Post it! Douglas Fabian Productions

There are just some events that it is a joy to work on and the 10th Anniversary of Eden Brae Homes www.edenbraehomes.com.au at Carriageworks  last saturday night was definitely one of them for the DFP team.

From a production request by superb Sydney party band the Shy Guys  www.theshyguys.com.au, booked for the gig some time ago, DFP was asked by the client if they could also accommodate the production needs of  Jon Stevens. Quite a bit in this but then after a meeting with the client it became clear that much more was needed in order to get this very special event up and happening in the unique Carriageworks space.

The theme was around construction……Eden Brae Homes, yep…that makes sense. The space was inventively designed to include various building sites, a half constructed house, roofing frame suspended from ceiling, some landscaped gardening, wheel barrows, cement mixers, spilled gravel, brick walls, safety lights, scaffolding viewing areas with the rough & ready balanced out by a funky glow bar with flare barmen, cool and groovy white furniture, dramatic ice sculpture and pristine white dance floor.

With a wave of the clients magic work boot it all happened along with a sexy feature dance routine, knockout performance by Jon Stevens www.jonstevens.com.au and his band followed by the Shy Guys keeping the guests dancing through the construction zone until the wee small hours.

Some of the logistics were daunting but everyone bogged in including the client and her energetic assistant to ultimately transform the space which, once the lighting & sound happened, became one of the more unusual gigs that DFP have created. It was fun, it was loud, it was a lot of laughs…..and that was only the bumpin!

Thanks Eden Brae for giving DFP the chance to get down and dirty.

Belinda and Emma….you are so awesome! Love your work.

It is a pleasure when you are asked for a third year running to facilitate an event with a truly great purpose.

Day of Difference www.dayofdifference.org.au  is a charity set-up to raise money to help children suffering from the traumatic effects of serious injury. It was established in response to the remarkable, heart rending story of Sophie Delezio the little girl whose dramatic life & death battle against severe injury captured headlines and the hearts of the nation a few years ago.

Last Saturday, Dayof Difference held their annual benefit ball at Star City and went to a mystical world of fantasy and as it turned out great charity, following Alice down the rabbit hole, to experience a Wonderland of fun and entertainment including, sensational dancing from the finalists on TVs most popular dance program, the all-Australian musical talent of James Blundell, the extraordinary quick change dance performance of internationally renowned Soul Mystique www.soulmystique.com  and the masterly MC talent of one of Australia’s best known media personalities, Alan Jones.

From guest arrival meeting the Mad Hatter magician and Tea Party table in the foyer, it was a very special night. Once doors opened guests were transported through a magic garden wall, keyhole entry down a remarkable ‘green lazer’ rabbit tunnel into a room of ever changing, vibrant colour.

 Tables with various pastel coloured table cloths featured red-pink wax candle balls contrasting against colourful napkins and silver chair covers.

 The wild wood backdrop to the stage with oversize toadstool props provided the perfect setting for great performances and some serious fund raising fun orchestrated by Mr Jones!

It was a great room look and the guests clearly had a fabulous time but the real icing on the Tea Party cake was the very substantial sum raised for the extremely worthy cause of helping needy children.

Douglas Fabian Productions may have designed, implemented and controlled the theming and production for this night but humbly congratulate the selfless workers of Day of Difference who are the one’s that carry the load day to day, making a real difference to children throughout Australia.

Sophie, you were a beautiful Alice and in you it’s great to see just what can be achieved the the kind donations made to charities such as Day of Difference.

An amazing night and experience for those lucky guests that attended and all of us here at DFP. 

The call came from the Marketing team at ANZ Stadium with a little trepidation. I suspect they thought the most logical answer would be ‘no’. It was on a Saturday and rather unexpected. Yes, it was short notice but the main player in this media event was only in Sydney for a short time so things needed to move quickly and, through DFP, they did.

….and the voice said, “In 2 days time there is going to be a major media call at the Blue Hotel. It concerns the Ben Hur Stadium Spectacular to occur at ANZ Stadium on Friday 22 & Saturday 23 October this year http://tiny.cc/z59qr. The world will be told who the very special Narrator will be for the 2 event days in Sydney.”

We asked the question, “OK, so who will this very special Narrator be……?”

And the answer…”RUSSELL CROWE, the gladiator himself and well known associate of Oscar!”

DFP: “OK….(deep breath)…what’s needed….?”

“Russell has given us a sketch of his concept.”

DFP: “Great….(second deep breath)….meaning….”

“We need a big purpose built cream coloured stage. It should have classical Roman theming with big columns and the like. The central lectern should fit with the theme. The lighting needs to be dramatic but allow for good media shots. There should be two impressive, big Mediterranean florals on the stage. Include…. red drape screenage, regal gold cloth dressing for Bar divdier wall, a massive HD central stage screen for presentations….as big as you can get. The sound has to be…you guessed it…BIG as befits the stature of the announcement, the first time broadcast of the new TVC  and the man who will be the centre of attention on the day and in October at ANZ! Lots of media sends needed. This media event will be bigger than…..”

DFP: “Don’t say it…”

And so it came to pass that Douglas Fabian Productions made this and much more happen. Dan Fabian dashed to the venue for a desperate site inspection. The calls began immediately. Stage plans were worked on that weekend. Tentative calls to third party suppliers and crew began. It was BIG and rolled on through Monday.

There were height and access issues. Florists kept saying ‘no’. The canopy for the stage was difficult and required ingenuity. Fabric had to be located and purchased. Specific crew and installers were brought on line. Logistics were debated given venue and time restrictions.

And then 20 minutes before call time it was finished…

An enjoyable challenge when comments like ’seemless’, ’superb look’, ‘just what was needed’ were made at the end.

….with some special help from Canon and Douglas Fabian Productions.

What is great about the Sydney event production industry is the endless diversity of requests and possibilities and at DFP these days we relish being involved in it all.

From staging and presenting charity galas to creating promotional stage sets to providing specific production solutions for conferences by OS corporates to developing unique entertainment concepts by literally creating them from the ground up, nothing phases the DFP team.

When Canon, the principle exhibition sponsor, asked for a simple but effective launch format for the 2010 World Press Photo Exhibition at the State Library http://tiny.cc/ruvtu  last week…..well, something special was needed. Shown the pics from the previous launch the brief was clear…..it shoud be simple, striking, incorporate brand reinforcement and allow a central visual focus of the photo exhibition collateral and feature elements.

With multiple HD screens in place so the launch could be broadcast across a number viewer areas at the Library, Canon wanted to ‘test drive’ their new XF300 high definition camera soon to be launched into the Australian market place.http://tiny.cc/4krza The DFP techs were clearly excited to get their hands on this top end unit and its capability was brilliant providing a quality of image-to-screen that surpassed expectations.

The stage created the look required,

The World Press Photo Exhibition is no ordinary photographic display but the end result of  a remarkable search for incredible photos that truly capture the moment in all its uniqueness and depth of meaning, relevant to ten themed categories. This annual contest is at the core of the World Press Photo’s activities.

During the two-week judging, the jury viewed a record number of photographs with 101,960 images submitted by 5,847 photographers. The photographers represent 128 different nationalities.

The exhibition is a showcase for creativity in photojournalism and a platform for developments in the profession, part of World Press Photo’s aim of encouraging and stimulating the work of press photographers around the world.

It is an amazing exhibition incorporating images with such intensity of composition and perspective evoking both emotion and thought. Provocative, dramatic, complex this exhibition is something well worth catching while it’s in Sydney until the 25th July.

Very special and great to play a part.

and the world held its collective breath!

From the excitement of the first kick-off in South Africa the event experience which is the World Cup cannot be underestimated. Via media it permeates virtually every level of society and Australia is no different particularly since the boys big effort the last time.

Star City Casino’s Sports Theatre is without doubt one of the best places in Australia to see the telecast of a sporting event and certainly the World Cup provides an event well worth watching. http://tiny.cc/b0ijm

When the Casino’s Marketing Dept approached Douglas Fabian Productions to create a Casino entry display that captured the excitement and internationalism of the event in 2010, a number of target words came to mind,

• big event
• colourful
• international
• movement
• soccer imagery

The concepts were strong and needed to be communicated simply yet effectively.

Douglas Fabian Productions set about developing a design to capture the key elements through:

1. an eye catching configuration of suspended truss featuring the 32 team, national flags
2. two oversize classic-look soccer balls suspended at either side of the space
3. feature lighting to highlight the hanging elements
4. ground-based, mini moving-head lights creating roving orbs of white spot lighting across the signage
5. green astro turf stage covering with a featured mini soccer goal post at either side

….and then the DFP result….. 

……very dynamic, very colourful, very international, very World Cup 2010!

….and recently a VIP wedding event occurred that Douglas Fabian Productions helped make special with technical and event production when Lee and Shane tied the knot http://tiny.cc/4wpla  on the Central Coast, at Bells .

It may have been a wet and wild weekend but nothing was going to stop Shane bowling his maiden over!

After a  simple, stylish ceremony in the Main Resort, immediate family along with an impressive A-list of cricketers and media friends traversed a walkway to the middle of a field where a resplendent, chiffoned reception marquee was waiting.

A relaxed, ambient mood was created in the pre-function section of the marquee with guests chatting and congratulating the newly weds. Once everyone was suitably ensconced, a fabric internal wall opened to reveal an elegant dinner venue complete with lavish crystal chandeliers and beautiful floral displays. Douglas Fabian Productions provided intimate, discreet production for an impressive entertainment line-up that wowed the guests, featuring Diesel http://tiny.cc/njq0f and current singer-extraordinaire Mark Vincent http://tiny.cc/45ayp.

After a speech from media identity Alan Jones the internal wall once more opened to present guests with an edgy night club space, DFP providing DJ Steven Ferris all the production toys and tools to get the party pumping.

The wedding fun went on until the wee small hours when a luxury coach arrived to whisk the guests away and the bumpout began to wind into gear.

Bottom line…..it was an exclusive profile event, a privilege for DFP to be involved in, the delivery was faultless and we wish the happy couple a long and prosperous life together!

No. Not a weird musical derivation on the musical classic covered by Ugly Kid Joe.

CATS that ephemeral musical from Mr Lloyd-Webber returned to Star City Casino last week.

Lots of lovely, some legendary, people turned out for the opening night (http://misociety.com.au/cats-the-musical-opening-night-and-after-party-sydney-2010)  and the powers-that-be in the Casino Entertainment Dept wanted interesting event production elements and a rather unusual female DJ concept for the after show party so…..enter stage right, DFP.

It never ceases to amaze how an approach that turns heads as being different and new can actually involve some relatively simple event concepts and FX executed creatively with attention to detail.

Yes, Cats branding in the room was a must and DFP achieved this through a number of moving head lights loaded with CATS gobos projecting the shows classic title in sharp white light across stark black velveteen draping surrounding the Casino’s Grand Harbour Ballroom, through hues of blue & purple.

That part fell under the heading ’simple but effective’.

The unusual, mood-setting entertainment was something else again…..

Using Casino staging in the centre of the room & framed by narrow truss arches a central performance area was created and feature lit. Above a Dynacord sound system was carefully rigged and tuned by DFP for optimum event coverage making the sound work while not being either too imposing or the look, too theatrical.

CATS remains an unusual piece of theatre edgily wound around the complex poetry of T.S.Elliott.

The aftershow party had it’s own unique edge with entertainment from ‘Soulqualia’ being 3 female DJs on the central stage working through a warm, embracing selection of cool soul and R & B to quirky moments such as guests walking in to the tongue-in-cheek salutation of TJs ‘What’s New Pussy Cat’

From the Casino & Cats management “they looked and sounded great, they were the real talking point of the event”.

So what was ‘new’ on the night? A room concept, an event approach, an entertainment feel and carefully executed by DFP to celebrate the return of a triumphant piece of musical theatre.

February 2010…so where did 2009 go and what’s the news at DFP?

2009 rushed to a close and the ensuing Christmas break was much appreciated by all.

Flew successfully through a myriad of events in recent months:

-After show party for the Black Eyed Peas….provided serious production across two areas with the Peas giving a feature performance. Fantastic!

-Girls Day Out @ Rosehill Racecourse…. lots of girls, lollies, frocks and fun with a smattering of devils and angels giving the 7 Deadly Sins theme some real impact.

-Promo stage set for Danny Green & Roy Jones Jnr

…the two boxers loved the set with Roy Jones Jnr wanting all his promotional shots taken there.

-Launch of the new Star City Poker Room…stylish old world theme for new Casino gaming area.

-Canon Christmas Bash with Marcia Hines

…there was a lot in this event…some simple but effective staging, clever but functional production, a dynamic lighting approach for stage & room….and a frantic bumpout at the end of it all.

-NYE feature entertainment booked included Cassie Davis and red-hot Sydney trio, Mr Wilson…just great acts!

-Designed and built stylish Asian themed stage set including 2 x 1.5 metre stone tiger replicas and numerous hanging coloured lanterns. Kung Hei Fat Choi!

-Implemented amazing acrobat performances across the Casino for Chinese New Year…unusual and dramatic.

Built a special feature stage for the launch of the Casinos new Baccarat area & Fat Noodle

The next significant step in the Casinos redevelopment. Expectation was high but DFP created a stage and ‘look’ that worked well, particularly when a Chinese lion ‘came to life’ with 2 performers hidden in the stage surprising all.

-Launch of the Waratahs 2010 campaign

The boys and staging presented well….Go Tahs, Go!

Last year may have been the GFC we had to have but didn’t really feel it at DFP, throttle open and full speed ahead!

This year looks more exciting still. Bigger, better, faster, harder…..

So the question remains……Who is Douglas Fabian?

Simply put, it’s Dave DOUGLAS and Dan FABIAN. Yes, it’s a surname thing. Yes, they’re the founders and directors. Yes, they’ve worked in various areas of the entertainment, event and production industry for some time. No they are not joined at the hip!
They believe fervently that everything is an event and that every event requires unique ingenuity and a lot of dedication.

….Who is Douglas Fabian Productions?

Well, that’s a different thing again. Yes, Dan & Dave but then there’s,
Skye Longley event designer / manager and serious player in the DFP event world. Jacqui Coker, our accounts guru personage. Ashley Bower, office admin and day-to-day powerhouse solutions centre. Sean & Joel, the first choice DFP crew guys and finally a sea of unique third party supply relationships. These are people who know DFP and happily work with us to take our entertainment and event concepts to the next level.

That’s it in a nutshell!

Enjoy your day and keep an eye out for more blog action from the DFP team!

Welcome to our new website!!!    Big HELLO from Team DFP

We are very proud to be supporting Blue September awareness campaign for cancers that effect men. Get blue Friday 25th September, and promote healthy lifestyle choices for all the men in your life! Go to www.blueseptember.org for more info, and to check out Team DFP’s handy work at the launch night Sebel Pier One! Was a fantastic night, with very moving and inspiring speeches from Mark Holden and Waratahs Adam Freier, terrific performance by Daniel Mifsud, and not to mention stunning theming, sound & lighting! Get your crew together and get Blue for this truly great cause.

Stay tuned for our next exciting blog…..Who is Douglas Fabian……..?

And have a sensational day!

Team DFP gets blue!