Load monitoring is something I think all major productions should be utilizing for all sorts of rigging practices . I personally think the minimum is to use load monitoring when using mother or sub-grid rigging , when doing a critical lift – meaning it ’ s large or potentially dangerous – or moving an element dynamically during the show .
PL & P : We did a full feature story on the Grandstand Show for the 2017 Calgary Stampede , which was Drifter Rigging ’ s first official production . [ Check it out in the Fall 2017 issue .] Since then , what are two or three of the major tours or events you ’ ve done , and give us a quick idea of what they entailed from an automation perspective ?
MD : I ’ ve been on several tours in the past 12 months ; it ’ s been pretty wild . Each has its own challenges and successes . Shortly after the Stampede , Drifter Rigging provided an automation and load monitoring kit for a moving video wall reveal for We Day New York at the Theater in MSG . I went on that project as the vendor , lead , programmer , and operator . That show day I got to move thousands of pounds over Justin Trudeau and his wife ’ s heads .
I personally went right from there to Boston to fill in for a mate with Ed Sheeran . I left my kit at home for a few weeks and was setting up , teching , and operating their motor and automation rigs on the last bit of the U . S . leg of the Divide Tour 2017 . That tour had a mother grid weight of 35,000 lbs . and a total weight of 75,000 lbs . There were over 100 Kinesys intelligent motors ; over 90 of those were fixed speed , and 12 variable speed . He has four lighting pods that move above the stage during the show , all controlled by a Kinesys Vector platform .
After that I went to the U . K . for a month to tour an automation kit as the lead under Christie Lites for X Factor winner James Arthur . We had a lighting element built out of three sticks of truss with lights in the form of his logo that would descend from the ceiling . I was able to work on the automation system design and programming on that tour right from the start . I then went on the tour as the tech / operator . Drifter Rigging provided the control platform . It was the first Kinesys tour I did for Christie Lites and was a big success for us . We played some great venues like Wembley Arena .
PL & P : How do production designs come together from your perspective ? With which parties or departments do you have to interface and coordinate , and how do those designs evolve ?
MD : It varies from tour to tour ; however , the standard that I am used to for larger-format tours is that there ’ s a production company that looks after a total design , controlling all aspects from audio to lighting to video . In this format , they will have a lighting designer , a video designer , and an audio designer who will work with the production manager to make something that realizes the artist ’ s vision . Once a design is agreed on , the production manager will shop it out to vendors and bring on department heads to iron out the details of the design .
Usually , by the time the automation portion crosses my desk , it ’ s a pretty thorough plan as to what needs to move and be automated . At that point , it ’ s simply a matter of doing some math , choosing the proper equipment , and making some minor adjustments to physical items to make sure the idea works in a real 3D space .
PL & P : I understand that in the last few months , you ’ ve come under the umbrella of Christie Lites , and were just recently named Christie ’ s head of automation . How did that arrangement come to be and what are the advantages of this arrangement on either side ?
MD : Christie Lites and I have had a great relationship for the past couple of years . Early in the planning stages of Drifter Rigging , working alongside Chrisite Lites was crucial to our success . We have built a strong relationship that has progressed naturally for both sides . As we tested the market and did our research , we were able to find a way to lower costs , increase efficiency , and deliver a higher-quality service . This led to us no longer renting equipment direct from Drifter Rigging or sub-renting through Christie , and instead shifted it to the assets being owned and contracted directly by Christie , streamlining the process and paperwork .
This arrangement has been fantastic for both of us . Traditionally , automation is something that Christie has sub-contracted ; now , it ’ s something that we own and provide . For me , having the resources of Christie behind me , I feel like I am on top of the world . We now have the tools we need to give our clients world-class automation solutions backed by a company known for its ability to set industry standards .
For me personally , as the automation landscape at Christie Lites evolves and grows , there have been many exciting highs , and some difficult challenges for me . It ’ s never easy being away from your family on a world tour as a tech while at the same time designing an automation kit , purchasing it , and planning prep deadlines , but it certainly made for some well-deserved hotel and bus whiskies , as well as an exciting career .
PL & P : What would you say has been the highlight of your experiences with automated rigging thus far , generally speaking ?
MD : As cheesy as it is , I am an old roadie and a nerd at heart . The highlights for me more recently have been my experiences working with some cutting-edge products and technology . I am at my happiest when I am on an arena or stadium floor and I take what people think is a regular chain hoist and dump its chain on the floor at 100 feet per minute . The deer in the headlights looks and conversations started by awestruck stagehands is what keeps me going . I enjoy showing people this new technology and taking the time to discuss it , educate , and demystify it .
PL & P : What about challenges from a technical or practical standpoint , as opposed to those associated with running a business from an admin angle ?
MD : Networking and equipment communication have been a real steep learning curve for me . Part of the safety engineered into automation equipment is communication . Automation kits are constantly polling data from every element and polling it against its counterparts . It comes in the form of load weight data , brake date , encoder data , relay voltage for e-stops , and so on . These devices are constantly talking to each other ,
32 | Fall 2018