Gearhouse Proves To Be Real 'Winner' Of Miss World 2008

While Miss Russia Kseniya Sukhinova, was crowned as Miss World 2008, the show itself has been hailed as one of the best, most visually exciting and seamlessly produced ever.
A Johannesburg-based production firm has proved to be a world-beater as a result.
Gearhouse South Africa supplied full production, technical infrastructure and crew for the spectacular Miss World event staged at Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg in mid December – the first time the event has returned to South Africa since 1995.
The task of project managing the logistics needed to squeeze 28 trucks worth of equipment into the venue and build the set in just a week fell to Gearhouse’s project management team of Jesse Wang, Eyal Yehezkely, Michael Lewis and Lee Reynolds. All the kit was moved into the building via two expediently sized service lifts and a 150 tonne crane.
Miss World 2008 actually utilised the resources, services and expertise of six Gearhouse Group companies - GHSA, LEDVision, SDS, In2Structures, GH Power and Havaseat - encompassing 10 technical production disciplines that provided design, rigging, structures, lighting, audio, video, specialist visuals, set building, power and seating in SCC’s Pavilion venue.
The event was broadcast live by SABC to two billon people in over 200 countries on 373 TV stations.
Tim Dunn's innovative lighting design once again broke new technical and creative grounds and was the most technically advanced lighting rig ever seen on a Miss World show.
He included the very latest digital moving light fixtures from Czech Republic-based manufacturer Robe Lighting in the form of 12 DigitalSpot 7000DTs and 36 REDWash 192s LED wash lights – the largest number of these newly launched units yet used on a single event.
Harnessing the energy saving potential of the latest LED and arc source lighting fixtures, Dunn ensured it was also one of the greenest events to date, dramatically reducing the amount of electricity needed to run a world class event.
The lighting – which involved 230 intelligent lights plus assorted conventionals - consumed approximately 30% less electricity than the 1995 event in Sun City, also lit by Dunn. Developing greener show and event strategies is an aspect of business that Gearhouse is prioritising.
Dunn worked closely with set designer Dewet Meyer on evolving the show's aesthetics – the two have collaborated on many other high profile events including the FIFA Preliminary Draw.
Meyer’s massive multi-layered 40 metre diameter spherical set established the architecture of the performance space and completely filled one end of the Pavilion. It was finished in a series of grey tones, allowing Dunn to introduce colour, drama, spectacle and additional texturing with overlaid moving light and video effects.
Dunn's creative team also included Gearhouse Media’s Marcel Wijnberger and Chris Grandin who produced approximately 30 bespoke video clips that were run through 116 pixel-mapped i-Pix Satellite LED lighting fixtures ensconced in the set and which were also projected onto the stage and lining of the lighting pods via the DigitalSpot moving lights. Meyer also produced video content that was programmed into a grandMA media server and woven into Dunn’s visual mix at this point, triggered from one of the two grandMA full size lighting desks.
The Gearhouse Media team also produced the opening edit and three custom video sections that were played out during the show’s production numbers on a 11 x 4.5 metre Lighthouse high resolution R16 LED screen. This was located upstage centre and supplied by LEDVision.
The playback footage was routed and fitted to screen via a Barco Encore multiscreen controller operated by Wayne Susman from Gearhouse AV, along with a feed from the lighting department’s MA digital media server and 3 feeds from SABC’s OB truck – one TX from the cameras and 2 from their EVS machine.
Miss World graphics, stings, bumpers, squeezebacks, VT inserts and IMAG footage from 10 SABC camera sources directed by Ian Hamilton, were also output to the main LED screen from the SABC OB truck. Gearhouse AV additionally supplied two side projection screens for IMAG relay to the live audience.
(BMcC)