Netcare night of the stars

14 February 2013

Photos courtesy Johnson Chen and Alex Visser

Remember the days when nurses wore stiff, white starched dresses, sharp little hats, stockings and lace up shoes? While the uniforms have relaxed somewhat and we are almost certain that nurses smile more these days, the medical staff often remain the unsung heroes as they work hard and passionately to make a difference each day. With this in mind, Netcare hosted their 13th Night of the Stars Awards at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand at the end of last year. “From the beginning our pitch to Netcare (a private hospital network), was to celebrate a caring family and to acknowledge the names of those who save lives,” said Lloyd Wild from Monster Productions and Events who provided the full concept and production for the event; contracting the Gearhouse Group of companies to provide all the technical aspects such as staging, audio visual and cameras, rigging, power and set as well as supplementary lighting, trussing and audio elements. “The client requested a classy affair that would give recognition to these deserved care givers.” Especially for the event, Monster purchased 12 new Robin 100LED Beams. “The fixtures were great with their quick movements, beams and brightness,” said Wild. “There were 60 awards and it was important for us to create interest and hype.” Graeme Marshall, sales and assistant project manager at Gearhouse, likewise was taken with the Robin 100 LEDs. “I do like the new little toys used,” he said. “I was amazed how effective they were, nice little products!” The show, which included amongst other performances by Lloyd Cele, Charlize Berg and trumpet player Neil Engel and Lindiwe Bungani, looked beautiful, said Marshall. It was lit by Gearhouse’s Senior Lighting Technician, Peter Abrahamse. He had free reign to create something hot and rose to the occasion, programming on a grandMA full size. A highlight for the 450 guests was the reveal of four cars, which were given to Netcare regional winners. 3D Video Animation, with the use of four Chrystie Roadster 18ks, projected onto a massive 4.8m high x 38m wide screen. Because of the intense projection, VL3500s were used, their framing shutting system allowing beams to be angled and shaped. Monster Productions and Events are a creative company, pulling off big idea work. This dynamic team aim to make each event well worth remembering. Equipment List: 12 x Robin 100LED Beams