Space Probe - The Early Days

[nev]

Hey guys, Thought you might be interested in this - I stumbled across an article on the laser installation by a company I work with a fair bit. Oracle Laser installed the original system that worked with the fireworks show back when Space Probe first opened. The article has some cool pics of inside the tower and various night time shots, as well as a heap of info on the trials and tribulations of installing a lot of fibre optic cabling into a tall tower. Link is: Oracle Laser - Australia's Wonderland Space Probe 7 Installation I've also got an old article somewhere about the lighting and AV installation in the entrance tunnels, when I get around to it I'll scan it and post it too. Cheers Richard

[T-bone]

Looked like a Fun night.

[Skipper]

Thanks for posting that..very cool pic! of inside the tower The boys at Oracle -Paul Maslin in particular do amazing stuff - theyre lighting at Dance parties are phenomenal! - I LOVE their work!!!

[nev]

Couldn't agree more... it's always fun having an Oracle guy sitting next to the lighting console at a dance party.... they're the only aussie laser company who know how to use lasers properly at a party!

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I might point out that the boys at LaserVision (the people who did the special effects for Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster) did just as good a job as Oracle, when you compare what the two rides look like. I'll also point out that the Oracle site has found its way onto these forums numerous times before... but i'm waiting with baited breath for the AV in the tunnels....

[nev]

Yeah Alex the comments I made were about Oracle in live situations as well as installations. Laservision are great at stuffing up live projects The last gig Rappa and I did with them, it got to the crucial moment in the show, and their operator pressed rewind instead of play on the show controller...

[rappa]

HAHA good ole Laservision, I agree their time is better spend in the office working on projects than out at gigs. Hey Skipper, curious as to where you know the Oracle guys from? Are you in the biz too? Better check my magazine stash (no not THAT stash Liam) as I think I may have your issue about probe!

[Skipper]

I know the Oracle people from their amazing work at the old Frisky and more recentlyToybox parties at the Metro and most recently the bigtop at Luna Park The last job for Toybox at Luna Park- which some friends of mine put on was the biggest party job that Oracle have ever taken on and It was breathtaking - with more full colour oracles at full throttle than I have ever seen in one place in my life - see the attached pics.

[rappa]

NICE pics Skip, some of the nicest looking dance party photos I've seen. Always hard to capture lighting from parties in photos due to the conditions. Was that the Toy Box after party from MG? Nice to see you're a fan or Oracle but still didn't really explain where you fit into the scene... are you just a punter or what?

[Skipper]

Thanks - Yeah that was the offical MG after party went from 12 midday till 8pm on the sunday. I wouldn't say I'm in the biz but Like I said before my friends put Toybox on and my flatmate is the head tech director for the party so sometimes I help out with stuff when needed and just socially I have gotten to know lots of people in the industry. for the record I actually manage a hotel. Its a pretty amazing event though - the production levels on all different aspects of the party are just out of control. I had a look at your website - would I know of anything you have been involved in?

[rappa]

HA website, bit of a laugh to call it that in it's present form Amusingly enough both Nev and Myself were actualy over working on the Mardi Gras Party at fox that weekend! We work on a big variety of gigs, dance party wise I've been doing Transmissions for the last year and used to do a lot of parties for Fuzzy... Always funny to see how much of a small world it is around here.

[nev]

As promised, here's the article I mentioned. This was in the December 1995 issue of Connections - a national lighting and audio magazine. Don't get worked up if there are a few incorrect ride facts, these guys report on lighting, not ride manufacture

[PattieBoi]

Very interesting!

[denim_dude]

Thats great. Always freaked me out. Although i never got to see the fibre optics/pyrotechnics show or had the chance to ride the probe with the smoke machines and strobes in the 'launch pad'.

[PattieBoi]

Are you retarded? You said you never got to ride the probe, but it says in your signature 'space probe count: 46'

Edited January 21, 2006 by PattieBoi

[pin142]

Pattieboi, read the following quote more carefully

Although i never got to see the fibre optics/pyrotechnics show or had the chance to ride the probe with the smoke machines and strobes in the 'launch pad'.

If you missed it he said that he never had the chance to ride it with the strobes and smoke machines. I cannot see any mention of him saying that he never went on it at all.

[PattieBoi]

Woops...my bad!

[dr_teeth]

Yeah would have been great to ride it with all the smoke and stuff. The closest i ever came to that was when they used to have the guys in the spaceprobe suits in the que. I remember the first time i rode it after an hour or so waiting in line we got the the pre-show room where the guy in there told us "this was an evacuation". First thing that popped in my head was "just great after an hour waiting and we get evacuated just when its my turn to ride" haha Of cos it was all part of the show...but i was only about 11 so you cant blame me for getting it wrong :D:D:D

[Daniel]

You're a knob Pattie. Who's the dumb one now Richie Rich?

[PattieBoi]

Hey Daniel, what do you have against me?

[Daniel]

Hey Daniel, what do you have against me?

You're breathing!

[PattieBoi]

Hahahahahahaha! Very funny! NOT! You know what your problem is? You don't have the guts to pick on members who are your own size!

[Bussy]

If there were any midgets here I'm sure he would. "The Bus is now leaving for Midget Well, Western Australia"

[steve$]

i've grown a fair bit since sometime last year.

[PattieBoi]

Shame man I aint a migit! He's only picking on me because I'm younger than him!