Jands Stage

News -

Autosports 2011

FIFTH GEAR Live Action Arena, Autosports 2011 exhibition

A Jands Vista T2 console running the new v2 software was specified by lighting designer Nathan Wan to control all lighting in the FIFTH GEAR Live Action Arena at the Autosports 2011 exhibition, staged in Hall 5 of the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham, UK.

The desk was controlling nearly 500 lighting fixtures, including 30 Robe ColorSpot 1200E ATs, 18 Robe ColorBeam 2500E ATs, 12 Robe ColorSpot 2500E ATs and six Robe ColorWash 700E AT moving lights, 100 JTE PixelLines, 300 PARs and six 4-lite Moles.

It’s the third year that Nathan has designed the lighting for the event, which is notoriously challenging to light, with sound and lighting equipment supplied by rental company Network Productions. The Jands Vista console was supplied via exclusive UK distributor, A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd.

The Vista console is Nathan’s favourite desk for this type of show and he used the version 2 software to pixel map the PixelLines and run low resolution graphics through them.

He likes the new Selection tool with v2 – allowing lights to be selected as a pen line is drawn across the rig, “This is great for making up shape & effects chases,” he enthuses. He also likes the console’s timeline options.

With up to six 55 minute shows a day in the Live Action Arena, all the cues could be stored on a cuelist and activated just by pushing the Go button, which is an ideal way to run this style of show. He thinks being able to dip in and out of the console’s Play List for editing is extremely useful, and says, “The Smart Effects on v2 means you can load effects onto each fader and edit the speed and size live, which is also ideal for improvisational work.”

The Live Action Arena – one of the largest indoor tri-oval racetracks in the UK – took up the entire hall, with a performance area of approximately 120 metres wide by 100 deep, and was the focus of the exhibition for the most serious petrol heads, speed freaks and performance car enthusiasts.

They were treated to a series of hair-raising races and stunts by some of the fastest vehicles on four – and three – wheels for 55 minutes of burning rubber, screeching brakes and adrenalized excitement. The five show-a-day schedule on the two public days attracted up to 4,700 people per session, packing the grandstand to capacity!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.