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Get ready to pop the champagne, the Moulin Rouge move from Sydney to the Crown Perth is almost complete! SimpleMotion developed, manufactured and installed the shows automation elements in multiple locations around Australia. After sold-out seasons in Melbourne and Sydney, the logistical operation to transport the show from Sydney to Perth involved more than 30 trucks weighing 50 tonnes each. Crossing the Nullarbor with all the SimpleMotion designed, engineered and manufactured automation elements including SimpleMotion Winches, Racks, Controllers and Control Surfaces as well as almost 800 individual costume pieces plus wigs, set, props and instruments. Also transported was more than 2 kilometres of hand-painted red festoon lighting with 3500 light bulbs, the famous blue elephant which stands taller than a real elephant at more than five metres, 12 huge chandeliers and a windmill that took over two months to make. FUN FACT: The set took 250 hours and nearly 7000 man-hours to install. The “Moulin Rouge!” sign greeting theatre goers when they step inside the auditorium is a 370-kilogram single-piece behemoth requiring 15 people to box/unbox and move it. #MoulinMusicalAu #MoulinRougeTheMusical #CrownPerth #CrownTheatrePerth #broadway #musicaltheatre #engineering #theatre #moulinrouge #entertainment #theatreautomation #manufacturing #australianmade #perth

Meet the Kia Halo. An immersive representation of the new Kia brand ethos, Movement that Inspires, the curvaceous, 360-degree, bespoke structure, sitting at 17m wide and 8m in height, features multiple global and Australian first experiential innovations. Take a look behind the scenes to see how we brought this unique activation to life. The fluid motion pin field we built for Streaker is making another appearance after it’s debut at the Australian Open. Now being incorporated into the Kia EV6 VIVID display down at Darling Harbour. 280 individually motorised pins, running on custom controllers, animated in 3DSMax then sent as sACN out to the pin field.

The theatre revolve was originally created to address one of the fundamental tensions in theatre: the effect on the audience's patience and suspension of disbelief of long gaps between scenes changes. The SimpleMotion Revolve is designed and constructed in-house of a steel box section with inverted castors to support the central rotating section then topped with plywood to create the stable platform. The SimpleMotion Revolve rotating area diameter can be adjusted by replacing the outer fixed portion and is powered by a friction drive motor and its position controlled by sensors allowing accurate, repeatable positioning and smooth operation. Revolves can also be used for: Car/Boat/Caravan for a 360° view Trade shows and product launches Bands and live performances Quick set changes from one scene to another

With the return of Phantom of the Opera to South Korea, SimpleMotion was engaged to design, build and automate the climatic chandelier crash. The chandelier does more than just fall: it also swings into the theatre and floats up to the ceiling during the opening scene controlled by the combination of SimpleMotion Surface, Simplicity Software and Simplicity Controllers. We don’t just fly chandeliers. We are also an industry leader in performer flying. Create spectacular entrances and exits for your performances while keeping your performers, guests and crew comfortable and safe. The hoists are now tested, packed and heading to Korea, ready to drop that chandelier! #theatreautomation #mechanicalengineering #hoist #surface #automationengineering #simplemotion #theatre #musicaltheatre

SimpleMotion AntiSwing is an innovative hardware and software system that allows precise control of stage elements such as LCD displays, set pieces, lighting rigs etc to track both horizontally and vertically without pendulum effects. This allows designers to realise their creative visions and venues to support outstanding shows and events. Below is a short demonstration video... At Simplemotion we support the capability to minimise swing for hung loads. When a load is suspended and is driven in a lateral way, the load has the freedom to swing when the move is finished. This can be a serious problem for lifting applications as well as a visual problem for theatre. Recently, antiswing algorithms were implemented on the Sydney Theatre Company production of The Picture Of Dorian Gray to prevent excessive swing on large LED screens that are suspended from trusses. These screens were moved both up and down and left to right, sometimes simultaneously, which called for sophisticated algorithms to reduce the swing. We can separate the problem of swing into 2 categories- Horizontal and XY. Horizontal Antiswing Firstly, if the screen is moving horizontally only, then we can use a specific, effective algorithm to reduce the swing to effectively zero. The algorithm calculates the period of the natural pendulum swing of the object and counteracts it by precisely calculating the move acceleration and deceleration phases. XY Antiswing To remove or reduce swing in 2 planes, horizontal and vertical, a more sophisticated algorithm is required. The base algorithm is a multi-parameter PID loop that optimises for the final move position and the estimated swing angle. Additionally, we have created an optimisation stage that optimises for certain move characteristics that can be prioritised. The metrics considered are: Diagonality- how diagonal should the XY move be- do we care about the axes moving in tandem in a diagonal trajectory? Velocity Symmetry- is it acceptable for the move to spend a lot longer on the deceleration than the acceleration phase to compensate for swing? Residual swing- what is an acceptable amount of swing? Exact Move Time- is it important to complete the move within a certain time? To find the correct move parameters simulate a PID control loop that minimises swing and various other factors and optimise for the metrics that we consider the most important to ensure that the trajectory produced meets the requirements. The capability exists to completely eradicate swing from a move; however, this will result in a trajectory that may not be suitable for certain applications. Once a particular move is created, we can repeat it easily using the Simplicity Command Motion system.

Working closely Peter Stutchbury Architecture, SimpleMotion designed, engineered and installed a retractable roof window to allow light to enter the centre of the house as well as roof access to take in the stunning beach setting. The clients brief was to create a completely manual operating device that would also be a design feature of the house. SimpleMotion used a system of linear rails and counter balance weights for ease of operation and low maintenance. Below is a quick demonstration...

Client: Sydney Theatre Company Designer: Marg Horwell Venue: Roslyn Packer Theatre, Walsh Bay The theatrical innovation and spectacle of Artistic Director Kip Williams’ vibrant adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray will once again delight audiences from 28 Mar, as the critically-acclaimed production returns to Sydney. This breathtaking production sees a single performer nimbly shapeshift to play all of the dark tale’s 26 characters in an audacious cascade of theatrical transformations. Eryn Jean Norvill will reprise her "out of this world" (Limelight) performance for this highly-anticipated encore season. For two performances, Nikki Shiels (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) will take on the role in this gripping, funny and ambitious one-person show. Premiering in 2020 to five-star reviews and two sold-out season extensions, this triumph of theatre and its phenomenal cast and creative team took out four mainstage Sydney Theatre Awards earlier this year – Best Production, Best Direction, Best Stage Design and Best Performance in a Leading Role. Featured SimpleMotion Technology: SimpleMotion CounterSwing SimpleMotion AntiSwing is an innovative hardware and software system that allows precise control of stage elements such as LCD displays, set pieces etc to track both horizontally and vertically without pendulum effects that allow designers to realise their creative visions and venues to support outstanding shows and events.

Time Out says 5 out of 5 stars Eryn Jean Norvill brings a dark world to life with a spectacularly accomplished performance This groundbreaking, Sydney Theatre Award-winning production returns to the stage in 2022 (Mar 28-May 7) for an encore run. Read on for our five-star review of the 2020 season. In recent years, the artistic director of the Sydney Theatre Company, Kip Williams, has deftly explored an intersection between the cinematic and theatrical, creating productions on the bleeding edge of stagecraft that bridge the liminal space between these two modes of storytelling. In 2016, his treatment of Strindberg’s shocking tale of lust, femininity and power, Miss Julie, was a pathfinder of sorts, trialling the technical wizardry required to fuse real-time video and live performance. In 2019, he pushed the experiment further still, with a thrilling film noir take on Brecht's anti-fascist parable The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. Indeed, that show was so jaw-droppingly sophisticated, it seemed Williams had mined all he could from this interplay of media. However, with his audaciously complex treatment of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, he has surpassed his own benchmark once more. Spectacularly so. Whereas in previous productions, the theatrical action was amplified or juxtaposed by filmed elements, here the cinematic aspects play a far richer part in the world-building. There is just one solitary performer on stage, Eryn Jean Norvill, who hopscotches between all 26 characters found in this gothic classic, as well as handling the third-person narration. Norvill is an actor of extraordinary skill, but bringing this narrative to life unaided would be a challenge for any solo performer. And yet, in concert with a team of roving camera operators, a network of vast suspended screens, and a wildly ambitious intermingling of real-time and pre-recorded video, Norvill produces some of the most virtuosic theatre I have ever witnessed, on stage or screen. Not only must she create distinctive characterisations for a multitude of roles, but these must be delivered with near-perfect precision in tandem with the layers of technology at work. Norvill must keep in her mind the world of Wilde’s imagination but also that of Williams’, as she becomes a vessel for both visions. She must also stay acutely aware of the stage, as cameras and crew encircle her, and the audience, whose attentions she must hold both in the flesh and through the lens. Wilde’s writing is verbose and indulgent in its wordplay, but this too must remain vibrant and alert in Norvill’s mind. It’s a herculean feat Williams tasks her with, yet Norvill makes it appear effortless, as if every surprising moment, every directorial sleight of hand is an inevitability. Science fiction writer and futurist Arthur C Clarke famously coined the phrase, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”, and there are many moments in this production where this rings true. Norvill multiplies, shapeshifts, and appears from several angles simultaneously as she flits between characters. There are moments when this conjuring trick is so uncanny that the audience gasps or giggles with delight, not at the whimsy of Wilde’s florid prose but because it is all so marvellously inexplicable. However, Williams is careful not to eclipse either Wilde or Norvill with bells and whistles. The cinematic elements are woven so intrinsically into this production that they become as much a part of this play’s essence as her performance. Nor does Williams allow technology to obscure his other collaborators. Marg Horwell’s minimal sets subliminally mirror Gray’s veneer of unchanging youth with huge bouquets of unnaturally vivid flowers – superficially beautiful yet utterly divorced from nature. Clemence Williams creates a soundworld of anachronisms that by turns evoke aristocratic pomp and clubland abandon. The powerful use of SnapChat filters and other selfie-style shots draw heavy parallels to the impossible beauty standards of social media influencers and how this curated identity can be the painted rust concealing psychological trauma beneath. This production is not just a technical tour de force, but also a searingly relevant commentary on how contemporary culture warps and distorts self-image and self-worth. If Williams' Dorian Gray has a shortcoming, it’s that the taboo of queer desire, an essential part of Wilde’s writing, is occasionally underplayed or skirted over. But it’s hard to find fault with a show that manages to say so much, and with such an innovative voice, as helmed by a performance that will surely be remembered as one of the greatest ever seen on an Australian stage. This article is proudly brought to you by TIMEOUT

Client: Ford Motors - Imagination Designer: SimpleMotion The brief was to design a kinetic sculpture that integrated audio and light to create a thrilling response to Ford's 'Go Further' theme. While Vivid is known for its incredible light shows, with this installation we wanted to create not just a visual treat but an opportunity for audiences to play with the installation. Our friends at Imagination came to us with the original idea of swings that switched from a 'show' mode to a 'play' mode. Our job was to design 5 swings of a scale and complexity to deliver on the ambition of a thrilling kinetic light and sound show but that could also easily convert into a delightful and playful swing experience.

Client: Opera Australia/GFO Designer: Oliver Smith, with Scenic Supervision by Rosaria Sinisi Venue: Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House and Australian Tour This Rube Goldberg of a design required millimetre perfect accuracy from dual 6m synchronised revolves in order for all the scenic elements to fit together. The resulting production is a visual feast! The revolve was integral to achieve the numerous changes accurately and safely.

Client: RACV Architect: Peter Maddison SimpleMotion was engaged to design, engineer and manufacture a tiny home for the Royal Automotive Association of Victoria (RACV). The project was challenging in that it brought together many diverse disciplines in a small space. We incorporated solar panels, water & waste tanks, insulation and voice controlled applications, in just 18.75 square metres.

Client: Peter Stutchbury Architecture Location: Blackheath NSW The client’s brief for this new residential project high in the Blue Mountains was unique: a sustainable house that lets him travel to the stars, while also being accessible and adaptable for life with a disability. After a detailed selection process, he finally chose Peter Stutchbury and his team to undertake the work. The dramatic vaulted ceiling dominates the main living space, which is generous in size to enable easy wheelchair movement between kitchen, dining table and sitting area. Punched high into the vault, a huge, elliptical skylight is undeniably the hero piece of the house. Working closely with the architects, Peter Stutchbury Architecture, SimpleMotion designed, engineered, manufactured and installed an automated skylight to open a portal in the roof. Unusually, the design did not have any glass to allow the owner of the house to use their telescope to view the stars, while still keeping their house warm and watertight when closed. The huge, elliptical skylight – the undeniable hero piece of Night Sky – is unglazed and opens via a steel shutter on the roof.