Callum Sutherland with Duncan Riley of DWR
Callum Sutherland, a student from St Stithians Boys College, Johannesburg, was 13 years old when he joined the school’s technical crew and soon thereafter, sat alone behind a Martin LightJockey with a little more than 15 minutes to program a couple of cues for his very first event, a talent show. Skip a few years and he recently purchased six Robe Robin 300 LEDWash fixtures from DWR Distribution, which he used as part of the rig when lighting Brescia House School’s matric dance in May.
With the theme, “A night under the stars”, Callum used six Robin 300 LEDWash units, three Robin 300 Spot Classic, Chauvet fixtures and Martin M-PC lighting software to create a moonlit ambience for the memorable evening. “I used the spots with a prism to create stars and the Robin 300LED Wash units to wash the room evenly. A hazer created a misty fill in the room, and parcans were used for simple mood up-lighting,” he said.
It’s inspiring to see a young person walking in similar footsteps to some of the leading predecessors in the South African market.
“I have made my fair share of mistakes,” comments Callum. “However I learnt very quickly, and I have tried to perfect and improve on my skills and knowledge in the industry wherever I might be lacking.” There have been a few individuals who have left their mark on his career. “Kenneth Mali, head of technical at St Stithians, was my very first mentor,” said Callum. “He was in fact the one who encouraged me to buy my first set of lights. Recently I met Mark Gaylard, owner of MGG Productions, and after speaking to him and listening to his story, I am definitely following his advice and insight in the hope of reaching the same level one day.”
While Callum has invested in lighting fixtures before, the new Robins are his personal best. “Robe is a trustworthy and quality brand and the purchase was made easier through Duncan Riley of DWR’s incredible support and faith in me. The Robe 300 LEDWashes have proven to have perfect colour mixing over an even field of wash. Their zoom makes them versatile as both a beam and a wash light, and the ability to control the 3 zones of LED’s individually make it easy to create eye candy effects, especially with short range events such as dance and school productions. Most importantly they are incredibly bright and fast in their movement when they need to be.”
He ends, “I would like to thank Duncan for all his help and support in my pursuit of this business and I am looking forward to some Robe Vivas!”
Brescia House School’s metric dance lighting gear:
6 x Robe Robin 300 LEDWash
3 x Robe Robin 300 Spot Classic
17 x Chauvet EZpar
7 x Chauvet SlimPAR
1x Chauvet Gobo Zoom
1x Chauvet Arena Hazer 3
Martin M-PC lighting software
