SUN CITY, South Africa – More than 200 Robe moving lights illuminated 18th annual South African Music Awards show, staged at the Sun City Superbowl. As part of the main design element, LD Joshua Cutts was asked to energize an inflatable set, comprising giant interlocking circles and tubes which spanned most of the ceiling.
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SUN CITY, South Africa – The 18th annual South African Music Awards (SAMAs) show was staged at Sun City Superbowl and lit by leading LD Joshua Cutts of Visual Frontier, who included more than 200 Robe moving lights in his design.
It was broadcast live on SABC, and is among the largest televised productions in South Africa.
It was the first time that Cutts has lit the SAMAs. He was asked on-board by TV producers Nevermachine (for whom he also lights Idols), and he and Johannesburg based set designers Dream Sets – also the technical production contractor – brought a fresh and striking look and feel to the high profile event, produced by VL Productions.
The lighting brief was to energize an inflatable set, comprising giant interlocking circles and tubes which spanned most of the venue’s celling. This was designed by Robert Hoey and was a complete visual departure from any previous SAMAs plus a huge hit with the client, who also asked Cutts to add an edgy, classic rock ‘n’ roll touch to the lighting.
He relished the opportunity of creating a dynamic environment for the fast paced show which honors the best of SA’s talent and creative skills across multiple music genres.
Cutts has used Robe for some years in his designs, and for this show, his Robe count included: 36Robe ROBIN 600 LEDWashes, 16 Robe ColorWash 2500E ATs, 21 ColorSpot 700E ATs, six ColorWash 700E ATs, 18 ColorBeam 700E ATs, 36 ROBIN LEDBeam 100s, 36 LEDForce 7s, 12 LEDForce 18s, 24 CitySkape 48s and six CitySkape Xtremes.
Dream Sets supplied all lighting equipment, run by Sean and Robert Hoey.
The trussing configuration had to match the aesthetics of the set and fit in between its various elements.
He chose a completely curved trussing solution, including 9- and 11-meter sections out in the audience to give his advanced and audience lighting positions. There were a combination of circle trusses above the stage for back and side lighting.
The exacting task of rigging everything precisely in the right positions was down to the skills and experience of lead rigger, Thomas Peters.
Cutts used the Robe ColorWash 2500s as FOH lighting onto the multiple performance and presentation areas onstage.
The LEDBeams were used to zap around the venue “with great results – they are vibrant and quick,” he says.
He reckons the best thing overall about the rig was “the effectiveness of all the Robe LED fixtures – with such strong, rich and full color mixing” which enabled him to meet another client requirement, which was to change set colors quickly with solid, even coloration.
The main task for the LEDWash 600s was back lighting, for which they proved “more than up to it.”
The ColorBeam 700E ATs were positioned on the floor. He used them for filling the air with sharp, bright beams in fans and matrices. They were “the most visible stars” of the lighting rig.
Cutts comments that as Robe has grown substantially in South Africa in recent years – largely due to the efforts of distributor DWR – this makes it a lot easier to source and cross-rent enough fixtures for the larger shows. His other preferred suppliers, MGG, also based in Johannesburg, also have a large stock of Robe moving lights.
He programmed and operated the 2012 SAMAs using a grandMA 2 console.
