Astera for Fiach Drive in Drama in Ireland posted: 24/09/2020
Presenting theatre and performance in the pandemic is a truly challenging space, but it's also no surprise that our hugely talented and resourceful entertainment industry worldwide is responding with some truly imaginative and ingenious solutions for offering the public much needed opportunities for engaging with thrilling and emotional dramatic experiences! Fiach is a fantastic example! This unique new work by Philip Doherty unites the disciplines of theatre, cinema and comedy in a seat-edge live onstage and in-car drama, accompanied by vibrant large format video visuals, a thumping sound system, intense theatrical lighting all in a Covid-safe drive-in viewing environment.
It is also a great example of how a kit of eight Astera Titan Tubes, used with thought and invention by lighting designer Mick Murray can go a long way!
The ground-breaking Irish-language work was presented (with English surtitles) by F b n in association with An Taibhdhearc in a car park at Baile na hAbhann, Connemara, County Galway, Ireland, starring award-winning actors Fionnuala Flaherty and Dara Devaney.
Delivering a blistering tale of love, passion and the power of the human spirit , the adrenaline-fuelled action started when local hoodlum and drug dealer Fiach staggers out of a pub high on a mind-blowing-and-bending cocktail of acid and whisky! Getting into his car, he's pursued at high speed by Garda officer, Cl ona.
An hour 20 minutes of rollercoaster action and darkly humorous comedy later, the story reaches a thrilling conclusion.
Producers F b n asked Mick Murray to create the lighting, video and staging designs. With an impressive array of idiosyncratic mixed media projects to his credit, Mick jumped at the chance and reached for Astera Titan Tubes - supplied by lighting rental and installations specialist Cue One - as a practical, powerful and aesthetically pleasing lighting solution.
Mick and Philip (Doherty), who also directed his work, discussed numerous elements and ideas. The requirement was for a mix of cinematic and theatrical lighting techniques and treatments, and for this to work properly, the quality of light was hugely important stated Mick.
This was the primary reason he chose Astera products, plus their ability to add a more dynamic feel to the show.
As Philip really wanted to immerse the audience in the show, in the stage design Mick positioned the cars - the dealer's Ford Capri and the policewoman's unmarked Nissan Primera vehicle - on staging decks with the actors inside as far as possible into the audience.
Four Astera Titan Tubes were rigged in the two cars and the other four on the four scenic' streetlights complete with custom-designed 3D printed hoods.
The four dynamic streetlights' completed the desired physical immersion effect extending from the edges of the car stages out through the lines of audience vehicles pulling them into the action.
Inside the two chase cars, Mick needed both key and effects lighting.
The two Titan Tubes were the main key lights, augmented with fill coming from LED strips placed on the sun visors and dashboards. In the police car, the Titans were secured either side along the top of the front doors, and in the Capri, one was in front and one on the left.
Live camera feeds from the cars were beamed up onto a billboard style projection screen behind the cars.
Much of the pre-recorded video content and close up shots - feet on accelerators, hands of steering wheels, etc., plus some additional optical trickery - was also shot on site during the rehearsal period, all coordinated and compiled by Mick and programmed onto a Smode media server.
The Astera units were pixel mapped for effects to run over their static show states which were varied slightly in colour and intensity, always keeping the camera image looking good, commented Mick, who was delighted with the results.
The streetlight effects threw the atmosphere and tension out in the audience / car area via slow animated pixel chases on the Titan Tubes, all helping to ramp up the energy and excitement so the audience felt they were part of the chase.
Other major lighting moments where guests needed to enjoy the narrative's fuller visceral dramaturgy included when Fiach's acid trip explodes in his head - to Mos-Def / Massive Attack track I against I - assisted by a string of psychoactive effects produced by the Astera street lights'.
Mick also found a perfect sodium colour temperature look for the Titans to match the street nearby for the drive-in state as people arrived.
The printed sleeve of the streetlight hood fitted over and protected the centre of the Titan Tube and slid into a T-shaped key-clamp fitting mounted on top of 4 metre high lighting booms. The hood also incorporated the mounting hardware supplied with the 8-way Titan Tube kits - a hole in the end of each hood accepted the M5 rigging eyelet and a slot / holes enabled the aluminium mounting clip to be screwed to two parts of the hood and attached to the Tube.
All eight Titan Tubes were run powered, via thin DC cables back to the Titan charger located in the boots of the cars, and were programmed, together with the other lights, via an ETC Ion lighting console by Ritchie Lambert who was working as Mick's assistant LD. The car headlights were also DMX controlled and run through the lighting desk for the performance.
At the end of the show, the audience replaced clapping with flashing headlights and honking horns - all in unison, proving that atmosphere can form between a socially distant / separated audience even when self-contained in their own car bubbles'!
The production was a highly rewarding experience in which to be involved elucidated Mick who lives in Slovenia and had to quarantine for
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
30/09/2026
Schibsted Media, one of Norways largest and most influential digital media publishers and content producers, has invested in mixers and digital signal processor...
30/09/2026
Big Blue Marble announces the addition of live multiview channels to Cloud Video Kit, its broadcast-grade video processing platform. The feature is powered by A...
30/09/2026
Leading video software provider Synamedia today announced that Telekom Slovenije, Slovenia's largest provider of telecommunications and TV services, is open...
30/09/2026
PODCAST EXPO 2026 Recorded Using Blackmagic Design Workflow
Brie Clayton September 29, 2026
0 Comments
Conference featuring 24 sessions over two days ...
30/09/2026
IBC2026 Show Report
David Kirk September 29, 2026
0 Comments
The International Broadcasting Convention has long been Europe's equivalent of the US...
30/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/09/2026
Mavis has launched Mavis Camera 8.2, the latest release of its professional camera app for the iPhone and iPad. This update brings support for iPhone 18 Pro and...
29/09/2026
Oak View Group (OVG) has announced Cisco as an Official Technology Partner, with plans to standardize infrastructure across its venue network on Cisco solutions...
29/09/2026
SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) won three honors at the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
Program awards went to Bucs BP in the Sports Program Live category (produced ...
29/09/2026
The Professional Women's Hockey League has announced home openers for all 12 teams for the 2026-27 season, along with a broadcast partnership with CBC under...
29/09/2026
Manifold technologies has been recognized as a contributor to the Media eXchange...
29/09/2026
FuboTV has announced My Local Sports, allowing subscribers in select markets to add their local regional sports network (RSN) as an add-on to a Fubo Sports subs...
29/09/2026
Asian News International (ANI), a wire agency and video news provider based in India, has deployed Grass Valley's AMPP Media Operating System and Framelight...
29/09/2026
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has deployed Ikegami UHK-X600 cameras as part of an upgrade to IP-based production infrastructure. The deployment ...
29/09/2026
REMI, REMCO models will drive the bulk of the broadcaster's NHL productions ...
29/09/2026
Three years in, the facility is supporting more centralized race production, com...
29/09/2026
NBC, Peacock, and NBSN are carrying all four Wild Card series with a production ...
29/09/2026
19 Nonfiction Projects Across All Stages of Production to Receive More Than $1 million in Support as Documentary Film Program Approaches 25th Anniversary
LOS ...
29/09/2026
Two new plug-ins launch alongside updated bundles
Zynaptiq have just announced the launch of two new plug-ins, alongside new and improved versions of two of...
29/09/2026
All-in-one bus processor revealed
Wes Audio's ng product range has come a long way since it was first introduced, and now includes a tasty selection of ...
29/09/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Ikegami announces that the South African Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, has chosen Ikegami UHK-X600 camera systems as part of an advance to IP-based operation ...
29/09/2026
Blendkit Offers 20% Discount to Celebrate Crossing 150K Asset Milestone
Brie Clayton September 29, 2026
0 Comments
Blendkit, the largest 3D asset libr...
29/09/2026
Interactive streaming specialist Ease Live supported more than 76.5 million fan sessions across three major European media operators during this summers FIFA Wo...
29/09/2026
Ease Live has added support for VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) to its graphical overlay technology, opening up new ways for broadcasters, streamers and rights...
29/09/2026
Rise AV has announced the launch of the inaugural Rise AV Awards, a new global awards programme celebrating the women, advocates and organisations across the AV...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Clear-Com announced that First Baptist Nashville has upgraded its production communications with a Clear-Com intercom solution as part of a comprehensive sanct...
29/09/2026
Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K Captured Action Shots for Sketch
Brie Clayton September 28, 2026
0 Comments
Camera's portable design and dynamic range...
29/09/2026
Kean Production Services Deploys AJA ColorBox to Deliver Consistent, Accurate Co...
29/09/2026
Berklee Alumni and Faculty Nominated for the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards A total of 28 Berklee alumni and faculty earned nominations across 20 categories this ye...
29/09/2026
Berklee's K-Pop & Beyond Explores Connections Between K-Pop and Hip-Hop Now in its fifth year, the series brings together artists, industry leaders, and s...
29/09/2026
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN, OR AT ANY ADDRESS IN, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ITS TERRITO...
29/09/2026
We tend to think we live in a digital world, with hopes and fears around artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, data centres and the next big technolo...
Astera for Fiach Drive in Drama in Ireland posted: 24/09/2020 
