The Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios was the scenic setting for the TM Group Awards 2017, and AC Lighting Services Malaysia (ACLS) took charge of the prestigious event’s video design and programming.

The annual gathering sees up to 2,500 TM Group staff, from across Malaysia, come together to recognise achievements from all divisions in the company. The TM Group is Malaysia’s leading telecommunications company, having launched in 1946 and since evolved to become the country’s largest broadband services provider.

ACLS is Malaysia’s Green Hippo dealer as well as a lighting and visual creative. Charged with designing and planning projection coverage for the event, ACLS also handled media server solutions. The team, led by visual programmer Kumar Shan, specified a pair of Hippotizer Karst, a single Hippotizer HD V3, plus a Hippotizer Grasshopper. ACLS linked this cocktail of Hippotizer Media Servers, using all eight outputs, to projectors via fibre optics. All the Hippotizer Media Servers were Art-Net controlled by MA2 on PC command and fader wing.

Critical to the success of ACLS’s plan – “vital for this gig”, said Kumar – was SHAPE, Hippotizer’s complete 3D projection mapping tool.  Using SHAPE, Kumar and his team controlled three projectors in portrait mode to create a 16802 feet backdrop; two projectors for the stage front façade; a brace of projectors for the shark tooth screen; and a further projector pair for IMAG screens. CD Advertising, with input and approval from TM Group, designed the stage and screen layout, with Framemotion Studio and MMU teaming to create visual design contents. ACLS also worked with Show Gear Production, the Kuala Lumpur-based professional sound, lighting and video technical consultants and suppliers.

In all, ACLS and its event partners were in pre-production for two months. This planning period paid-off, with video for the major event going perfectly to plan.  

Hippotizer SHAPE was vital for this gig. As was our pre-production planning period, going through all the technical matters with our event partners. ACLS first invested in Hippotizer Media Servers in 2011 and we haven’t looked back since. Having started out on lighting designing and programming our company is also now Malaysia’s Green Hippo dealer, and our hands-on experience means offer our customers tried and tested advice.

Kumar Shan, AC Lighting Services