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Martin MAC III Profile Highlights Double Cruise Ship Launch
Italian cruise line Costa Cruises (Costa Crociere) has launched two new ships - Costa Pacifica and Costa Luminosa - simultaneously at a spectacular ceremony at Molo Doria in Genoa. The double launch, a first of its kind, was lit by LD Fabio Maschera of company Switch On of Milan using Martin MAC III Profile luminaires.
Maschera needed a fixture with the power of the MAC III Profile to handle long throw distances as well as a stage dominated by an LED wall; a high impact light that could cut through the many videos involved in the show.
Due to the importance of the event reliability was also an important factor. Maschera was especially concerned about the need to project gobos diagonally because of the difficulty in maintaining focus at varying distances and angles.
Enter the MAC III Profile, which had recently been purchased by Italian rental company Musical Box Rent. Maschera was excited about the prospect of using the new 1500 watt luminaire and when the fixtures arrived on site, he opened one for himself and commended the design.
"It is really quite different from what we see with other fixtures," he stated. "The ease of lamp replacement, the modules and the base, and the idea to divide the fan (cold) from the lamp (hot), tells me that it is really well engineered. The MAC III is really the future."
The launch event included a concert, the traditional christening of the ships and fireworks. The 3,780-passenger Pacifica and 2,826-passenger Luminosa - each 35 metres high and 300 metres long - were lit from two audience towers and two stage towers, each tower holding five MAC III Profiles in protective domes. An additional 15 MAC III Profiles were used on stage for backlighting.
Maschera was pleased with the real red color, the "incredible" gobo focusing and the power of the luminaire. He was also happy with the graphical ability to obtain a very nice "tunnel" effect. Although it wasn't essential for this event, Maschera also praised the fixture's quietness, as well as its ease of handling.
"I am proud to have designed the lighting for such an important event and am happy to have worked with such a professional and skilled company as Musical Box Rent," he commented.
"I am also happy to have had the opportunity to use the MAC III Profile. The time we had to program the show was limited and the weather was very bad but the MAC III helped me to obtain a very good result; the client was very satisfied with the scenography and lighting and that is the most important thing."
Assistant lighting designer was Claudio di Bellonio of Switch On, stage design and scenography by Gio Forma studio of Milan and lighting operator Andrea Mantovani.
1st October 2009
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