Kings of Chaos

25 June 2013

Photos: Special thanks to Gareth Chambers South Africa: Rock fans filled the Sun City Superbowl for the Kings of Chaos who performed on the 15 and 16 June.

“I received so many positive phone calls enquiring who did the lighting on the gig,” commented Duncan Riley from DWR Distribution. “Everyone I spoke to said it was one of the most amazing shows ever in South Africa.”

Gearhouse South Africa provided the full technical for the show and Willie Bothma was responsible for the lighting design.

“We were initially approached by Production Manager Gavin Taylor of Amp Events, who asked me to draw up a stage and said it was for a rock and roll show,” explained Willie Bothma. He was not told which band would be playing.

Bothma drew up two stage renderings, and with the approval of the second design he was also asked to light the show.

A lot of the programming was done off-line on a visualizer using grandma 3D Software and a PC. “I did the basic looks for each song and some of the effects,” he said. “I did not put in the timing. I knew the concert would be faster than the music on the CD. The whole gig was planned very well and I was grateful to have had the time in the office to program and time to think about what I was doing.”

The show ran off a grandMA2 light. “I love that desk,” said Bothma. “It’s so versatile, you can think up any sequence and you can build, there really is no limit.”

While the lighting fixtures were a mixed bag, Bothma used Robin 600s for key lights. “I used them instead of source fours and it meant saving on focus time and load in. They were perfect.”

Bothma grew up in Standerton, a town in Mpumalanga which specialises in cattle, dairy, maize and poultry farming. His love for entertainment started as a child but because he suffered from stage fright, he knew his place would be back stage. He started off his career with a bursary from MJ Event Gear and studied Entertainment Technology at the Pretoria Technicon. He joined Gearhouse about six years ago as a freelancer and then technician when following his girlfriend (and now wife) to Cape Town. Over the years his interest in drawing and the design of stages has seen his participation in some great projects.

“Kings of Chaos was not just another job,” said Bothma. “When I initially found out who would be performing, I took it personally. On the first show I was so nervous that my hands were shaking. But, as soon as I pressed the first button I was calm and I knew I had it in the bag.”