The Theatrical Events Company (TTEC)

Decjuba Spring Fashion Launch - 45 Downstairs, Flinders Lane, Melbourne - 28th March 2007

From The Client:

“The DECJUBA event speaks for its self … What a success it was. Geordie (TTEC) truly captured the London Underground theme at the revamped Forty-Five Downstairs in Flinders Lane. All elements celebrated the philosophy of DECJUBA’s collection ‘London Calling’ from the music, lighting and down to the finest of detail the sound effects. As guests entered the venue there was train sound effects which echoed the room. Geordie and his team did an amazing job and I look forward to working with him next year on the next DECJUBA event we plan to do.“ 

Overview:

Decjuba is Melbourne based Fashion firm with 11 retail stores Australia wide. For their Spring Fashion Launch, they wanted to achieve a London Underground Theme, with distinct indie influences. Their choice of venue, 45 Downstairs was a good one, with a very rustic feel, complete with textured walls, and rusted iron bars over the windows. Through the use of a recorded soundtrack, atmospheric haze, cool toned coloured lighting, fluorescent lighting, and good music selection, TTEC played a big part in the success of the event. 

Sound:

In association with the director of the show Phoebe Vile, the Technical Director from TTEC, Geordie Barker, designed and recorded a soundtrack for the event. This soundtrack including recorded sounds from Melbourne’s underground train system, remastered voice over tracks from the London underground (”Mind the gap”) and bass tones to mimic the vibrations through the floor. This soundtrack was played through a dedicated sound system in the entry stairwell of the venue, to mimic the walk a passenger would take into a station. It was also mixed in with the ambient music in the space, and frequent announcements would play announcing the next station as “Decjuba”. The Sound System in the space consisted of 6 Speaker Mackie/RCF Art 300A Speakers, and 2 Mackie/RCF Art 300 Series Sub woofers. It was run off a minidisk player and a multimedia computer system, mixed through an Allen and Heath 12 Channel Desk, and a DB 32 Ch EQ. The speakers were rigged from the ceiling to prevent any disturbance to the aesthetics of the space, and created a beautiful sound throughout. 

Lighting:

The Lighting in the space was made up of three main areas: Room Lighting, Catwalk Lighting, and Feature Lighting. The room was lit with cool blue coloured lights, which were focused straight down, creating shadows on the guests, similar to that of fluorescent lighting in a subway. There were 24 of these lights symmetrically placed throughout the space. The catwalk was lit using a fresnel fixture, known for creating an even general wash. As the catwalk was situated in the centre of the room, the lighting had to come from a full 360 degrees. This posed a difficulty, as it was highly likely that the audience could be blinded by the opposing lights. This was solved by increasing the number of lamps and increasing the beam angle at which they projected. Without the technical jargon, the catwalk was lit in an uneven glow, perfectly lighting the models and the clothing. Also a feature on the stage was the use of blue fluorescent lighting, similar to that used in underground subway stations. When the parade occurred, these fixtures were kept at a low level which made them flash, similar to that of a train overhead and flashing the room in an errie blue glow. The effect was stunning and drew the guests into the catwalk. The space contained a number of features, some part of the room, some installed for the event. One of the main features of the room was the arch windows on one side, which were very reminiscent of subway portals. To create the illusion of the guests being in the station and the portals leading to other stations, the wall space in between the windows was lit by up lights, highlighting not only the rustic paint job, but also making the windows black holes, thus adding to the feel of the room. There were also props installed such as a London phone booth and a park bench. Each of these featured items were lit using dichroic fittings, to abstract them in the space. Overall the lighting was used to highlight the positives in the event space and to create a mood using added feature items. Working closely with the client, Geordie Barker was able to realize their vision and contribute to the success of the evening. The Lighting fixtures used, included Selecon Pacifics, Selecon Fresnels, Par 16 Birdies, Fluorescent Tubes, Par 56s, and Dichroic Fittings. It was run using an LSC Maxim console and two Jands 12 Channel Dimmer Racks. 

Atmospherics

This event made great use of a commonly used atmospheric, Haze. The hazer used was a Swefog, commonly known as an oil cracker. This hazer disperses a fine mist into the air that reacts to light fragments, meaning the lighting is accentuated, without the room looking like a smokey bar. The haze gave the room a mystical feel and really helped to transform the guests to the London Underground. This silent unit is perfect for any event where specific lighting or disco lighting is used. 

Staging

A Catwalk in a Fashion Show needs to be stable and safe for the models and dancers to use. In this case the staging was a feature of the room, and needed to be neat and clean. TTEC has at its disposal a wide range of ProStage Staging, an interlocking, flexible staging system that can be made to fit every need. The staging is rubberfooted so it will not mark the floor, vibration proof through effective sound proofing, and highly flexile through its excellent design. In this event, 8 decks of staging were used as was the velvet lining for them. The Catwalk was not a feature of the event, but went by unnoticed, as it should. 

Overall

Overall the effective use of Lighting, Sound, Atmospherics, and Staging helped Decjuba to realise their vision for their fashion launch. With effective and purposeful design, TTEC can help to create an event experience. Contact Us today to obtain a quotation, or just to chat about the options available.