To celebrate the final season of Stranger Things, Sydney Harbour was transformed into Hawkins with bikes, projections, demogorgons, and even a fiery appearance from Vecna himself.
Fans embarked on a fully immersive adventure exploring the mysterious Hawkins National Laboratory and using interactive elements to solve challenges alongside characters from the show. The experience combined live performance, special effects, and themed environments to recreate key moments from the series, culminating in an encounter with the Upside Down.
This epic send-off, as we headed into one last adventure, was lit by Michael Burton, who was asked to ‘bring the Stranger Things adventure to a climax with a live spectacle on Sydney Harbour’.
“I was required to support the visual/video content with lighting using colour, mood, effects, haze, etc.,” commented Michael. “We were also mindful that the lighting was on brand with colouring using only Red and Blue, with the occasional wow strobing effect.”
As with every outdoor event, the unpredictable weather was challenging, and, of course, there was a significant rain event on Wednesday afternoon before the final night of screening, which necessitated IP-rated fixtures, which all worked a treat.
Resolution X supplied the gear, including a wealth of ShowPRO IP-rated gear.
Seven ShowPRO LT6 Profile IP66 and seven ShowPRO EC12 Wash IP66 were on seven 2.4m vertical trusses situated in front of the mesh projection screen. This allowed light to spill over the top of the temporary fencing that was erected for crowd control. Both fixtures achieved what was required of them, creating another level of wash to catch the haze/smoke.
Six ShowPRO EC60 Wash IP66 units were evenly spaced along the sides of the activation area behind the temporary fencing.
“Their light output and zoom range were impressive,” Michael remarked. “We had to run their intensity levels back considerably so as not to overpower the video content.”
Eight Ayrton Domino LT were rigged on box truss placed on the ground to add another layer of light.
The ShowPRO DreamPIX LED strips were placed on the truss directly under the screen, which worked well for swipes and the opening and closing of the Portals/Gates – for those who know the show!
ShowPRO Fusion Washes and Pars were used to light the area in front of the fencing and both sides of the walkway leading to the Activation.
Michael and Mitch Wisby, Lighting Programmer, spent two days at ResX utilising their PreVis Capture suite, as there was no time on site to do any programming. The bump-in schedule was really tight.
“The event was a collaborative effort between Matt Teale of Eat The Elephant, Aaron Bilham and Joel Menegazzo of Amplify, Channa Goonasekara of Netflix Creative and me, with the silky skills of Mitch Wisby programming,” added Michael.
Mitch programmed the show on an MA Lighting grandMA3 full-size console, switching to a grandMA3 light on site.
“This process worked extremely well, allowing for a smooth transition when we were on site on the bump-in night,” said Michael. “A big shoutout to Daniel Monro from ResX for his contribution to making this event a success.”
Credits
Lighting Designer – Michael Burton
Lighting Programmer – Mitch Wisby
Lighting System Tech – Ruben Burger
Lighting Supply – Resolution X Sydney
Account Manager – Daniel Monroe
Technical Producer – Matt Teale, Eat The Elephant
Amplify Producer – Aaron Bilham
Amplify Creative – Joel Menegazzo
Netflix Creative – Channa Goonasekara
Equipment list
20 x ShowPRO LED Fusion PAR Q12 IP65
6 x ShowPRO EC60 Wash IP66
7 x ShowPRO EC12 Wash IP66
7 x ShowPRO LT6 Profile IP66
8 x Ayrton Domino Lt IP65
10 x ShowPRO DreamPIX Strip IP65
4 x ShowPRO LED Fusion Wash Q48 IP65
8 x Prolights Smart Bat
6 x Look Solutions Viper NT fog machine
2 x Look Solutions Cobra 3.1 fog machine
2 x MA Lighting grandMA3 light consoles
Photos: Daniel Monro
