14 May 2012
The Oscars was the theme for this year’s Caxton Awards, held at The Theatre on the Track on 29 March 2012.
Caxton and CTP Publishers and printers are recognized as one of the largest publishers and printers of books, magazines, newspapers and commercial print in South Africa. For the sixth consecutive year Keystone Productions were commissioned as technical and production suppliers.
“We have a very good relationship with Caxton and do most of their work,” said Keystone’s Christopher Bolton. He has already been briefed on next year’s event and perhaps this has something to do with his perfectionist nature and the copious amounts of time he spends on pre-production design and planning. “I feel it gives me the edge on most productions I am involved in.”
Keystone Productions handled the entire awards including all the content. Christopher stepped in as Production Designer and Lighting Designer which enabled him to create the overall look and feel. His lighting show and the use of HD Projection added a modern twist and there was great excitement as four new Philips Vari-Lite VLX Wash lights were added to the rig. The opening sequence included a combination of old theatre tricks using HD projections onto a gauze with back lit silhouette effects with the artists behind the gauze.
“We selected some great South African artists for the event including Ciano Sky, Elvis Blue, Ice Project and Jannie Moolman,” Christopher explained. “On rehearsal day we had 20 minutes with each act to plot lighting, video and choreography with sound checks for two songs for each act. That is crazy by any standards and I suppose trying to eat something while programming was definitely something that made me smile, and of course anybody that watched me try do that!”
Eight hours to move into the theatre added pressure. “Thankfully I have an incredibly dedicated and switched on crew that made this feat look like child’s play.” The team are always up the challenge, whether it’s working in a complicated venue or getting the most out of what their lighting rig can do every time.
This lighting rig included 4 x Vari-lite VLX Wash lights, 6 x Martin Mac 600 Wash , 4 x Martin Mac 250 Wash, 8 x Martin Mac 700 Profiles, 4 x Martin Mac 250 Entour , 24 Etc Source 4, Le Maitre Hazers and a range of other generics for ambient lighting.
The team at Keystone Production always get pleasure when giving the client more than they bargained for and maximising their budget. “It’s a rewarding experience,” said Christopher. The end result was a stunning looking show, thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Christopher ends, “Thank you for the absolutely fantastic service from Robert Izzett at DWR Distribution. I am completely over the moon with my VLX washes and I look forward to buying many more.”
