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Corona: Robe supports ‘Delivered Live’

‘Delivered Live’ is a weekly music and comedy performance concept streamed live-and-direct from Melbourne, Australia, the result of a collaboration between Handshake Management, rental and production company Harry The Hirer Productions and the Victorian State Government.

It’s designed to feed the need for live entertainment and positive energy during the nationwide lockdown to beat the Coronavirus pandemic, and also to provide some financial support to artists, crew and technicians who have been left high-and-dry with the almost complete shutdown of the live performance industry.

The venue is The Studio, a new production and demo area at Harry the Hirer Productions’ HQ in the Richmond district of Melbourne, a large ‘development space’ with lighting and audio consoles, previz and demonstration facilities that’s designed for LDs, engineers and designers to block, program and work on their projects, shows, pitches, showcases and presentations.

Lighting designer for Delivered Live is Marcus Pugh, who in normal times works for Harry The Hirer Productions as business development manager, a role that also includes production design work. However, now he is returning to his lighting roots, revisiting and brushing up his operating and programming skills.

For the latest webcast, Pugh’s moving lights of choice were four Robe Esprites and eight MegaPointes, part of Harry The Hirer Productions’ first investment into Robe moving lights at the end of 2019, with the purchase of 24 x Esprites, 24 x MegaPointes and 2 x RoboSpot systems from Robe’s Australian distributor, Jands.

All Delivered Live’s audio and LED screens are also supplied by Harry The Hirer Productions, with cameras and operators sourced from Small Time TV. The line-up of music and comedy acts are being sourced through Handshake Management, and the show is hosted by musician, singer/songwriter and TV personality Henry Wagons.

The event operates within strict social distancing guidelines, so there is a maximum of ten people in the room at any one time. While large for a demo area, it’s ‘compact’ for a TV studio, and has been repurposed and adapted for these webcasts during this exceptional time.

A special stage was constructed offering separate areas for the bands - up to a max. of six people - and comedians, with their personal spaces delineated by LED tubes. There is also a host position behind the bar for Wagons.

The FOH lighting and sound positions are spaced out to give each operator four square metres of working space, and all the crew wear full PPE. Every artist receives a separate fully sanitised mic in sealed wrapping plus windsocks, and these and all the equipment are also disinfected after use.

Following each live performance, the artists sit in front of the bar for a quick chat with Wagons before each departing the building in their own vehicles. The extensive premises have enough space for parking and a complete in/out drive-through route to be created.

Directed by Scott “Ando” Anderson, the first Delivered Live broadcast featured seven bands, five comedians complete with a pre-recorded mental health segment by radio and TV personality Myf Warhurst, and lasted around five hours. This was honed down to an alternative format comprising three bands, two comedians plus the Myf Warhurst play-in running for 2.5 hours on the second Saturday night.

Whilst free to stream, viewers are encouraged to donate the equivalent of what might be an average gig or concert ticket. The money is divided up between the participating artists and crew and each act also nominates one person on their regular road crew and their favourite venue to also receive a percentage of the funds.

The musical artists for the second show were Freya Josephine Hollick, Hayley Mary and Tim Rogers, along with the comedians Sami Shah and Adam Rozenbachs. Marcus Pugh upped the lighting setup for the second week using the eight MegaPointes and four Esprites.

Six of the MegaPointes were hung in the roof up stage, with the other two poking through gaps in a series of staggered LED panels flanking both sides of the stage. The Esprites were on the deck at the back of the stage behind the performers and used for back lighting and some big, bold up-lighting shots.

A GrandMA2 light was Pugh’s console of choice. Others involved in the Delivered Live technical production elements include Webcast & Vision Systems’ Ian Kirkwood, monitor engineer Richard Whitty and stage audio technician Sam Beresford.

The camera operators and vision mix is by Small Time TV, Nick McKinley and James Seymour, the tour manager is Luke ‘Boo’ Johnson, artist liaison is by Johnny Salerno, the FOH audio engineer is Travers Chesney and video production is by Zig Parker. Additional MA programming is by Terry Lowe.

(Photos: Marcus Pugh)

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www.deliveredlive.com.au

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