Elation Lights three Ultra stages
- Details
The 2017 edition of the spring equinox music celebration ran from 24-26 March with over 165,000 revellers making their way to Bayfront Park in Miami. Both the popular Carl Cox Megastructure and Worldwide/Midpark Stage Stage featured Elation gear with production design by SJ Lighting and structure and production by AG Production Services.
SJ Lighting owner Steve Lieberman created the lighting design for a festival which, now in its 19th year, seemingly ran like a well-oiled machine. “In my 18-year history of working on Ultra and 10+ years as LD for the Carl Cox Megastructure, these were the best stages we’ve ever produced,” stated Lieberman, who says he didn’t lose a single light over the course of the three-day festival. “Together with AG, who performed 110% and were absolutely flawless, we hit the bullseye.”
Used to highlight the mammoth truss designs on both stages were six-foot Elation Colour Chorus 72 LED batten wash lights along with compact Opti Tri 30 RGB PAR lights, both LED colour-changing fixtures useful in emphasizing truss and structure designs in shades of warm colour.
Featuring squares of motion-controlled LED screens lined with lighting and positioned above the audience, Lieberman says he used a week and a half just to sketch out the multi-tiered Carl Cox Stage design. “I wanted to get the shape, geometry, and philosophy of the stage just right,” he says.
“With 1000ft of truss to colour, a powerful colour-changing unit was needed to highlight the shape of the design and Lieberman turned to the Colour Chorus battens. They were 100% successful in producing that effect. Both the Colour Chorus and the Opti Tri 30 are staples in our design toolbox. The Opti fits in 12” truss and makes for a clean detail aesthetically. It’s efficient and easy to rig - just the perfect truss toner.”
The Worldwide/Midpark Stage featured a clean, polished design with beam heavy looks lining big video panels in a checkerboard pattern, a design Lieberman calls “simple but appropriate.” Besides the color from the Colour Chorus and Opti Tri 30 fixtures, the designer needed something with enough power and output to work alongside dedicated beam fixtures. “We used the Platinum Spot 35 and it really held its own,” he says. “It has great gobos and color rendering and an output that stands up next to beam lights.”
Elation had the new IP65-rated Proteus Beam as well as the Platinum 1200 Wash on the Main Stage DJ booth floor package at this year’s Ultra. Production design and artist technical management for the Main Stage was by The Activity (Lead Project Manager Josh Spodick) with lighting supply by Solotech (Crew Chief David Bergeron).
The Activity worked with UMF Creative Director Richard Milstein and Production Director Ray Steinman to help bring their overall creative vision to life. “One of the trickiest parts of the design on any of these events always seems to be the DJ booth itself,” stated The Activity’s Patrick Dierson.
The Platinum 1200 Wash fixtures were chosen with two specific roles in mind. Dierson explains, “Firstly, we wanted to add some point-source effects to the booth so that it would ultimately have a combination of aerial beam effects, video, and lighting LED. Secondly, we knew that there would be moments of guest artists and DJs themselves that would jump out of the booth to work the crowd from the downstage edge directly in front and having some ‘shin kicker’ wash units in that area of the stage would prove to be extremely useful for everyone.”
When working in Miami for several weeks, severe downpours are inevitable and this year was no exception. Both the Proteus and Platinum units weathered the storm, according to Dierson. “Clearly, we were not the least bit concerned with the Proteus units in the rain given their IP-65 rating but the Solotech crew did take special care with the Platinum 1200 Washes,” he states. “That being said, you’re only as fast as your current location so there were times in which the Washes did get a fair dumping upon before anyone could get the plastic bags out so it was good to see that they could be subjected to some abuse and still keep going once the rains subsided.”
(Jim Evans)
