Claypaky Lighting Fixtures Help Unveil Ferrari's F8 Tributo at Gala Event in Sydney, Australia

Fusion Entertainment provided the technical production for the gala unveiling of the Ferrari F8 Tributo in Sydney, Australia using a complement of Claypaky fixtures to illuminate the car's debut at the black-tie event.

The glittering evening marked the first Australian appearance for the new, half-million dollar mid-engined supercar. It has been called the pinnacle of Italian excellence, and its V8 engine seen as the epitome of sportiness and driving pleasure.

More than 300 guests gathered at Sydney's White Bay passenger terminal for an immersive Ferrari experience. The 2,000-sqm space was filled with classic cars in Ferrari's iconic shade of red, and speeches paid homage to the luxury brand's history and the debut of "the best eight-cylinder in the world."

Some 200 Fusion staff members worked continuously across 36 hours to install and prepare for the event. They put together 5.1 tons of rigging equipment, 6,000m of cabling, 158m of black drape and a total of 236 lights to create a 348-sqm staging structure standing 1.5m high.

The evening began with guests watching a five-minute AV spectacular on the F8 Tributo, dotted with archival footage from Ferrari's vault, in the pre-function area. When it was time to reveal the new vehicle, the function area went to black and a 60m kabuki drop showed an astonishing collection of Ferrari V8s, on display for the first time outside Italy. The F8 Tributo emerged from under the stage through fog and lasers and past its predecessors to take its position on the podium.

Fusion mounted Claypaky Sharpy fixtures on either side of the podium; several more were used for the moment of reveal with Oracle Laser's Laser Sharpy attachment.

"We also used quite a few Claypaky Mythos 2 in this area; it's such a versatile fixture that allows us to do a wide range of effects," says Fusion's technical director for the event, Paul Walton. "On this job, we were most impressed with how well the Ferrari logo projection looked with the output we achieved."

Five Claypaky Stormys provided a general wash in the area as well as high-energy strobe effects moments before the blackout and kabuki drop.

The event was designed and produced by Flare Creative Experiences. Show Technology Australia is the Claypaky distributor for the region.