Tag: staging

Business conference event

Site visit for designing event production!

This blog outlines some key aspects that you should consider when doing a site visit for your next event. Choosing the right venue or site for your upcoming event is one of the most crucial steps of any event.

We are involved in event production and mostly liaise with organisers when the site has been confirmed. Most organizers are unaware of the venue constraints until we start looking into the production requirements.

Choosing a venue with a high number of constraints can easily blow out any production budget, we also acknowledge that nobody likes to go over budget!
If you wish to stay within the budget allowance, I outline some basic technical elements that you should consider on your next site visit.

Technical considerations during a site visit –

Power

Without sufficient power, there isn’t a suitable production! The term sufficient is dependent on the scale of your event, smaller events can possibly get by with few 240V circuits, medium to large events will require 3phase power and sometimes multiple 3phase outlets.

It is normal to hire generators for events; however, you can reduce the running costs of an event if a portion of the power (if not all) is provided by the venue/site itself.

 

Loading area’s and parking

One of the biggest drivers of cost to any production is labour.

If you put on your ‘Bump-In/out’ hat (crew’s POV) for this, you will quickly realise, the easier the access to the event area the less time it is to get the equipment from the truck to the event area. The closer the loading zone to the space, the shorter the distance.

Essentially as an event organiser, you can save big on labour costs when you think like this during the site visit.
Also consider obstacles such as stairs, lifts, no dedicated loading zones, and no car parking.

 

Production design vs Venue constraints 

This is a common challenge in galleries but it is definitely not limited to just galleries. Most AV aspects can be tweaked to suit the site, when we consider projection, there is very little wiggle room. There are set parameters to work within, if the space has not considered the guidelines during the planning stages.  It is unlikely that you will achieve the desired outcome.

These parameters are dependent on many variables and are based on your event requirements. If there is an element of projection in your event, general things to consider should be –

  1. Competing light in the room
  2. Distance (from the projector to screen)
  3. Projection size (size of the image)

 

Off course there are many other things your production company will need to consider once the production requirements have been locked down. However, considering the above during initial planning stages can leave you pretty close to your desired outcome and with some spare pocket change, they will end up being fairly deep pockets too!

I hope this post helps you get better prepared for the next site visit!
If you need further assistance feel free to call RTR Productions! We can provide technical advice, production design, audio production, staging designs, and temporary structures/Rigs services.

Before I end this blog, below are some general things event planners often forget to clarify upfront.

General considerations during a site visit –

  1. Venue operating times
    • Make sure the production company bump-in/out during the allocated times.
  2. Request for site floor plans
    • Forward this to your production company at the very start, helps us quote for things accurately.
  3. Storage areas
    • We need a place to store our road cases.
  4. Essential tools for your next site visit.
    •  Get yourself a laser tape. That’s what we used to measure up the very uneven floor at Fed Square, check out this link to see the structure    http://staging4.rtrproductions.com.au/pop-up-structures-for-events you can buy one here quite cheaply
    • https://www.totaltools.com.au/109223-leica-disto-d2-100m-laser-distance-measurer-lg837031

    • Leica D2 in action during our site visit for designing an event production .

Why and What: Outdoor stage for events

Why hiring and what outdoor stage and cover to hire for an outdoor event?

These are 2 questions we get asked all the time, so here are my 2 cents.

Please keep in mind this is only my opinion.

Why: Most people think that they should hire an outdoor stage and cover just in case the rain comes or the forecast looks bad.

Of course, as you know, you need the stage for the band so they can stand out and everyone can see them, but why the cover?

The cover is used for multiple options:

  • Protect from the rain, (electrical equipment doesn’t mix well with rain), the punter may still be dancing but the musicians will stop playing and you know what I think about looking after the musicians and performers! If not read an older article here: http://staging4.rtrproductions.com.au/speakers-facing-band
  • Protect from the sun: depending on where you are in the world, the sun can be much more dangerous than rain, here in Melbourne, try to stand under the sun in summer for 1 hour while performing…..I’ve done it and if not fun!
  • Bright light: The band or the speaker/presenter may be the centrepiece of your event and to have them not been able to see and read their speech would be detrimental to the event, give them a lectern, mic and a stage and cover and they will love you forever!
  • Wind: Having sides and back wall, either full or mesh, will act as a windbreak, keeping the stage quite, the mic stands up and the performers happy.
  • Lighting rig: If the event goes into the late hours, you want to light up the performance and have some eye candy lights for the crowd and if you have an outdoor stage and cover set up you have the infrastructure already for the lighting rig… and also for the sound system if you choose the options with “PA wings”
  • And last…. The outdoor stage and cover is great to protect the equipment (but I know you don’t care, the equipment is not yours… fair comment I think)

 

Here a couple of examples of a stage and cover that RTR Productions supply and install:

Outdoor stage Fat Boy Slim Melbourne Concert St Kilda
Outdoor stage and sound system for Fat Boy Slim Melbourne Concert St Kilda
Outdoor stage 10m x 8m with cover, sound system and lighting rig set up
Outdoor stage 10m x 8m stage and cover with PA wings, sound system and lighting rig

Not that we (should I say I) talked about WHY hiring an outdoor stage and cover, we (I) should have a brief chat about what……

To hire an Outdoor stage and cover you need to have an idea on a few different things as you have a lot of choices.

Here are some guideline points that will help your supplier suggest the right outdoor stage and cover for your event:

  • Where is the stage been set up, what ground is the stage been set up on. (Grass, concrete, sand, Etc)
  • Access to the setup place. I strongly suggest organising a site visit with your supplier as they may notice things that you are not aware of that could delay the installation of the stage.
  • Size of the biggest band you have on stage
  • Coverage you want to achieve with your sound system, so you can choose the outdoor stage and cover with or without PA wings
  • What you want your stage structure to look like, for example, Corporate black roof and black background, white canvas with lots of coloured light reflections, curved or square etc etc,
  • Front or side steps depending on the sort of event you need the stage for.
  • Ask your supplier if they can also supply a solution for audio and lighting as they may be able to offer you a cost saving on the all package

 

As per any services supplied to the event industry, OH&S is a most important point.

Please make sure that your supplier has all engineering documentation for the stage and cover structure as per requirement by the local government laws. Sometimes a S.W.I.M and the certificate of compliance (design) will suffice and some other times you will also need a certificate of compliance (Install/built). At RTR Productions each and every stage and structure has been engineered and designed as per the New Australian standard for Temporary structures.

The last thing you want to happen at your event is for the stage and cover to collapse and injure someone, trust me this has happened many times… have a look at this video link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63GKrWWF5d8

 

Should you have any questions about staging hire, sound system hire, lighting hire, stage and cover set up or about this blog, please do not hesitate to contact me at cris@rtrproductions.com.au

Truss built . Draping and staging

RTR specialty rigging g at Dulux Colour Awards

Creative Ways to Build

The 8th of May saw a creatively spectacular event put on by The Valentina Group Agency at the National Gallery of Victoria.  RTR Production assisted with the production for the first time this year.  Custom and specialty rigging is a cornerstone of the services that RTR provides to its clients.

RTR specialty rigging
Adnate’s beautiful portrait hanging from RTR’s custom double arch

Amazing and immersive events that always surpass any of the attendees’ expectations are what The Valentina Group Agency is known for.  This year’s Dulux Colour Awards at NGV’s Great Hall were even bigger.  This was in thanks to amazing event design and a HUGE mural by famed Australian muralist Adnate painted onsite.

 

The NGV Production department and The Valentina Group asked RTR Productions to provide specialty rigging that would form a giant easel.  Adnate specialises in very large-form fine art portraits carried out as murals on the sides of buildings.  He actually has created the tallest mural in the Southern Hemisphere on the Wellington Street flats in Collingwood, Victoria.  For the Dulux Colour Awards, he created a 7.6m x 4.8m portrait live during the actual award presentation.

 

RTR Provides Specialty Rigging for Artwork

RTR Productions used Euro Truss 300mm box truss to create a double truss arch to support the massive painting.  Their riggers put together a 9m tall structure, with additional bracing. Then, this structure framed a custom aluminium tube grid, which in turn held the giant painting.  The experienced riggers than mounted individual panels to become a composite structure.  Adnate actually had to paint from a scissor lift to reach the whole painting it was so large.

 

One of the most amazing feats of the evening was that the NGV’s Great Hall was open to the public until noon that day.  The crew unpacked the entire structure and built it in just a few hours.  This had to happen to allow time to rig the individual panels on the custom grid.  RTR chose to paint this custom grid Dulux Duramax Gloss Hot Lips red to match the design of the event. Giant red velvet drapes framed the event space and a very creative custom stage as well.

The Valentina Group’s Marisa Sabljak said:

“To have that structure up so quickly and to have it look so spectacular was an incredible feat. The client and the artist were extremely happy with the finished product.”

Check out some more of Adnate’s amazing work here:  https://www.adnate.com.au/

Smoke vs Haze:difference and which to use and where

Smoke vs haze: difference and which one to use where?

 

Haze and smoke over the years have been used in events to maximize the effects of lighting and lighting beams. In the old days with fix lighting fixture the haze or smoke created a nice effect and was somewhat important to create the atmosphere and improve the light effect. In recent years where moving lights are used throughout most events, the effect created by the smoke or haze is so much more pronounced and outstanding and the moving light beam can be much more visible.

 

I won’t go into too much detail on how from the technical point of view the fog machine is different from a hazer machine and how it vaporizes the fluid with heats rather than use a compression chamber as the hazer does, but if you want more technical explanation check out this link from the great Wiki…  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haze_machine

 

Hazer. These machines are quite common throughout the events and live productions / hire companies. There are entry-level units that normally are ok for small events / small rooms or small stages. Once you step up to bigger events you also would have the need to step up to professional, high output Haze machines. Sometimes we also use haze machines for big outdoor stages but we normally tend to use multiple units on the same stage as the wind is an enemy of haze.

 

Fog machine. These units have been around for a very long time and have been over the years cheaper and cheaper to buy, however, there are quite big differences between professional units and “ consumer” units. One major difference, in my opinion, is the warm-up time and the reheat time where the unit needs to go back to a certain temperature before it can pump out smoke again, which could cause issues when you have specific cues to follow in an event… can you imagine the main act coming out from backstage and you trying to pump out smoke and the machine is in re-heat mode!!!!  That’s one way to annoy the client and piss off the performer and you know what I think about keeping the performers happy… you can check my previous article, follow this link http://staging4.rtrproductions.com.au/speakers-facing-band

Using professional smoke machines, means you overcome this problem as most of them don’t have gaps in re-heat which means continuous smoke distribution and happier clients. Other differences are, more smoke, faster outputs, DMX control not only remote, self-cleaning cycle when the unit is turned off and overall peace of mind that the unit works when you want it to!

 

On a quick note, I suggest you use water base fluids for both machines as in my opinion they are better for the environment, people and equipment than oil-based fluids.

 

This is Paul, looking for the light beam, with some smoke he would have found it straight away.

 

Paul lighting

You can use a combination of each, the hazer to keep a continuous haze/mist of smoke over the stage or dance floor so the light beams look awesome and the smoke to accentuate some special situations like songs, part of songs, special light effects etc.

In short, I would say that I normally use Hazers to create atmosphere and smoke machines as a special effect….. And of course you can argue that you prefer dry ice special effect or the faze effect which is more cost-effective, but this is a discussion for next time… till then…. I see you later unless you just turned on your smoke machine at full blast and you can’t see past your nose…. Ciao

 

Photo of stage lights with smoke fx

stage band

 

NGV Summer Sundays

The National Gallery of Victoria’s Summer Sundays were an initiative put on by the Gallery that includes free performances by local musicians and DJs, food and pop-up bars in the NGV Garden and a free drop-by activity for kids. RTR Productions being the NGV preferred supplier for audio, visual, staging and productions designed a series of ground support structures, staging and audio visual solutions for the series of free concerts.

The events were a success even though there was a couple of weekends where last minute bad weather caused some re-arrangements to the structures. The RTR crew were able to quickly work around the inclement weather for a great result.

New Product – White Staging and Catwalks

RTR Productions new German engineered staging system now has the option of a white finish, ideal for fashion show cat walks and weddings this vinyl top can be ordered to fit any size stage you desire in 1mt increments. Available from 400mm high to 900mm and available with stairs, ramps and handrails our new staging is the most flexible product available in the rental market.

 

Call the team on 03 9381 0530 to discuss your event.

 

Ramps and Handrails – Now In Stock

Following the addition of greater capacity in our rental staging early in the year we have now added more staging accessories to our inventory. RTR Productions can now provide stage hire including disabled access ramps, stairs, handrails and custom sized sections.

If you have an event where you need to rent a stage, no matter the size or shape contact RTR for a free quote.

 

staging rental