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WI Creations supports Johnny Hallyday live shows

Engineering and automation specialist WI Creations is supplying multiple automation elements and control to the “Rester Vivant” tour by French singer Johnny Hallyday. Belgium-based WI was approached to produce an automation solution for three digital and scenic set elements - a huge skull, six moving video screens and five moving lighting pods - by Hallyday’s production director Roger Abriol.

WI’s project manager is Koen Peeters. Chris Das is out on the road with the tour, co-ordinating and operating the automation using Kinesys K2 software running on a WI optimized control desk, working alongside WI motion assistant, Rick Peeters.

In total, over 50 motorized elements are fundamental to the show - something shifts in every song - an undertaking involving 38 chain hoists, 28 of which are zero speed-full torque models, 10 x non-zero speed hoists and 14 x active WI-motion tracking carts. Together, all these vari-speed motion controlled devices make up a total of 104 movement cues accessed during the show.

The set and lighting was designed by Dimitri Vassiliu. The scenic skull - through which Hallyday makes his entrance onto stage - is flown in from the roof and also tracks up and downstage on 18 metres of WI Touring Track. It is attached to four half-tonne zero speed chain hoists.

The six video screens - of three different sizes - are flown and tracked - using another 108 metres of WI Touring Track to glide them into over 20 different looks and positions - from a flat horizontal roof - where they are used as a big block lightsource - to a large dramatically angled single surface backdrop which then fragments in different directions to several different shapes.

The screens are made from a new 6 mm proprietary LED product provided by the tour’s video contractor, Swiss and French based Skynight. The three pairs of screens measure 7.4 metres wide by 2.9 high, 7.9 metres wide by 3.5 high and 8.4 metres wide by 4.0 high respectively. Twenty-Four Clay Paky Mythos moving lights are also hung on scaff bars sitting on top of the screen tracks.

Each screen is moved by four zero speed 1 tonne chain hoists (500 kg double-reeved) from which some of the positions entail the lower screens moving right down onto the stage just behind the backline. Chris Das also has two spotters onstage looking out for any anomalies, so he can take action immediately should anything odd occur with the motion system.

Five lighting pods upstage accommodate a total of 192 Ayrton Magic Panels and are automated by 10 motion controlled chain hoists - moving up and down constantly throughout the show. All of the movement tracking and rigging components pack down into 14 touring dollies for transportation. All the automation was fully set up and prepped in the WI warehouse at Heist-op-den-Berg beforehand.

www.wicreations.com

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