cover story
DCC – CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
– by Bruce Schwartz (Entertainment Lighting Manager)
If you drive into Durban on the N3 you
can’t miss the Durban Christian Centre
(DCC) Jesus Dome: the largest free
standing aluminium dome structure
in Africa. Step inside the dome and
the vastness of the structure will leave
you breathless. A massive space needs
good lighting, audio, and video: integral
aspects for creating the right affect
in large houses of worship. Like other
large houses of worship, the DCC relies
heavily on lighting, audio, and video to
add value to their message, and create
a dynamic atmosphere. Audio-visual is
crucial for communicating a message
that reaches into the hearts and minds
of the congregation.
The challenge is to integrate the three
disciplines of lighting, audio, and video.
They all have their own distinct proprietary
protocols, and there’s been limited crossover
in the ability to control them from one central
point, resulting in larger shows requiring
separate video, sound and lighting technicians.
Attempts to accommodate one discipline can
mean another is compromised. These are
the sorts of challenges that were facing the
DCC when they approached Nik Fairclough
of Northwind. By installing a state of the Art
Lighting console (the Martin Professional
M1ts Desk) and the Green Hippo Chipmunk
Media Server, this challenge was partly
overcome. There was a seamless integration of
the two controllers; right down to the actual
thumbnails of the footage on the lighting
console screen.
A single cue recall can activate a complete
lighting and video state. Furthermore the M1ts
is fully Midi-equipped, so that in future, if they
do need to trigger lighting and video cues,
this can be done from a single midi-enabled
track. True power indeed. Nik is friendly with
DCC pastors John and Joy Torrance, and in late
2012 they decided that Nik and his company
were the go-to guys to realise their lighting,
audio and video aspirations. Nik had the audio
aspect under control, but needed the help
of a theatre and stage lighting specialist. Nik
12 PROMAG – second quarter 2014
had previously worked with Electrosonic SA
on a number of high-profile projects, and did
not hesitate to get in touch with me again.
After a site visit in Durban we received a clear
brief from Pastors John and Joy: to design
and supply a world-class lighting system that
would allow maximum flexibility and have
sufficient capacity to accommodate overseas
guest artists, without having to rent additional
gear.
It’s very easy to throw a whole lot of equipment
at a job, but this almost always results in an
inflexible system, which is confusing to inhouse technicians, who are mostly members
of the congregation, and are generally
passionate volunteers.
Nik, wanting to move away from the traditional
boxed stage, completely re-designed the
stage to include an arched lighting truss, in the
process unifying stage and audience. Over a
good few cups of coffee in a Kloof café, Nik and
I refined the suspended arched truss system
so that it would complement the building’s
dome structure and open up sightlines all the