Minimalism is to do more with less or bring more value out of less. With this particular event, we wanted to incorporate the “minimalist” idea into our design. Know that this show was a community event, the decision to do go minimalist helped us and the organizers stay within budget. I chose specific fixtures and placement of them to maximize the function of each of the fixtures.The setup also needed to be quick and easy as we only had 7 hrs and 3 personnel to accomplish this task. The set-up team did an exceptional job getting all of the equipment ready by sound check, just in time for me to perform final checks and program.
For our console, we used an Elation M-play running Onyx Control Systems software. This little fly pack allows me to go to any size venue and ask for a-laptop sized footprint (which is easy to obtain). The power house or highlight of this rig was our LED Beam fixtures, RGBW Pixel that emit a 5-degree beam at 60W. These LED Beam fixtures also have the ability to rotate Pan and Tilt in continuous 360. In this orientation they performed exquisitely and showed exactly how far minimalism can truly make your show stand out.
We laid the LED Beam fixtures across the stage floor on the upstage edge, which gave us beam effects from behind the artist--creating not only a visual effect for the audience with beams, but a background for the artist as well. I chose to have LED pars light up the existing architecture to highlight their facility. There was no need to throw on a bunch of aerial effects that would drown out the elegant background that the community had worked so hard to construct.
All in all, these LED Beam fixtures really helped me achieve the minimalist look that I was looking for. Our dream is guide any size show toward an amazing look, regardless of budget restraints. No Show Left Behind.