BLACKTRAX BRINGS NEW LIFE TO WALKING WITH DINOSAURS

Dinosaurs come to life in an updated version of the stunning theatrical event, Walking with Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular. Originating in Australia in 2007, and on the road for many years, Walking with Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular is a $20 million-dollar production which recently received a massive technological update in mechatronics, visuals, lighting, and the latest in real-time tracking. 

The high-tech upgrades are provided and managed by UK-based company, Sonalyst, owned by Rory Madden. Sonalyst provides all the lighting, rigging, sound and communications. They also provide their technical expertise to be sure to use the ideal equipment needed to solve any issues and improve the performance of the show, on both a technical and creative basis. Having worked on many large shows, Sonalyst is the perfect fit in competency for what Walking with Dinosaurs needed to surmount any challenges.

The show is 1 hour and 40 minutes long with a 20-minute break, the total length is 2 hours. Internationally renowned designers worked with scientists to create 18 life-size creatures. Audiences watch the dinosaurs walk, hear them roar, and see their fight for survival and supremacy depicted in almost cinematic realism.

As one of the largest shows running, a trustworthy set, specific tech and gear and a solid team are indispensable. 

The caliber of the touring tech team is second to none. On the road, the main team consists of four people. Dave Gibbon is the LX crew chief, Emma Davis is the touring relighter and programmer, Chris Dawson who is the moving light guru and Ashley Simper on BlackTrax. The BlackTrax elements are fully integrated within the touring rig and the design throughout the show.

“BlackTrax is first class. It was specified by John Rayment, the shows Lighting Designer, as a replacement for the follow-spot operators. This concept grew further, including the texturing of the dinosaurs and its potential grew throughout the tech process to where we are now.” – Rory Madden, owner of Sonalyst.

Each dinosaur has a least one BlackTrax beacon with three stringers. This is doubled on the larger and more mobile creatures. This allows the designed ‘look’ to follow the dinosaur around the performance space. 

BlackTrax looks after the pan and tilt of the fixture. The lighting console deals with the size, colour, gobo and focus of the fixture. The system is made of a GrandMA 2, GrandMA 2 Light, two GMA NPU’s. This setup is very effective at producing the same look every performance as it responds to the live operation and lifelike movements of the dinosaurs.

This is the first tour of Walking with Dinosaurs that BlackTrax has been used on. 

“It was a no-brainer for Sonalyst to further invest in the latest and greatest technologies. BlackTrax is a fantastic example of the latest and greatest technologies in the live performance market.” – Rory Madden, owner of Sonalyst

Incorporating BlackTrax has been a wonderful addition to the touring package. Without the need for individual follow spots and operators, it certainly makes life easier on the road. The BlackTrax kit was purchased from Oli Metcalfe at Dark Arts Creative, who packaged the system with excellent attention to detail. 

The lighting rig is:

• Robe BMFL’s (172 live fixtures) 

• A scattering of MMX Blades (12 live fixtures) for set elements 

• A floor package of GLP X4 bars (40 live fixtures)

The BlackTrax system is quite impressive:

• 19 cameras spanning the overhead lighting truss

• 15 active beacons 

• 40+ stringers, most have been expertly installed into the dinosaurs, which gives us great tracking and consistency

We asked Ashley Simper what the motivating factor was to use BlackTrax specifically. His answer was concise and complimentary.

 “I believe it’s where the industry is heading. For the complexity of what we’ve done here, it’s been a seamless transition. This has left no doubt in anyone’s mind that BlackTrax is a brilliant system.” – Ashley Simper

In the early days, before the show opened, there were some challenges as to where exactly to place certain stringers on the dinosaurs to give the best possible tracking. Thankfully, this was all solved very quickly and efficiently. Use of trial and error to improve the system was very much apparent in the beginning. In a world with so much technology, it’s difficult for anything to be perfect.  

“Would you use tracking again?”, we asked.

“Absolutely! BlackTrax is a system people won’t ignore. The scalability, consistency and ability for it to integrate almost seamlessly means it’s a system second to none. Removing certain elements, like human error, emphasises this. Everyone wants the best show they can have, and with this system, we have it.” – Ashley Simper

BlackTrax: blacktrax.cast-soft.com