Avolites D9 for Carols by Candlelight Broadcast

	Daniel Saveski. Photo: Clare Springett

Lighting designer Daniel Saveski -- the current head of lighting for Australia's Channel 9 (GTV9) -- used an Avolites D9 console (with a D7 for backup) to light the broadcaster's famous Carols by Candlelight Christmas special. The event has been an annual Australian tradition since 1938, staged this time at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne.

Owned and co-ordinated by Vision Australia, a national non-profit organisation providing services for those with blindness and low vision, Carols by Candlelight is an annual fundraiser produced and broadcast by the Nine Network. Saveski has worked on the event for the last nine years in different lighting-related roles, and this was the second year he was lighting designer.

Saveski initially rediscovered Avolites and the D9 during COVID lockdown, although at that stage, no D9s were available in Australia. After Avolites became "a Robe Business" in late 2023 and LSC Control Systems became the new official distributor, his interest was renewed. This included booking a demo, where he "fell in love" with the hardware at first glance.

LSC/Avolites business development manager, Clare Springett, introduced him to the T3 console. He immediately purchased one, commenting that it's "incredible to have a console that fits in a backpack, unlocks 16 universes, and doesn't compromise on programming or playback space!"

At the 2025 Carols event, the D9 controlled a rig comprised of 65 Ayrton Rivale Profile moving lights, three Ayrton Domino LTs running on a remote PRG GroundControl system for followspots, together with 21 GLP impression X4s and 50 impression X4 XL wash lights, 24 ACME Lighting TORDNADOs, 46 ACME PIXEL LINE IPs, 14 Martin Mac Aura XIPs, 20 ShowPro Fusion Wash 48s, and eight Claypaky Scenius Unicos.

Also featured were Creamsource and Creamsource Mini LED soft lights, 12 Color Kinetics ColorBlast 12 TRs, 12 ETC LED PARs, 17 sections of Starcloth drape, plus several hundred meters of LED festoon and LED tape around the set.

All lighting equipment for the event was supplied by PRG, who Saveski describes as "simply amazing" to work with, making the process effortless and offering "a distinctive level of comfort and confidence when they are looking after one of my shows."

The set was designed and built several years ago and is stored and maintained by Nine Network's staging department.

In addition to the lighting, a large upstage LED screen handled a variety of visual content. The set design further enabled Saveski to incorporate ROE Visual CB3 panels into the set of windows on the left and right stage wings and the "rosette" in the center of the scenic proscenium arch, as well as the mid-stage low fence in front of the house band. These were all supplied by CT Australia.

He also included a roof feature in the design, made up of ROE Vanish, which was not visible from the front, but added depth and visual interest from low and upward angled camera shots.

During programming, he found the D9's "Locate" options for specific fixtures "incredibly helpful." By setting the default Locate to a tight zoom, he was able to focus key light positions much more quickly, knowing exactly where the center point was from the start.

The Attribute Editor was another "essential" programming tool for Saveski, particularly for managing framing shutters and maintaining precise RGB control over the CMY engines in the different fixture types.

He found the Set List feature pretty "invaluable" on a show like this, where songs were constantly being moved between segments right up until show day. "Set List allowed me to rapidly reorder tracks while retaining all the specific notes and programming attached to each list, so last-minute schedule changes were seamless."

He appreciates how the Key Frame Shapes feature enabled him to concentrate his eyes on the stage rather than being buried in console syntax, which "seriously sped up" the process.

He mentions the importance of maintaining a clean and organised workflow on the desk and in the rig, giving his crew the clarity they need to perform at their best. "I lead from the front, ensuring that even in high-pressure national broadcast environments like Carols by Candlelight, we can operate as a team with precision, mutual respect, and a shared passion for the craft."

Working closely with Saveski on the 2025 edition were lighting directors Lynden Gare and Hamish Lee and screens director Matt Jones.

Saveski slated a D7-330 and a D7-215 to run the 2026 Australian Open broadcast. He has even vowed to don his Avo Trainer hat and convert a few lighting director colleagues to the platform.