Staged in boat sheds originally constructed for the America's Cup challenges in the 1990s Air New Zealand Fashion Week is a major production challenge undertaken since its inception by Auckland's Oceania Lighting. Simon Garrett, a former theatre technician and lighting designer leads the Oceania lighting team.
"I approach fashion shows as part live product showcase and part studio shoot," says Garrett. "The Designers invest heavily in Air NZ Fashion Week so we must deliver a memorable live show for each label with digital stills providing instant press ready material. In a few months time these live images spearhead mailings to clothing buyers seeking confirmed orders for the season's stock."
Garrett continues, "Air NZ Fashion Week runs on an extremely tight budget; a mere fraction of what their overseas counterparts have to spend and we must deliver real value to the designers and labels or they will simply do their own thing. Designed as temporary boat sheds the venues are bare and the roofs have few rigging points.
"At Air NZ Fashion Week the Oceania team focus 300 plus lights in two studios and one 1200-seat marquee venue plus rig some ancillary rooms. We have eight hours if we're lucky to do so. The rigs are all flown on truss which is set at lower trims than we would have for a corporate event so we need to be methodical.
"Fashion tends to intensify optical inconsistencies and you quickly appreciate the difference when reliable equipment and quality lenses help deliver a solution. For example, an old favourite, Selecon's 1200W 7-inch is useable producing f3.6-f4 at over 3000k when set at 95-100% and is, in my opinion one of the better Fresnel units for that 'holy grail' blend of cost, light output, control and colour temperature. Believe it or not, my next favourite is Ianiro's 1000W 6-inch pup which must be 50 years old but has a good lens.
"Selecon's Pacific Zoom really surprised me (at Fashion Week 08) as for live events and R&R I am a fan of the Source4 for its mix of size, packaging, lower wattage and easily repeatable fixed angles. In fashion the Pacific 23/50 Zoomspot beats it hands down for control, useable performance and peak to half peak field."
(Jim Evans)
