Our Theatre and AV Design Team is Expanding
The past few months have been an exceptionally busy time for Marshall Day Entertech. We are excited to tell you about the expertise our newest members have brought to the team, plus a preview of some of the most interesting projects we have in the pipeline.
Joining the Team
Micah Johnson, Design Leader
Expertise: Project management, theatre planning, stage automation, networking and control systems, and lighting systems design.
Micah began work as a lighting designer and technician in 2004 and over the following decade worked as a tour and production manager, stage automation engineer, and technical manager across Australia at venues ranging from the Annandale Hotel to the Sydney Opera House. Prior to his attainment of a Master of Project Management from Sydney University in 2014, Micah spent several years running building and façade automation projects to optimise the efficiency and comfort of commercial buildings, data centres and University facilities.
Q&A
Q: What are the elements that you bring from your background in design to the Entertech team?
A: I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with the whole range of performance venues; from the smallest independent venues, through to Australia’s premier iconic performing arts centers. This breadth of experience means I can bring together insights into operational and systems design from right across the industry.
Q: Can you tell us about any new projects in the pipeline that we can look forward to in 2017?
A: We have been working on a number of convention centers throughout Australasia, including Auckland’s NZICC and the expansion of the MCEC here in Melbourne, both of which will be tendering this year.
We are also designing video conferencing and AV projects for Orygen Health which will enable them to collaborate with organisations worldwide, and collaboration spaces for Melbourne University’s University House.
Robert Joseph, Projects Manager
Expertise: Audiovisual design and business operations
Robert is an independent audiovisual consultant working with Marshall Day Entertech. He brings over 30 years of experience in all aspects of audiovisual design and his expertise in the field reputation for technical excellence is well respected and highly sought.
Robert has held key positions in several innovative audiovisual design companies, with projects ranging from the design and installation of soundscapes at San Diego Zoo, to the design of video conferencing systems for the Coca Cola headquarters in Bangkok, and the audio, video and stage systems design for Dubai Festival City, Dubai.
Q&A
Q: What are the biggest obstacles you see facing the development of AV related projects today?
A: Clarifying the Brief is critical. It is important to understand the project’s aspirations and match these with the budget as early as possible.
Q: Can you give one key piece of advice to clients on how to get the most value from their AV design consultant?
A: Engage their services early in the project. Fees are very similar regardless of when the consultant is engaged. So get the most from their expertise, and maximize value from the available budget by getting expert input during the early phases of the project.
Malcolm Savage, Audio Visual Systems Consulting Engineer
Expertise: Digital solutions for audiovisual systems
Malcolm has been working in theatre industry since 1977, and started out by designing special lighting effects for iconic touring productions such as the original production of CATS, Torvill & Dean and Dame Edna Everage’s famous frock for the opening of the Melbourne Concert Hall, which included 2,500 LED’s and now resides in Madame Tussauds in London. In his accomplished 20-year career in the audiovisual industry, Malcolm has been involved in all aspects of designing, engineering, installing and programming systems for corporate, government, education, high level defence and security agencies, entertainment venues, zoos, transport hubs - airports and bus terminals. Malcolm has been involved with the beta testing of most of the new digital encoding delivery systems as they were being developed and is currently design and engineering certified for all major AV digital delivery product lines and control systems currently available in Australia.
Q&A
Q: Which recent technologies do you see as having the biggest impact on the AV and Sound industry?
A: The move to digital transport systems, firstly over “CAT” cable and now over fiber to the delivery of “4k” solutions. This allows the creation of a total real time delivery solution as well as the capacity to deliver and control these systems to and from anywhere in the world.
Q: Can you tell us about the new expert panel you are involved with in developing International Projection Standards?
A: I have just been appointed to the InfoComm/ASI (American Standards Institute) PISCR standards committee for the review and the creation of the new standard for Projector Image System Contrast Ratio.
This is the international standard for the measurement of, and requirements for, the minimum contrast ratio for projectors. This ratio is used to determine content viewing requirements for “Passive Viewing”; “Basic Decision Making”; Analytical Decision Making”; “Full Motion Video”. We are looking at incorporating this into the display standard for fixed screens like LCD’s to create one contrast ratio standard for all image displays.
Kate Kelly, Project Support and Document Control
Expertise: Lighting design and project documentation
Kate was the winner of the 2013 Denis Irving Award, awarded to an outstanding graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts Production Course. Part of this annual award is four weeks employment with Marshall Day Entertech. Kate was so good that we kept her! Although not strictly a new member of the team, she has recently become a permanent part-time team member, whilst also getting lots of practical experience working on theatre productions around Melbourne.
Q&A
Q: Do you have any advice for young people starting out in theatre design or production?
A: Get as much practical experience as you can. Spend time with and learn from others who have established careers in the industry. And don’t be afraid to ask questions!
Q: Which are the most memorable theatre productions you have been involved with and why?
A: As part of the Denis Irving Award, I got the opportunity to work on The Effect at MTC. It was great to be part of such a technically complex show with some incredible design elements. Definitely not something I’ll forget!
