Ballarat's Matthew Jens runs the effects at a 60,000-fan Marvel Stadium show
Jens's company adds lasers, fire and giant screens, but diesel costs and staff shortages are straining budgets.
Matthew Jens watched over a sold-out Marvel Stadium with 60,000 fans, making sure the show ran to plan. The show, hailed as the largest electronic music event in Australian history, featured Dom Dolla.
Jens is head of production at Gig Control, a Melbourne company that runs special effects for big gigs. The show used lasers, balls of fire and one of the biggest LED screens in the southern hemisphere.
Jens is a former Ballarat Grammar student who now lives in Melbourne. He says diesel prices are hitting budgets hard, because all the sound, lighting and staging depends on trucks.
The industry is still trying to fill jobs left empty after COVID-19 forced staff out.
- 60,000 fans
- Crowd
- Melbourne
- Base
- Third-largest, behind the US and Germany
- EDM streaming rank
- 130 beats per minute
- Song tempo
Why it mattersRising diesel costs and staff shortages make big shows harder and more costly to put on for the crews running them.
AustraliaDiesel costs are already squeezing budgets for Australian event crews, so big shows may cost more to put on.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
Open this story in InSnip →
