Colorados, supplied by local contractor ProLite under the direction of LD Baher George. Associate lighting designers for the event were Nick Jones and Eneas Mackintosh, both of whom supported Marenghi at the Winter Olympics in Turin. The Syncrolites were operated by Mike Ansley and Jeffrey Smith. The music content was designed by Giacomo Carrissimi for K events and the executive producers were Christel Strohn and Simone Merico.
The production encountered several challenges such as the air freight being split into two separate flights, though still on one carnet, due to a storm in the Middle East which delayed the release from customs until two days before the event; this and the unique politics of obtaining machinery, filling generators with diesel or actually being allowed on site were managed with style by production managers Fabio Andreini and Jaqueline Marrone.
Marenghi said: "Orascom has its own production company to handle its events and this local knowledge was fundamental to the event's success - in particular the feat of negotiating the maze of the permissions necessary to project any kind of light onto the pyramids. I hope the effects that we achieved will inspire the custodians of this historic site to update their 1960s tourist son-et-lumiere and that Syncrolites will one day have a permanent presence on the skyline of Cairo."
(Lee Baldock)
