"The lighting system had to be as flexible and dynamic as possible," Chmielewski explains, citing his plot for two Catalyst Pro v3.0 Media Servers, two DL1s, 32 ColorCommands, 12 Studio Beams, 10 Trackspot 2s and 24 other moving lights, with control by two Wholehog III consoles. "In addition to the range of aerial and projection effects from the DL1s, we also used Catalyst to send show Flash files and images to the main screens for all the events, and it all happened flawlessly. We were able to take simple graphics provided to us by the sponsors and clients and within seconds we produced animated, dynamic lighting projected onto the walls, ceilings and main screens of the stage. The backdrop to the main stage was a custom 13.5ft by 24ft projection screen with two hot-stacked Barco R10 projectors, which also had a RGBHV signal from the Catalyst. The ColorCommands proved to be an indispensable tool able to go from soft subtle colors for the general sessions to rich vibrant colors for the awards and gala."
A Hog III console controlled the rig of almost 100 intelligent lights and the servers. "Programming the Catalyst on the Hog III was intuitive and the Catalyst never skipped a beat, no matter what I threw at it," he says.
Chmielewski provided lighting and Catalyst design, programming and operation. Event Strategies Inc produced the event, and CPR Multimedia provided all of the production. "It's been a good day when your entire system comes to life on the first try and that's exactly what happened with the help of the two lead techs, Geoff Whitaker and Chris Lighthall," says Chmielewski. "There were no problems for the entire five days the rig was in the air. After seeing Catalyst's capabilities and the reaction to it by the clients and sponsors involved, it has prompted me to buy my region's first Catalyst system. Catalyst has now been requested on all future events."
(Lee Baldock)
