Professional Lighting & Production - Fall 2018

polling data, changing their own operation based on that cross-refer- enced data, and then checking to see if the changes they made are co-existing with the other pieces of equipment it just polled. Getting automation gear to talk and shake hands the first week is always the difficult part of any automation kit. A good automation tech needs to have strong networking and data troubleshooting skills to ensure they are able to build a system with all of its components communicating with one another. PL&P: Considering how quickly automated rigging is proliferating in the live production industry, and how quickly the technology is developing as a result, how have things changed most signifi- cantly from either perspective since you launched Drifter Rigging a little over a year ago? Do any of those trends have you particularly excited, or maybe disheartened? MD: The front-end technology of automation has most certainly evolved quickly; however, the theory and the mechanical parts have stayed relatively constant. What changes quickly – even noticeably in the past year – is safety standards, specifically overseas, so you tend to see a lot of the same chain hoists with a few tweaks provided to meet evolving safety standards. Think cars; it’s still four wheels and an engine, but the sub-systems, the safety factors, and how you interact with it are what have been updated. I have been very lucky to work closely with Kinesys using some groundbreaking products. I currently have an automation kit out on a tour that is used to fly an artist on four brand new Kinesys Apex hoists. These hoists are specially designed for lifting artists and meet or exceed all current safety regulations worldwide with a SIL 3 rating. To put that into perspective, a commercial airliner requires a SIL 4 rating to operate. SIL 3 requires a redundant everything, so these motors have double breaks, double load cells, double encoders, double everything, and then A/B poll each component. This is a large step above a traditional chain motor used in most production applications. This is the first touring application for Apex in North America. I am proud of that because by using this kit, we are not only meeting, but exceeding all current regulations for lifting in North America. It has always been very exciting to be at the forefront of such amazing new equipment developments, especially when it comes to safety. PL&P: I understand you’ve been working with the team at Triangle Media Servers on some product development. Can you fill us in on what you’re working on and how that’s progressing? MD: George Gorton from Triangle and I have been close friends for about a decade. We have worked together on a lot of projects and have always had an active interest in what the other has been up to. My collab with Triangle was just an organic progression of that. We have fabricated a rackmounted PC that is specifically designed to run automation and load monitoring front-end software like Kinesys’ Vector and LibraWatch, while taking the abuse of the road. The Triangle Tetrahedron 1 EH is a 2 RU PC that is 24-in. deep with no moving parts, and something that we are very proud of. We developed a prototype earlier this year, which did its first gig flying an artist above the stage for a live performance. That first unit is currently out on tour with Dierks Bentley. We have since tweaked the prototype and have just released a first-generation platform that is currently available for purchase. We are already suppling product to some very large-format clients and could not be happier. PL&P: Outside of automation, which continues to grow in capability and popularity, what do you see as the most significant current or future trends affecting live production these days? MD: People have been stimulated audibly and visually for years. I see the next natural progression being a new dimension of sensory stimula- tion – things like pyro and cryo, confetti and balloons… Things you can feel and tangibly touch. That is how I think designers will continue to captivate audiences. We’ve pushed the boundaries of what you can hear and see; what’s next is what they can physically feel. A great example is events with light-up bracelets that activate when you clap and are wire- lessly controlled to match the music. Things like that make an audience feel more involved, like they’re part of the show. PL&P: What’s on the horizon for you and Christie Lites for the fore- seeable future? Anything noteworthy for late 2018/early 2019? MD: There is a lot on my plate as 2018 brings the closing of Drifter Rigging as a rental house; however, it also opens up a new chapter in my life where I call Christie Lites home. Right now, it’s a matter of settling into this new landscape while planning our 2019 strategy. We’ve got automation kits that are currently out on tour until the late fall, with more dates for much of 2019. The immediate future is a matter of executing projects while purchasing and planning for future ones. There are a lot of big things happening and I am excited to see them come to fruition over the next 18 months. Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of Professional Lighting & Production. Fall 2018 | 33

Professional Lighting & Production - Fall 2018 | Page 33