Dan and Boomtown's production manager Robin Collins asked Dave Whiteoak of Video Illusions to be visual production manager and video designer and to co-ordinate the visual production elements including lighting and video content creation. Dave commissioned lighting designer Sam Tozer from Vision Factory - a regular LD on Video Illusions projects - to add some original lighting magic to Sector 6.
Video Illusions, who work closely with leading UK lighting rental company GLS, in turn asked them to help specify and provide the appropriate lighting kit.
Boomtown is one of a handful of music events that has successfully retained a boutique ambience with a developing theme across a large and diverse site, with a reasonable capacity of 60,000.
Says GLS's Ian Turner, "We were delighted to be involved with an invigorating, fresh and imaginative project like this. The set was completely stunning, Dave's video was amazing, Sam made fantastic job of the lighting and it was clear that much thought and precision went into creating a fantastic visual harmony."
Lighting was a carefully layered balance between architectural sources highlighting and emphasising the meticulous scenic detail of the structure which included several moving parts and the effects lighting needed to created WOWs for the pumping DJ sets and to immerse the audience fully in the whole Sector-6 experience.
It was also absolutely crucial that the lighting kit survived the event whatever the weather, so the vast majority of it was IP65 rated and from leading brand SGM in which the HSL family has made major investments this year.
Ian continued, "This stage was about using the right kit in the right place. On a structure this huge, inflatable domes just don't cut it. We agreed from the start to specify IP rated lights that did the business and could survive whatever meteorology was thrown at them. The SGM range was ideal".
The total SGM count was over 150 fixtures with 29 X G-Spot moving lights, 32 x Ribalta LED battens, 22 x Q7 LED strobes, 22 x P-5 LED wash lights, 30 x Q-2 strobe / floods and 16 x G1 moving head beams.
They were joined by six Clay Paky Sharpys in weather domes, six Atomic strobes, 31 x LED PARs, 12 x GLP X4 wash lights and six ZR33 hazers which worked super-hard every night to maintain smoke coverage. All of these were run through the lighting console operated by Paul De Villiers.
(Jim Evans)
