Clay Paky fixtures shone brightly on Malaysia’s top entertainers in Malaysia as they gathered to celebrate the prestigious 24th Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL). Often dubbed as the most reputable and respected local music award, this annual affair is attended by the who’s who in the local music scene. Held in Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur and organized and produced by local television station, TV3, the show is fortunate enough to be graced by the presence of celebrities such as Datuk Siti Nurhaliza, Misha Omar, Aleya, Bunkface, Black, Hujan, Aizat Amdan, and Stacy. Needless to say, this year’s event was another high-profiled star-studded affair.
Utilizing a unique theme of Origami, the show successfully catapulted the brilliant simplicity of the exquisite paper-folding art for its lighting and stage design. For the lighting system, Mr. Siswa Azmi from Mubari Sound Light Sdn. Bhd. picked Clay Paky to illuminate the breathtaking stage. He said, “For a prestigious and grand event like this, we will usually go for the best brand available. For me, Clay Paky is one of the most flexible and reliable brand out there.” In addition to lighting, Mubari Light Sound also supplied all audio and truss for the event.
For the main stage, a total of 146 moving heads were used. Out of the total, 80 units were Clay Paky products. This included 50 units of Clay Paky Alpha Beam 300 and 30 units of Clay Paky Alpha Beam 700. “Clay Paky is among the pioneer in the intelligence lighting field. Thus, it is not surprising to see Clay Paky being utilized in various prestigious events such as Anugerah Skrin TV3, 8TV Superstar Finals and AJL 2008. For me, I have total confidence in Clay Paky. They have years of experience in manufacturing beams!”
For that reason, Mubari also acquired a new inventory of 30 units each of Clay Paky Alpha Beam 700 and Alpha Spot HPE 700 from their supplier, Acoustic & Lighting System Sdn Bhd. Mr. Azmi explained, “The new Alpha Spot HPE 700 combines spectacular effects, ease of daily use, simple operation and environmental sustainability to create a new generation of moving head for graphic effects. The small and lightweight body houses an array of optical and graphic devices that includes a zoom with electronic focus and electronic dimmer.”
Apart from that, this also officially marked the first time an Alpha Beam 700 was used on a Malaysian stage. Making its debut at the grand and prestigious AJL couldn’t be more appropriate. Mr. Azmi said, “The Alpha Beam 700 is a special unique luminaire that able to propel parallel light beams visibly even in the brightest scenes. Its extensive range of effects makes it the most versatile of the Alpha 700 fixtures. Innovative and complete, compact, service friendly and easy to install and use, the Alpha Beam 300 can produce a super concentrated near-parallel light beam that emulates the effect of a Par 64 ACL. In addition, this reliable moving head can also produce three times the brightness as that of an ordinary 1200 W wash projector.”
This year, AJL chose to utilize a longer and broader stage. This resulted in a higher number of lighting fixtures and moving heads used. “The biggest challenge is to provide sufficient lighting coverage to the entire stage. The stage design is significantly broader and longer compared to last year’s. Thus, we need to make sure all the equipment is able to cover the entire area of the stage. Luckily, with Clay Paky, there are no problems arising and it maintains a smooth operation at all times.”
For an award ceremony to fully live up to its hype and expectations, a well-designed lighting and stage display are of fundamental importance. According to one of the audience members, “Imagine a show with dull lighting and poor stage direction. It will surely suck all the energy away from any performance! For this, I have to give props to AJL for their lighting system. I’m 100% sure that the lighting designers had given their best and work around the clock to achieve this mind-blowing result. But all is worth it when they see the audience’s appreciation and mesmerization throughout the show! I was blown away by the entire performance.”
Apart from that, the rest of the audience was also equally spellbound by the spectacular lighting display. Another audience member, Ms. Zarina, feels that dazzling lighting effects were enough to keep her eyes glued to the show. “I was totally blown away. When Datuk Siti opened the show just now, I was transfixed on the whole stage design and lighting effects. It coincides with her performance beautifully! It just shows that every little thing matters when you’re giving your best in a performance.”
With brilliant performances, it is vital to maintain a significant level of stage presence to keep the whole vibe of the performance strong. In other words, an impressive lighting system can reinforce and enhance a truly memorable performance. With the right combination of lighting and stage design, the desired performance can be delivered smoothly to the entire audience. And that’s the true spirit of showmanship!
Story courtesy of Daniel Woon, Acoustic & Lighting System Sdn Bhd.