In addition to the services, a host of other events are staged at the Knox venue, including weddings, funerals, youth events and local school theatre productions. The main auditorium is utilised every day for a wide variety of performances that can feature anything from a single preacher to full choirs, orchestras and electric or acoustic bands.
The Church's lighting director James Fielding specified the four Robe ColorSpot 575 ATs along with four ColorWash 575 ATs which are hung above the stage, and with a Robe Haze 400 FT hazer.
The sound and AV facilities were upgraded earlier in the year, and then came the turn of lighting - by which time they were regularly hiring in moving lights for their larger events and functions. At this stage, it made good financial as well as creative sense to make the investment.
The Church also broadcasts to over 30 countries around the world on Christian TV, and in addition to catering for good TV lighting, Fielding wanted to make the space as flexible and dynamic as possible with the upgrade. He was given a budget allocation and knew that he "Definitely needed pro fixtures", so started weighing up the options.
He chose Robe for three principle reasons - competitive pricing, his own hands-on experience of seeing them in action and using them (when hired in), and because of the excellent support and backup he knew he would receive from Powa Audio, the local Robe agent who supplied the kit.
Having the moving lights in house has made a massive difference to the level of production values that City Life can offer for all its events. "There's just so much more scope for being interesting," says Fielding, who controls his Robes along with various generic lights from an Avolites Pearl 2008 console, which was also part of the upgrade. This, along with the Robe fixtures, was supplied to Powa Audio by ULA.
(Jim Evans)
