Craig Hatto, projects director, Continnuum Group, said, "Stage One was the ideal choice. They undertook and immediately understood the inherent complexities in creating an experiential ride, taking immediate ownership of the set elements and integrating with the other specialist contractors. The team were courteous and sensitive to both the client and other contractors needs and with everything combined they made a complex and potentially high risk project appear to be a walk in the park."
Covering a 220m2 area, the eight-minute long Dark Ride invites visitors, seated in an oak barrel carriage, on a journey through the whisky distillation process with the spirit of the distillery owner, Douglas McIntyre, as the guide. They experience 15 distinct areas of whisky production, from the barley field to the barrel, enhanced by dramatic sets works and impressive audio-visual techniques.
To produce the look and feel of each area Stage One utilised a full range of scenic and interpretation skills, working with wood, steel, GRP, acrylic, polystyrene and paint to deliver sculptural pieces and scenic elements representative of the distillation process. In addition, the company's lighting department installed several lighting elements within the scenery to produce atmospheric effects at various points within the ride. This included a fibre optic rainstorm and 'intelligent' mirrored Gobos.
"Ensuring smooth integration with the other sub-contractors was key for this project, as there were a great many elements to bring together," said Phil Green, project manager,Stage One. "But we worked hard to achieve this and the Dark Ride is a quality attraction that compliments all the other offerings from the Scotch Whisky Experience."
(Jim Evans)
