Storytelling with Maximus at Qantas Founders Museum, Australia

The story moves between the Museum’s classic aircraft, which includes a beautifully restored Super Constellation whose intense start-up and take-off of billowing smoke and shooting flame is simulated to the delight of the many guests. Anthony Rawson, Senior Associate at Buchan Group, needed to find a way to simulate the dramatic effect and uses dynamic lights, smoke machines and sound effects to do it.

Rawson and his Brisbane-based team sought a powerful spot luminaire with gobo capabilities and wide zoom to project graphics and animation onto the ground, as well as the underside and sides of the planes. In addition, with the entire site exposed to the elements in the form of wind and dust, lateral rain, and temperature extremes, any lighting used had to be IP65 rated.

After consulting with Elation’s Australian distributor, ULA Group, the decision was made to go with the multi-environmental Proteus Maximus, a 50,000-lumen strong moving head with 950W white LED engine and CMY color mixing. Effective as a profile, beam or wash light, it includes framing, a 5.5- to 55-degree zoom, and comprehensive FX package. ULA Group supplied nine Maximus units for the project – six fixtures rigged overhead and two on the ground (one spare), all outfitted with custom gobos.

Presented in a covered outdoor museum the size of two football fields, the nighttime sound and light show uses gobo projection from the Maximus to depict various settings such as storm clouds for a scene set in Gallipoli, and high-contrast plane profiles. The animation wheel is used to create the sweeping cloud feel and is also accessed for a scene in which the audience is immersed in a watery look. The fixtures also color wash the space, project ground textures, and are used as a travelling spot that directs the audience’s attention from one plane to another. Buchan designed and installed the permanent installation, and wrote, directed and produced the launch content.

About Elation Professional

Based in California with facilities in Florida and Mexico City, as well as European offices in The Netherlands, Elation designs and manufactures a comprehensive range of innovative lighting products known for its superior performance, excellent efficiency, and outstanding price:value ratio, all backed by a hard-earned reputation for Total Support. Elation also offers an advanced line of lighting control products through Obsidian Control Systems, as well as a full range of dependable specialty effects called Magmatic. Our mission has always been simple: to provide best-in-class products and service while offering the best value:performance ratio in the industry. Elation products continue to be a part of the industry’s most exciting projects across the globe.