Lighting designer Daniel Saveski — currently Head of Lighting for Australia’s Channel 9 (GTV9) — used an Avolites D9 console (with a D7 as backup) to light the broadcaster’s famous Christmas special, Carols by Candlelight.
The event has been an annual Australian tradition since 1938 and, on this occasion, was staged at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne.
Owned and coordinated by Vision Australia, a leading national non-profit organisation providing services for people who are blind or have low vision, Carols by Candlelight is its largest annual fundraising event and is produced and broadcast by the Nine Network. Dan has worked on the event for the past nine years in various lighting-related roles, and this was his second year as lighting designer.
Dan chose the D9 because he wanted a powerful and intuitive control platform that could be programmed quickly and easily. Although he is fluent in and works across multiple lighting and visual control platforms, he felt that Avolites was the most suitable choice for this show.
He initially rediscovered Avolites and the D9 during the COVID lockdowns, although at that time there were no D9s 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 and he began actively exploring the brand and its products, particularly the D9. This included booking a demo, where he “fell in love” with the hardware at first sight. The more he explored the offline D9 editor, the more he appreciated the power and simplicity of the workflow, and Avolites really began to stand out for him.
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LSC and Avolites Business Development Manager Clare Springett introduced him to the T3 console, which he loved. He purchased one immediately, commenting that it is “incredible to have a console that fits in a backpack, unlocks 16 universes, and doesn’t compromise on programming or playback space”.
For the 2025 Carols event, he wanted to tap into the power and flexibility of the D9 to control a large lighting rig. The rig comprised 65 Ayrton Rivale Profile moving lights, three Ayrton Domino LT units running on a remote Ground Control system for follow spots, along with 21 GLP Impression X4s and 50 Impression X4 XL wash lights, 24 ACME TORDNADOs, 46 ACME PIXEL LINE IPs, 14 Martin Mac Aura XIPs, 20 ShowPro Fusion Wash 48s and eight Claypaky Scenius Unicos. In addition, Creamsource and Creamsource Mini LED soft lights were used, along with 12 CK ColorBlast 12 TRs, 12 ETC LED PARs, 17 sections of Starcloth drape, and several hundred metres of LED festoon and LED tape around the set.
All lighting equipment for the event was supplied by PRG, whom Dan describes as incredible 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 allowed Dan to incorporate ROE Visual CB3 panels into the windows on the left and right stage wings and the “rosette” in the centre of the scenic proscenium arch, as well as the mid-stage low fence in front of the house band. All of this was 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 worked brilliantly to add depth and visual interest in low and upward-angled camera shots.
During programming, he found the D9’s “Locate” options for specific fixtures to be very useful. By setting the default Locate to a tight zoom, he was able to focus key light positions much more quickly, knowing exactly where the centre point was from the outset.
The “Attribute Editor” was another essential programming tool for Dan, particularly for managing framing shutters and maintaining precise RGB control over the CMY engines across the different fixture types.
He considered the “Set List” feature indispensable 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 completely seamless.
He also appreciates how the “Key Frame Shapes” feature allowed him to keep his eyes on the stage rather than being buried in console syntax, which significantly sped up the process. Looking ahead, he says he will be specifying the D9 more often and whenever he can get his hands on one.
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Overall, he finds the D9 workflow to be highly intuitive and a real aid to fast and efficient programming. He is also impressed by the robustness and continued evolution of the Avolites platform, coinciding with the brand’s 50th anniversary celebrations throughout 2026. He also highlighted the importance of maintaining a clean and well-organised workflow, both on the console and in the lighting rig, as this provides his team with 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”.
Beyond the technical aspects, Carols by Candlelight is a special project with enormous meaning for Dan, and together with everyone involved, he is immensely proud to be part of delivering it.
It is also a cherished annual reunion with my crew ‘family’, and the show carries a profound emotional weight, as so many Australians are watching with their friends and loved ones, and our work brings smiles to children’s faces across the country.
All funds raised go towards supporting specialist services for children who are blind or have low vision. Working closely with Dan on the 2025 edition were lighting directors Lynden Gare and Hamish Lee, and screens director Matt Jones.
Dan was so delighted with the performance of the D9 and the D7 used as backup that he has already slated a D7-330 and a D7-215 to run the Australian Open 2026 broadcast.
He has even promised to take on the role of an “Avo trainer” and encourage a few fellow lighting directors to adopt the platform. Frequently working across multiple control systems, Dan has become a go-to reference in Australia within his professional network for resolving questions and “translating” terminology between different consoles. He says it has been a great experience to see how these tools are evolving and helping others bridge the gaps between systems.
Photos: Clare Springett
