ETC APEX 10 AND SENSOR3 BUT ALSO ELATION MAKE THEIR ENTRY AT LIDO 2 PARIS FOR A TRANSITION TOWARDS LEDS AND MUSIC HALL

For its grand reopening, Lido2 Paris presents the musical: “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum!” by Stephen Sondheim, directed by Cal McCrystal under the artistic direction of Jean-Luc Choplin. ©Julien Benhamou

Supported by artists mainly from London and New York, Jean-Luc Choplin, the new director of Lido 2 Paris, accompanied by the Accor group, has launched a series of investments with the aim of an in-depth renovation of the main room and the acquisition of a brand new ETC Sensor3 system, two ETC Apex consoles, and a brand new Elation kit.


The entire black part represents the stage. The red zone outlines the room. The famous Lido effect lowers the floor by one meter so that the audience ends up with a stage at eye level and the impression that the room is moving up when it is the opposite.

When you enter the Lido, the ground floor corresponds to the balcony level. Go down one floor and you arrive at the zero level of the room which has more than one trick up its sleeve by taking you down another meter before the show to reveal a stage thanks to a clever movable floor system (the famous Lido effect).

To ensure a new musical/theater program, the Lido is coming out of an 8-month-long facelift of work and 3 months of renovation. I meet up with Eddy between the two shows. “Forum” has just finished and the crew is tackling “Rocky Horror” for a premiere in March.


Lido 2 Paris has been completely redesigned by French fashion designer Alexis Mabille. © Lido2Paris


SLU : What technical investments have been made here?

Eddy Couloigner : “The idea was to renew this equipment because the old ones were no longer functional with regular breakdowns. We worked hand in hand on the refurbishing part with Cyril Auclair & Léonard Françon from Unisson Design.

Eddy Couloigner takes the time to present the Lido renovations to us despite a busy schedule. A big thank you for his welcome 🙂 As he tells it, the space has changed a lot since his first day on the project when the walls were completely bare.

For my part, I am a service provider on the lighting side through the company GTC, so I am an associate.
Among the major renovations, we have redesigned the network by switching to a system that is capable of managing the welcoming of international creations and provides more flexibility to become a real performance hall. This resulted in a brand new lighting kit, mainly using Elation.”

Indeed, taking advantage of a restructuring and an overall renovation, Eddy, who had already worked for Jean-Luc Choplin at the Marigny theater, began his work as General Lighting Manager while the walls of the Lido were literally stripped.


History of the Lido

Before the 1970s, the Lido cabaret’s address was 78 Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Then the Clerico brothers, owners, moved it near the George-V metro level and the Lido shared its entrance with a movie theater under rental lease. The Lido institution, as we know it, appears.

After many years of operation, it was sold to the French company Sodexo, its food supplier (caterer), to pay unpaid bills. The group took over for seven years but did not meet with the success hoped for. During the same period, Hollywood released the film “Moulin Rouge”, a box office hit that directed tourists from all over the world toward the competitor of the same name.

In 2023, the Accor group becomes the owner of the Lido for a symbolic euro and appoints Jean-Luc Choplin as manager. The objective of reinventing the Lido formula is an interesting challenge for someone who « aime avoir les mains dans le cambouis et travailler au plus près de ce qui se passe en scène jusqu’au bout ». Exit the catering part during the shows, but also the revue and the French Cancan, in favor of in-house or welcoming creations based purely on Music Hall. The programming changes every 3-4 months and the Lido is kept up to date.


The network and lighting desk

The lighting control room is installed in an “old-fashioned” way in a small room above the main room and separated by a large bay window. Even if today this concept does not seem ideal, it has the advantage of protecting the best seats in the venue and of being located near the Robe Robospot, which facilitates communication between the console and the follow-spot operators.

A brand new ETC APEX 10 lighting desk

Concerning the choice of desks, Eddy explains : “On Broadway, we all work in ETC and the management’s thinking was to say: if one of our shows goes to Broadway or London we must be in ETC and vice versa for us when welcoming shows. Hence the Lido went for an ETC Apex 10 active et une APEX 5 en backup. An EOS server runs the cues and shows every night.”


The latest ETC APEX 10.

The brand new ETC APEX 10 console is a little gem of technology. Its strength is provided by dernières nouveautés logicielles apportées par la version EOS 3.2, it is capable of:

Using a powerful and user-friendly syntax for programmers of all levels
State-of-the-art tools for controlling colors
Magic Sheets for programming and personalizing views
Programming environment and visualization with Augment3d
The Virtual Media Server for pixel-mapping
Integrating timecode and automation
A multi-user and multi-programmer workspace

Furthermore, it offers an elegant control interface designed for the comfort of lighting engineers and console operators with very advanced customization offered by buttons topped with small LED screens (customizable so-called Target keys for direct selections), an integrated flexible keyboard, and a touch screen.
Its programming surfaces are generous, and it has high power for complex lighting and video installations such as at Lido as well as output allowing the control of 24K parameters.


The ETC APEX 5 desk awaits the arrival of its bigger version the l’APEX 10 to be delivered soon.

SLU : What do you like, personally, about the new ETC APEX?

Eddy Couloigner : “The control buttons with small screens are shortcuts that allow you to go very quickly, especially those located in the wheel area. If the lighting designer wants us to do a little pan, a little tilt, and correct the colorimetry, if he has the player in the right place, we don’t need to change the program we are in and we have everything at hand. Reacting fast is necessary because rehearsals here only last three weeks.”

Indeed, we quickly understand that for around twenty actors, the rehearsals are quite busy. The crew must readjust the show in relation to the space available, the kit, and the sets. “We need to review the positions and dances. We could rather talk about technical and artistic rehearsals” underlines Eddy. “Also since the space is not very big, everyone cannot work at the same time. Light, sound, and video have slots and everything comes together at a certain time. So these are three weeks of fairly intense creations.

SLU : You have two consoles, I imagine that this is part of the objective of facilitating creations…

Eddy Couloigner : Indeed, one is used for the visiting desk operator who generally works in the morning and another for the Lido desk operator, in the afternoons and evenings during rehearsals. One can do his Go without disturbing the other who, for his part, continues to work on his palettes and positions, etc. The idea of this management is ultimately to produce one or two creations per year.”

Protocole and networking

The two ETC APEX 5 and 10 consoles are connected in an sACN network to 4 ETC Sensor3 dimmer cabinets. The venue thus offers the versatility necessary to meet the very diverse demands of the visiting crew. The new owner, the Accor group, having also signed an agreement certifying the transition from filament lamps to LEDs in the equipment in its portfolio of activities, the Lido opted for direct power from ETC with the sensor3 system. Exit the dimmers.

Eddy adds : ” This is an interesting system because it allows you to control the switching on or off of each fixture, which is much simpler for lighting engineers if they need to do a hard reset independently from the control room. ”


sACN is a multicast protocol that allows the network architecture to benefit from IGMP Snooping, and multicast flows only to equipment that has subscribed to flows, so we do not “spray” (send info to) equipment that does not need it. This is what we call on-demand networking. Furthermore, the theater might host grandMA consoles for events for example, and therefore would not be able to use ETC-Net.


The brand new ETC SENSOR3 system at the Lido is used for the entire new lighting kit.

The network diagram at the Lido 2 Paris.

Luminex GigaCore 16XT switches make the connection between the control room and the lighting node. Then nodes and patches recover the network to reach the light kit. They are placed everywhere depending on the needs for DMX outputs such as the water fountain for example.


The network backbone here is in the process of changing the show from “Forum” to “Rocky Horror”.

Eddy Couloigner : For the lighting network, fiber and RJ45 had already been installed in the walls but we ultimately only used network cable with RJ45 for cost reasons because we only cover small distances. New points have also been added at the stage level and the lighting grid to, in the future, be able to connect the fixtures to the network.

SLU : Which protocol are you using?

Eddy Couloigner : We have a bit of ETC-net dedicated to the remote control to send channels or cues from phones. Otherwise, we chose to switch to sACN because it is an ideal protocol for tracking, which is the case for sound.

The Paradigm system allows you to manage the main room lighting system with two universes. In addition, each spot has a DMX address for ultimate precision.

The 2nd reason is that the main room lighting is controlled via a Paradigm ETC system with switches that have a lower priority than the lighting console.

As soon as the lighting console turns on, this neutralizes these network switches. No one could turn them on during a show but conversely, when you turn off the lighting console, the switches take over for the cleaning crew, for example.


The ETC Paradigm system offers sophisticated lighting control from small installations to complex systems. With its advanced applications, it allows energy savings thanks to automatic presence detection or management of natural light (for certain cases). It also integrates energy management tools, such as consumption monitoring, and can produce regular reports.


The lighting kit

With a very low height under the lighting grill of 5.5 meters, none of the pipes can descend and it is impossible to go upwards because the upper floor is occupied by a cinema. But if there is no real height, the depth under the stage is relatively significant and extends over 6 meters with the possibility of traps (trap doors) in different places linked to the “Comète system”. At the front of the stage, 2 black risers can be interchanged and, if necessary, reveal a fountain or an ice rink.

For the rigging, rails support the kit for impeccable lighting of the stage, but which should not blind the spectators. “The ceiling being low, we selected fixtures that were small enough not to disturb the human eye and which did not make too much fan noise to avoid a permanent hum. Ultimately the Elation Fuze range seemed the most suitable to us and fit within our budget. Three-quarters of our kit is made up of Fuze Max Profile, Fuze Profile, and Fuze Wash FR.”


The lighting plot from our latest show.

On the musical “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum”, on the front and side, we have 14 Elation Fuze Max Profiles. These fixtures are equipped with an 800-watt RGBMA LED engine which operates in additive synthesis and is capable of delivering 21,000 lumens. Their zoom range extends from 7° to 53°. To ensure color fidelity, Elation guarantees a CRI of 92.

Then there are two rows of Fuze Max Profiles along with 4 rows of Fuze Profile (two overhead and two on the sides). The smaller version of the Max Profile displays the same RGBMA engine specifications and the same CRI level for good homogeneity and a flow of 10,000 lumens for 305 watts.
Its zoom range extends from 7° to 42°. More focused on versatility than on breaking flow records, this fixture inaugurates a new stage in the Fuze series. With its hyper-competitive price, it is designed to adapt to all types of use.

Next come two lines of Fuze Wash FR with their Fresnel lens which does not blind the spectators, unlike multi-source washes, as requested by Eddy, who is concerned about this major point. Its zoom range extends from 9° to 60° and it delivers 15,000 lumens for 480 W of LEDs with the same specifications as RGBMA LED engines from the Fuze family.

The Elation Fuze Max Profile.

The Elation Fuze Wash FR.


Sixteen Elation Chorus Line 16 allows you to animate the decor in-depth and create effects. These motorized bars are also installed on the track. With their zoom of 4 to 40° they reinforce the light produced by 20 Ayrton NandoBeam S3s already present before the renovation of the Lido, as evidence of their durability. With a very small footprint, this small automated Wash with 19 sources of RGBW LEDs fits anywhere and is capable of 4,000 lumens with an opening of 8° to 40° which gives it great versatility.


Elation fixtures create superb front lighting with high color fidelity in additive synthesis while having a small footprint and very quiet operation. A necessary point for Music Hall shows. ©Julien Benhamou

These two types of fixtures are reinforced with the backlighting by the Dalis 860 fixtures, excellent cyc lights for beautiful cyclorama covering. With a consumption of 300 Watts, each Dalis ramp has eight shades of LEDs: RGB, royal blue, amber, cyan, warm white, and cold white. Patented asymmetrical microreflectors provide homogeneous light distribution in addition to controlling each color on 8 or 16 bits in four independent sections. Its fanless cooling system makes it the “must-have” of theater lighting designers.


The Robert Juliat Dalis 860 produces a sumptuous cyclorama that highlights the intensity of the scene on stage. ©Julien Benhamou

SLU : Who did you work with on this project?

Eddy Couloigner : We went with Best Audio & Lighting for the purchasing part and through Dushow for the rental. They are people that I like and with whom it is easy to work. It’s Boris Jacob, who I find very cool, who took care of this project. Half of the lighting kit is therefore under long-term rental and the other half was purchased by Lido.

SLU : Could you give me your opinion on this lamp to LED transition?

Eddy Couloigner : We manage to find the shades of a lamp to such an extent that spectators do not see the difference between the Conventional and the LED. It’s a lot of work on the CTO and it works very well. For our part, we therefore do not feel the impact of the LED and have never had any complaints from the actors, which is very positive.
There is also a practical side because no pipe can be lowered and changing the lamp would be very complicated for the technical team on site. LED requires much less after-sales service.


The Elation kit is stocked in trolleys ready for the next show.


Eddy Couloigner, general technical manager and associate at Global Technique Concept.

Eddy Couloigner

After a BAC+2 in lighting management enhanced by a year of Bachelor’s degree in network administration at the CFPTS, he began his professional career as a technician and then lighting manager. Coming out of Covid, he joined Frederic Hamonou who had already set up his company and became associated with GTC (Global Technique Concept).

Eddy adds : “He has already worked on quite a few projects, and I am learning a lot with him. Today, I know how to manage a lighting project from A to Z and technical management fascinates me. It’s a very good experience.”
Building on a good collaboration with Jean-Luc Choplin on a previous project, he responded to a call for tenders and won over the Lido lighting contract, which he added to his portfolio of projects including festivals as head of lighting onsite or technical direction (Printemps de Bourges, Main Square, Lollapalooza).

SLU : How would you define your work at GTC?

Eddy Couloigner : “We intervene at the project study level. We do not provide equipment or technicians but we offer our know-how to assist venues like here at the Lido or festivals. I am very attached to everything that involves project management and support for the renovation of premises, that is to say: responding to consulting missions throughout the duration of the work right up until the opening.

This concerns support for consulting companies, architects, and technicians on site who are not necessarily used to this type of project. I offer them the most suitable technical solutions. Based in Bréal-Sous-Montfort near Rennes, Eddy and Frédéric operate mainly in France but also internationally.


Public spaces completely redesigned to immerse the public in the dream and artistry of the Lido

Indeed, due to the lack of ability to recover space upwards, the entire technical philosophy consists of playing on the appearances and disappearances of scenery from…the basement thanks to the “Comète” freight elevator (platform) system installed in the 2000s.


Since there is no possibility of flying the set or scenery, the “Comète system” moves them downwards.

This freight elevator with “drawers” traditionally used on aircraft carriers, was designed here by the scenographer Jean Gotlibovicz.


Eddy Couloigner : “Thanks to the freight elevator which can support up to 6 tonnes, the Lido compensates for a stage that is not very deep. It allows you to evacuate stage sets, open a trapdoor on the ground, or bring out elements to create appearance and disappearance effects. It also manages the fountain and also has an ice rink which is not in use at the moment. It is a system developed for aircraft carriers with storage drawers on which you can place the sets to store them under the stage. In total, three electromechanics are employed for its maintenance.

SLU : The Lido was well known for its fountain, is it still in use?

Eddy Couloigner : This is the heart of the system and will soon be improved to produce other water effects. The idea would be to have fountains all around the main basin which accommodates it by multiplying the current module by four. This would result in a larger fountain with larger volumes of water. We worked with Aquatic Show, based in Alsace, a service provider specializing in this field which works, on other shows such as, “Water Madness” at the Grand Rex.


The traditional fountain at the Lido. We love it! ©Julien Benhamou

SLU : Are the water effects controlled via a Time Code?

Eddy Couloigner : Basically, it’s the usual process but with a live orchestra of 19 musicians led by a conductor, we have the constraint of live music. The idea is therefore to work in a series of cues to be able to adapt as best as possible. I enjoyed our collaboration and I find their creations very pretty.

The main room welcomes a new balcony space that takes the place of the classic follow spots, themselves replaced by two Robe RoboSpots set up in the control room.

Eddy Couloigner : The problem with these old follow spots is that they could only hit the proscenium, due to the low ceiling height. The RoboSpot therefore provided greater working latitude. It is associated with two Robe Esprite installed in the room.

Two small cameras integrated into two Robe Esprite fixtures hung over the stage allow the live broadcast to be transmitted via the network. This installation responds to the constraint of too low a ceiling space for traditional followspots.

SLU : The follow spots are they pre-programmed or cued by the lighting desk or do you have technicians operating them entirely?

Eddy Couloigner : This is an important question for us. If for certain artistic reasons, a lighting designer prefers to keep control of the dimmer to have blackouts and light-ups in sync for example, we can always reorganize ourselves but personally, even if it means working with real dimmers, I find it more interesting to give the technicians complete control. Otherwise, you might as well use completely automated systems.

SLU : Is that something you are looking into?

Eddy Couloigner : We thought about it but as things currently stand, the flexibility that these systems could give us is not yet optimal. Gateways like the PSN with the grandMA for the EOS are missing to avoid “shaking” problems.

Furthermore, there is a need for real programming time in creation, that is to say, we cannot consider these systems as plug-and-play which would not make it possible to meet the demand for a lighting designer to switch from one projector to another instantly because it takes time to calibrate. But, in the end, at the Lido, the sound is tracked and the idea would ultimately be to have a common system.”

Two lounges serve as a waiting area between the entrance and the performance hall on the balcony and the ground floor. Here is access to the room at the stage area…

…and access to the balcony. We recognize the famous feathers of the revue dancers on the carpet, a reminder of an ever-present history.


The wall and ceiling of the 35 meters of the entrance are now completely covered with LED panels.

Eddy Couloigner : Alabama (provider company) provided us with the LED wall. The panels are Absen NX1.8 on 220 m2 which has a very tight pitch to the eye of 1.87mm, which is perfectly suited for this type of use, and Absen AW2.5 with a pitch of 2.5mm on 5 m2. The overall installation is controlled by a Novastar MX40 processor.


The LED walls of the entrance hallway take the spectator to a new “universe”.

The Lido 2 Paris with its new installation has given a new life to a historic place on the Parisian scene with a fabulous entrance made entirely of a LED wall that takes spectators into another universe. Creations and hosting of Music Hall shows from all over the world will be able to follow one another under the spectators’ enthusiastic gaze.
To be up to the task, the Accor group and the new director of the Lido Jean-Luc Choplin have not compromised on the technical aspect. Two APEX 5 and 10 consoles will host and create superb shows performed by Londonien, New Yorker, and Parisian artists.

They will be lit by a remarkable Elation and Ayrton kit that is both powerful and compact, to be installed in the historically restricted space of the Lido. An sACN network also allows extreme flexibility and is associated with the ETC Sensor3 system and the ETC Paradigm system, precise, secure, and communicating light control.
Congratulations to Eddy Couloigner and Frederic Hamonou of Global Technique Concept for managing this large-scale renovation project with a skillful and virtuoso hand!


For further information on:

– La gamme de consoles APEX
– Le système Paradigm
– Le système Sensor3
– La gamme de projecteur Elation Professional

You might like to read Unisson Design spatialise le Lido 2 Paris

 

ETC Announces Major Update to Hog 4 Operating System with v4.0

ETC announces the release of Hog 4 version 4.0 software. Enhancements include significant improvements to color handling and Hog 4’s Color Picker, a new ‘Record Defaults’ function, and Fixture Builder upgrades.

Senior Product Manager Sarah Clausen commented, “Ultimately, the new color system relieves programmers and designers from the challenges in controlling rigs with multiple color engines. By providing multiple color input languages through the color pickers, virtual color functions and the gels library, and full ‘physical’ function controls linked to the virtual controls at all times, color control becomes seamless.”


For color handling, v4.0. represents a major overhaul of the color mixing system used in Hog 4 OS. Substantial changes have been made to the fixture library, color picker, gels, palettes, effects, plots, pixel mapping, and the playback of color. All color mixing systems including native HS, xyY, CMY, and all additive color engines are now fully integrated and supported by the color system.
Additionally, Hog 4 OS v4.0 features a new Color Picker window with a tabbed interface that features a wide variety of controls for quickly and seamlessly mixing color across all fixture types. A new “Color Mix” preview column has been added to the output window and editor windows, indicating the color being output by color mixing fixtures.

In addition to the color system rework, v4.0 includes a number of other improvements. Record Defaults provides operators with a quick and simple way to establish default function values for fixtures by using modified values in the programmer.
The Fixture builder has a few minor upgrades in v4.0, including additional basic mode templates for modeling additive color modeling fixtures, automatic application of virtual intensity to fixtures with color mixing systems, and the inclusion of more user editable fields such as mode and product.

Version 4.0 is compatible with all generations of Hog 4 hardware. This major release introduces significant improvements to the OS, resulting in a show file compatibility break. Users should update to v4.0 only when they are ready to start a fresh show file and become familiar with the new workflows. In a future release, the capability to export data from a v3.x show file and import it into a v4.x show file will be available.


Watch the Hog 4.0 OS introduction video below:


“Version 4.0 software is a major step forward for the Hog 4 OS, bringing best in class color controls to the platform and including optimizations that give us a solid base for our future development,” remarked Market Manager Tania Lesage.

Version 4.0 is a major release with a lot of changes to your workflow where color is concerned. Please update only when you have some time to become familiar with the new features. Also, v3.x show files and archives will not open directly into v4.0, there will be a pair of releases (v3.21/v4.1) that will add export/import capability to bring v3.x show files including fixture data into v4.1 and beyond.

For more information on Hog 4 and to download v4.0 software, visit the ETC Connect website

 

Astera Launches ProjectionLens for its PlutoFresnel

Building upon the success of the recently introduced PlutoFresnel, Astera today announces the launch of ProjectionLens that will add capabilities to its battery-powered, LED-based light, allowing to convert quickly into a powerful Profile Spotlight.

The lightweight, portable PlutoFresnel, which operates on a completely wireless basis with built-in battery pack, can be transformed in less than a minute simply by slipping on the ProjectionLens, which then allows the light to become a Profile Spotlight with a range of 16° to 36°. Projection zoom can be controlled manually by twisting the lens barrel or two Focus Wheels.

An E-size Gobo holder also enables custom logo projection. Built with the precision and durability that Astera applies across its entire range, the Profile Lens allows for close control of the light over any distance, with crystal clear optics and a four-leaf shutter design to facilitate trimming of the beam as needed.

Jesper Sørensen, Product Specialist at Astera, presents us how the new Astera ProjectionLens is quickly and efficiently installed by sliding it in and out of the luminaire.



This builds upon the already substantial applications of the PlutoFresnel itself, which harnesses the benefits of LED technology in order to deliver a lighting style that previously could only be achieved with cumbersome and expensive Tungstens.
Crucially, it achieves the very specific aesthetic of a Fresnel light with lower power draw, higher output strength, precise colour control, lightweight profile, wireless installation and full creative flexibility. In its Fresnel setup, it maintains a beam angle of 15° to 60°, with an equivalent output of 300W using only 80W.


With its LED core and concentric circle lens design, and weighing just 4.6 Kg, with in-built battery and a multitude of mounting setups, as a Frensel the Pluto focuses light output perfectly, producing a sharp yet soft beam that is perfect for a variety of applications across film, TV and events.
Then, a quick and simple lens transition facilitated by this new projection addition provides even more scope for the lighting base, providing a Profile Spotlight that gives definition and focus to any production.

Both lights and indeed the full Astera range, are founded upon the remarkable Titan LED engine, which powers the lights and ensures absolute colour fidelity and lighting consistency, across a 1,750 to 20,000 Kelvin range and with Full Spectrum RGB+Mint+Amber colour.

It allows for full coordination of lighting groups, with quick setup and versatile control options, including Wireless DMX, CRMX or BluetoothBridge connectivity to the intuitive Astera App, alongside the addition of new ‘WhiteRemote’ and ‘FXRemote.
This new ‘Fresnel to Profile’ technology furthers Astera’s commitment to creating lighting that is versatile and efficient in terms of workflow, energy draw and space/weight concerns.

Using Astera equipment, a lighting engineer can achieve far more creative potential in a significantly more efficient way, using a much more compact equipment setup, due to the act that the Astera lighting ecosystem as a whole is designed to increase the versatility of each core light, whilst at the same time reducing the need for auxiliary equipment and wiring.

Speaking of the new ProjectionLens, Sales and Marketing Director Sebastian Bückle said: “The new ProjectionLens combined with PlutoFresnel, provides gaffers and event technicians with a two-in-one solution in their kit bag: facilitating two different but highly specific lighting types at once; Fresnel and Projection. That would be remarkable enough in itself, but even as just single-function lights, Astera lights are more compact, lightweight, energy efficient and creatively flexible than just about anything else on the market”.

He continued: “The range of applications for the new PlutoFresnel hybrid lens is truly remarkable; be it key, fill or backlighting, interview setups, special effects, documentary filmmaking, location shots or any application that calls for the development of a particular and unique kind of mood and atmosphere. To be able to deliver such a versatile creative portfolio in such a compact and efficient system makes us very proud”.

More information about Astera and its products is available at astera-led.com

 

Version 2 supplies the lighting for the BAFTA 2024 at the Royal Festival Hall

Hosted for the first time by David Tennant, the 2024 EE BAFTA Film Awards took place on Sunday 18 February at London’s Royal Festival Hall, and was broadcast internationally on BBC One, iPlayer and BritBox International. With cinema enjoying a strong post-pandemic resurgence, partly thanks to the Barbie/Oppenheimer effect, the BAFTA Film Awards has lost none of its prestige.
Attended by the President of BAFTA, HRH the Prince of Wales, and a glamorous audience of glitterati, 25 Awards were presented, voted for by over 7,500 BAFTA creatives and film industry practitioners, for categories that included Best Director, Cinematography, Documentary and Film Not in the English Language.

TV, broadcast and event lighting specialists, Version 2, traditionally known for its involvement in television lighting was, for the first time, the official lighting supplier for the EE BAFTA Film Awards. Version 2 supplied lighting and manpower for the live Awards ceremony, artists performances and the traditional obituary tribute, as well as the audience lighting and the live event broadcast.


Also involved in designing for the Awards for the first time were veteran Lighting Director, Tim Routledge, of Tim Routledge Lighting Design and Set Designer, Julio Himede from Yellow Studio New York, in a partnership first formed for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023. “It’s a tricky show as you are only in the venue for a short time with a very short load in and load out,” explains Routledge. “The live show starts at 6pm and is broadcast as live on television around 8pm, so there is a super-quick turnaround to get it out that night with editing happening on the fly.”

Under those circumstances, with such a high-prestige, high-profile event, Routledge called on trusted suppliers to work with him. “I brought Version 2 on board because I use them a lot for my television design work. We have a great relationship and they always look after us very well.” Version 2 chose seasoned gaffer, Sam Healey, who has a track record working on the BAFTAs and with Routledge, to keep everything on track.

The centrepiece of Himede’s set design was a series of outlines of the BAFTA Award mask, arranged in a circular fashion and backed by a large, semi-circular gauze around the back of the stage. The show was lit using a mix of the Royal Festival Hall’s house rig and lighting from Version 2.

Martin VDO Sceptron

“We use 310 x 1m long Martin VDO Sceptron 10s rigged vertically behind the sculptural set piece, back-lighting the semi-circular gauze to add a load of sparkle and give the appearance of a giant zoetrope,” says Routledge.

“This involved a lot of work in the framework and the rigging of all those Sceptrons overnight! We were able to collect the truss for the Sceptron in advance and spent a good couple of days pre-rigging them onto the framework, labelling and patching them so we were able to install it all within the short timeframe,” explains Healey.

With the central set piece predominantly washed in reds, blues and golds, the Sceptrons provided a twinkly backdrop behind the presenters. This changed to more vibrant, dynamic effects and content for Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s performance of Murder on the Dancefloor which has been enjoying a revival since its notorious inclusion in Emerald Fennell’s film Saltburn, with more sparkles added for comedian Nick Mohammed’s appearance.

The mood was later transformed to a serene, ethereal monochrome with beautiful shaping of the stage and set during Hannah Waddingham’s moving rendition of Time After Time as BAFTA paid tribute to artists who had passed away this year.


Robe FORTE

Version 2 supplied Robe Forte fixtures for Routledge’s key lighting on the performers and presenters, with more Robe Forte units, in conjunction with a Robe Robospot system, as follow spots, all of which proved perfect tools for broadcast.

Martin Mac Aura XBs were rigged on the front truss and bridges, and more Mac Auras on the floor upstage by the drape.

Mac Aura XB

A half circle of Robe Megapointes were rigged around the curved onstage truss completed the onstage lighting inventory, while Astera Pixelbricks were rigged on stage facing outwards to light the star-studded audience.

Robe MegaPointe

Version 2 drafted in freelancers Tom Young as operator for the moving lights and Seb Williams for the key lights. “The Royal Festival Hall is a tricky place to light because, not being a particularly modern venue, there’s not many rigging positions,’ explains Routledge.

“It’s a modern-looking show however so, for the first time this year, we added in more lighting features around the room, on the balcony fronts and down the walls to make it pop more on camera than in the past.”

To add definition and interest to the room Routledge mounted 2m Astera Hyperion tubes horizontally on the front of the auditorium boxes which fitting neatly into the straight lines of the modernist architecture.

Astera Hyperion

He also added Robe LED Beam 150 fixtures to the back wall of the stalls and dress circle for eye candy effects during the walk downs.

Robe LED Beam 150

“It is a pleasure to work with Tim as he does great plans and his paperwork and designs are fantastic,” says Healey. “This makes life a lot easier, especially under such time contraints.
Line producer Sophie Huda assembled some of the very best in our industry to cover all aspects and disciplines for this year’s show. It’s been an honour to be a part of this fantastic team.”

“Version 2 has been great as usual,” concludes Routledge. “Sam really looked after me and the V2 team are always on it. I can rely on them to pay excellent attention to detail. There’s no drama there!”


Credits:
Set Designer: Julio Himede
Lighting Director: Tim Routledge
Lighting Design: Tim Routledge Lighting Design
Gaffer: Sam Healey, Version 2
Operators: Tom Young (moving lights) and Seb Williams (key lights)
V2 Project Manager: Nick Edwards


The full report which is available at V2 Lights

Rhapsodya, the new multispectral Profile by Claypaky

Presented as a direct evolution of the Sinfonya Profile 600, the Rhapsodya, a 1,200 W multispectral LED spot/profile fixture, 100% Italian, is described as a beautiful blend of precision and power which meets all the needs for silence in theaters and film sets, and TV. It is presented to us in a video by Dylan De Matteo, Claypaky’s product manager.



The Rhapsodya, one of the latest products resulting from the acquisition of the firm by Arri, is presented as THE high-power LED moving head ideal for any situation in the spot/profile range: Theater, TV, and also live events. It is equipped with a powerful 1,200 W RGB + amber + lime LED engine which has new “pixel” management.

The source is divided into 4 zones whose colors can be controlled independently, thus creating new visual effects that integrate several colors in the same projection. The RGBAL source is controlled by software equipped with the Sinfonya Accutune management algorithm which, among other things, emphasizes the linearity of the IRC and TLCI for TV and theater applications.


The new Claypaky Rhapsodya with its design and functions comes from the Sinfonya. We can see its large, comfortable handles dedicated to easy handling of the fixture.

The device features the recent Accuframe servo framing blade system which is also found on the Sinfonya, with a double focal plane with its ultra-precise motor management, as well as the progressive frost system with two double blades for greater finesse and fluidity in the opacity transition.

Still following the lead from the Sinfonya and despite the 1,200 W of its LED engine, Claypaky emphasizes the low noise level emanating from the fixture, no more than 27 dB even at full power! Finally, the Rhapsodya also features the absolute position function for PAN and TILT, allowing the projector to reset without the slightest visible movement.

The fixture has a single wheel dedicated to colors equipped with red, green, and blue filters to extend the spectrum to values inaccessible with the LED engine. The fixture outputs a flow of 24,000 lumens for a maximum CRI of 95, as for the virtual CTO, its range is between 2500 and 10000 K.

The highly engineered optics of the fixture promise us ultra-precise projections over a range of 6 to 60° aperture, for a maximum projection precision of the 12 rotating and indexable gobos on board (divided into two wheels of six positions) as well as for the rotating animation wheel whose insertion can be controlled in X and Y.

The Rhapsodya will respond to DMX/RDM, ArtNet, sACN as well as wireless DMX (Lumen Radio) offered as an option. Finally, its measurements: for sure the Rhapsodya is a beautiful baby which weighs in at almost 42 kg, with a base unit of 40 x 45 cm and a maximum of 88 cm head up, its large handles on the base unit will be a great help in the setting up!
Production of Rhapsodya will begin in January 2024.

Plus d’informations sur le site Dimatec et sur le site Claypaky

 

Robe T32 CYC and the lT12 Profile, newcomers to the theatre range

Robe’s “T” theater range welcomes two new smart fixtures. The iT12 Profile is a conventional IP65 fixture and a fixture dedicated to cyclorama lighting T32 Cyc that we discovered with the guidance of Vincent Bouquet, technical director for Robe France.



T32 Cyc

The T32 Cyc is a moving light source fixture used for surface and cyclorama lighting. It takes the form of an imposing rectangular box sliced on one of its edges where the output lenses are located and uses the same type of RGBBAL LEDs as the other products in the range, giving it perfect integration and respecting the color balance perfectly.


This photo helps to visualize the size and general aspect of the fixture. Impressive!

It accommodates 16 40 W LEDs grouped into 4 segments whose saturation can be controlled independently. The major innovations of this product lie in the optical design and the registered VertiSpot and Opti-6 systems.
The first allows controlled adjustment of the “hot spot” of the projection on the TILT axis, now directly accessible from the lighting console.

Supported by the asymmetrical Opti-6 lenses, the resulting beam will open 85/45°, with a beautiful ratio of 1:6! This means that with this device, we will be able to effectively cover 6 meters of cyclorama from a distance of only 1 meter!

The light obtained will display a maximum CRI of 96 as well as a TLCI of 97 for a maximum flux of 17,565 lumens. The L3 (Low Light Linearity) system and its 18-bit coded dimmer allow for an ultra-smooth fade to black with imperceptible steps.

A first view of rendering obtained on the cyc with 3 T32 fixtures placed on the ground. Don’t be fooled by the slightly shadowed upper left corner, due to the shooting itself, the actual result is more than satisfactory.

Control, the fixture will be as comfortable in DMX/RDM as it is controlled in Art-Net, sACN, MA-Net (MA-Net 2), Kling-Net, and CRMX as an option. The two control modes of the T32 give us 38 or 42 DMX channels. Although relatively large (101 x 33 x 23 cm for a weight of 34.5 kg), the T32 Cyc is equipped with the traditional ¼ turn and omega system to be hung on a structure like any other fixture.


The iT12 Profile

The output lens of the iT 12 has a new anti-uv coating.

Another new product from Robe, the iT12 Profile is a conventional fixture that integrates several slave modules. It is a continuation of the T11 and benefits from a new external enveloping certified IP65. Its magnesium housing and its “Polar+” system make it possible to use it in – 50°C conditions.

The iT12 Profile has its power increased to 500 W for a flow of 13,600 lumens and a CRI of 95. It benefits natively from a CMY three-color system which can also be used in RGB/RGBAL, supported by a CTO variable between 2700 and 8000K, it has a “minus green” management parameter as well as a CRI setting between 80 and 95.

The fixture has a progressive frost, a controlled iris as well as a zoom whose aperture varies between 5.5 and 50°. Two extra slots available for optional modules are also integrated: a cassette of four servo framing blades to eliminate any manual adjustment (unlike the T11), or fixed, rotating gobo modules and animation wheels.


Side view, the new iT12 Profile fixture is fully iP65.

This fixture is intended to be used in all configurations, including the most extreme while spacing out maintenance needs as much as possible.


For more information with T32 Cyc and iT12 Profile

Sound if I want it, where I want it, when I want it

It has taken years, but it seems that sound is finally making its way back to centre stage, determined not to be upstaged by lighting, video and set design, the purveyors of dreams in live shows. It was about time. With the exception of the line source, which revolutionised sound reinforcement in the mid ’90s, not much has been done to support the old maxim that a concert can go on without the lights, but not without the sound.


Full range cardioid enclosures have appeared, the older ones will say reappeared, as have mechanical and electronic control of horizontal coverage, smoothing of vertical coverage and, above all, object-based immersive sound. This last technology has proven to be a formidable breakthrough with respect to left/right, offering a larger number of spectators a broad sonic image that is coherent with the scenography and, above all, doing away with the interference of pseudo-stereo that forces over-processing of the sources to preserve the essential. As a result, today’s sound has become spacious, precise, dynamic, faithful and can even take the audience into total immersion, if the show lends itself to it.

There’s plenty to enjoy without getting hurt

And what about the SPL of the cabinets? It continues to increase steadily, with the help of the greater sensitivity and reliability of the transducers, which are swaddled in presets that prevent damage, despite the incredible voltage peaks that add dynamics and tremendous impact to the sound.
Big 4” dome drivers are now delivering quality high end. Dual annular drivers are proving a great success, and a very promising new Kevlar dome tweeter has just been unveiled. In addition, waveguides are able to create and phase coaxial arrangements, providing even greater precision, range and astonishing finesse at the top end of the spectrum.

The levels could be potentially outrageous, but the new systems have been made linear and it’s possible to obtain great sound even at 95 dBA. They unite power, precision, weight, throw range and price, but with added fidelity. There’s plenty to enjoy without getting hurt. What emerges from today’s sound is a new, firmer, purer power, but there is also an accuracy and subtlety that the race for SPL and range of yesteryear had locked away in a flight case. Never has the expression “an iron fist in a velvet glove” been more apt to describe modern sound reinforcement.

However, we still dream of totally taming sound, of making it as malleable as light. We marvel at a profile spotlight, we sigh at the arabesques of a moving head, we dream of the perfect coupling that’s possible between beams of light. We’ve certainly made progress in terms of vertical and horizontal consistency and throw, but we want to take things even further.


On veut aller encore plus loin

So, to use an analogy with certain aircraft, we came up with what we might call unstable systems, i.e. systems that cannot function additively without having as many DSPs and amplifiers as they do transducers. And there can be a whole lot of transducers. New generation loudspeakers designed with the promise of absolute sonic flexibility.

Sound if I want it, when I want it and where I want it is becoming the mission of certain manufacturers, the very philosophy of their products and not just an option. Does it work? Yes, the results are amazing and the user interfaces are impressive as well. Does it sound good? The answer to this is more complex, and requires more thought.

We all know, if only because we’ve tried it, that the more you call in armies of processors to the rescue, the more the sound loses its transients, its dynamics and, ultimately, its clarity. It makes you wonder whether the cure is worse than the disease. I’m reminded of a good line array capable of avoiding a zone, able to ‘map’ the sound with reasonable efficiency, but with a sound that was too processed, too artificial, especially for a French ear that is both attentive and sometimes very critical.

Sound that can both be moved and move the audience

Consider a medium-sized room with a balcony, some obstructed and some reflective areas. Is it possible to guarantee a proper contour, impact in the low frequencies and excellent distribution and definition at the top end of the spectrum everywhere? The answer is yes for a classic left/right arrangement, and even more so for an object-based frontal deployment, with a central infra point and a few fills for both solutions.

The same is true of a modern ultra processed system capable of delivering customised horizontal and vertical coverage, directivity all the way down to the bass frequencies, and with sufficient resources to provide a sonic localisation that corresponds to the visual positioning when driven by an object-based matrix.
Assuming that the cost of the two systems is similar, the difference will lie in the flexibility and simplicity of their implementation, and the nature of the performance. In the case of the traditional distributed and object-based system, it will be necessary to use a few enclosures to fill in the gaps, and to negotiate with the set designer for the placement of the boxes and for the possibility to fly the subs centrally.
On the other hand, you will have excellent sound, with the possibility of cardioid coverage from the infra-bass as well as from the heads, and an appropriate surface area of diaphragms and number of transducers, offering the dynamics and contour required for effective musical use. Sound that can both be moved and move the audience.


The way the modules work means you can send sound everywhere

In the case of the ultra processed system, the nature of the steering and the way the modules work means that you can send sound anywhere with, if necessary, practically the same SPL and tonal balance for every seat. The same system also allows you to isolate what needs to be isolated, to avoid reflections from the ceiling, and to ‘close’ a seating area if the audience is not in it, all at the click of a mouse. This flexibility is not only incredibly impressive, but also totally unprecedented.
The only problem is that in order to deliver this range of possibilities, the ultra processed system moulds the sound, which implies a loss of transients, depth and naturalness. And this is something that can also be felt when an algorithm for smoothing the SPL and the irregularities in the frequency response of a major brand’s line arrays is pushed to its limits.

Added to this is a proximity effect with, for example, lead vocals that wrap around your head as if you were wearing headphones, while the singer is at least 30 metres away… This type of effect may appeal to an audience eager for sensations, but much less to those wishing to attend a concert that requires very high fidelity, like classical or jazz.

Let’s not forget the bottom end of the spectrum

Finally, to build the low end and obtain the contour, a dose of infra-bass and the impact that are vital for a live performance, as well as uniform distribution, we need extensive diaphragm surface area and the ability to modulate between bass reinforcements at the top of the array to lengthen it, flown subs, subs on the floor, both, all three… in other words, the best possible strategy and design for the venue and for the artistic requirements.

This is easy to do using traditional systems, but much less so using full-range systems that, as of now, incorporate few or no transducers capable of generating the dynamic bass needed for modern music, without additional bass units or subs.


Does this mean that these incredible systems miss the mark? No, but their impressive aspects come at the cost of some objective criteria that make them more desirable for being the show than for reproducing it. Having said that, it’s hard to imagine this technology not being used in places where the volume, reverb time or size make it essential to concentrate the pressure specifically on the desired areas.
The same goes for dynamic zoning or very specific effects. To this end, though, new dedicated, smaller and more discreet models of ultra processed loudspeakers have appeared, bringing their flexibility to applications with tighter budgets and lower requirements in terms of SPL and frequency range.

Since this is a very recent technology, we should bear in mind that, as the power of processors continues to increase, we’ve seen nothing to make us doubt that, in a few years’ time, we’ll see a product capable of delivering sound that’s as natural as it is effective, accompanied by a whole range of bass speakers generating the pressure and coverage needed to ‘stick’ to what the heads can do and satisfy artists in their quest for contour. It’s a vast undertaking.

Until then, I’ll have a special place in my heart for the luthiers of plywood, titanium and Kevlar, the heavy hitters of electro-acoustics for whom DSP is more of a condiment than an ingredient.
Sound is not or no longer indomitable, but it will always make whips and spurs pay dearly.

 

Robe Assists Kontrafakt to Enter New Era

Show designer and director Martin Hruska wanted to create an ambitious, breathtakingly visual and memorable performance space for Slovak rap group Kontrafakt to deliver their highly anticipated “New Era” concerts at Prague’s O2 Arena in the Czech capital, a challenge achieved with the assistance of nearly 200 Robe moving lights and a spectacular automated stage set.


The Robe fixtures, a mix of 51 x FORTES, 24 x MegaPointes, 57 x Pointes, 44 x Tetra2 LED moving battens and 10 x Tetra1s and three BMFL FollowSpots were all supplied by leading Slovakian company Ministry Rental. Lighting was programmed and run for the show by lighting designer Lukáš Patzenhauer, who joined a highly talented team of creatives led by Martin.


Kontrafakt was celebrating two decades at the forefront of rap, so Martin took what was both the artist’s and event producers Mafia Records’ goals to heart in the quest to “produce the biggest show possible” in the venue.
One of the best-known designers in the Czech Republic, Martin had a blank and proposed a multi layered stage set with a ground-based section that was shaped like Kontrafakt’s interesting and asymmetric signature symbol with two crosses. This went right out into the audience so he could get close to his fans.

Above this, was a 14 metre long by 10-metre-wide flown catwalk that could fly in and out at strategic points in the show. The creative journey started about a year ahead of the gigs, and as the scenic elements evolved, Martin started thinking about lighting fixtures and what he wanted to achieve imaginatively in terms of effects for different sections of the show.
He also considered how lights needed to be rigged in relation to the envisioned set piece movements, and with all these aspects in mind, he drew up the initial technical drawings including a lighting plot.


Once the outline design and its visual requirements were established, Kontrafakt’s production manager Cyril Hořánek became involved. He looked at the design, the logistics, the budgeting, the whole picture and started sourcing the various supply companies needed to realise the project.
Ministry Rental was confirmed as the lighting, audio, and LED screen supplier early on, and both Martin and Lukas were therefore very happy to work with their Robe moving lights. Ministry has one of the largest rental inventories of Robe in central Europe.

“I am a big fan of Robe,” stated Martin, “As a Czech, obviously, I am proud to see the company being so innovative and becoming established as a leading global brand with a great reputation and an amazing selection of products.”
The Robe fixtures were all chosen for their “power, flexibility and appropriateness to the show and the dramaturgy,” noted Martin, who was joined on the project by design assistant, Michal Szozda.

Robe FORTE

Thirty-six of the FORTES were rigged on a grid of nine upstage-downstage orientated trusses flown above the main stage, all moving in and out on the same Kinesys automation system that was controlling the flown runway system. Different parts of this were lowered and raised to allow artist access and scenic movement at strategic moments in the show. For Martin, the choice of FORTES was “natural” as he thinks Robe’s current most powerful moving light is “a great and super-bright multifunctional light” and therefore perfect for this show.

The other FORTES were positioned six on a front truss in the ‘advanced’ position, with four more each on the left and right side trusses. All these FORTES were in prime positions to catch all the on-runway action as Kontrafakt and special guests including rock guitarist Tereza Rays energetically bounded up and down utilizing the space to get into close proximity to the audience which delighted everyone in the room!

A MegaPointe was rigged on each of the 9 ‘grid’ trusses in the same position as the two most downstage rows of FORTES, and this was to produce a fan of narrow, piercing light rays coming from the very top of the 23-metre lighting trim. This looked elegant and dramatic for the key moments in which it was used.

Robe MegaPointe

MegaPointes were also dotted around on the stage deck, the thrust, and the flown catwalk to provide a high-impact field of beam effects emanating from around the environment, significantly enhancing the feeling of space and dimension.

Additional MegaPointes on the static side trusses blasted in as a horizontal grid of beams to cut into and contrast the geometry of those shooting down from above. Robe Pointes were interspersed between all these positions on a downstage truss together with blinders, and on the side trusses augmenting the beam-work of the MegaPointes, generally assisting in expanding the feeling of depth and ramping up the energy in the room.

The flying catwalk was outlined with a combination of Robe’s Tetra2 and Tetra1 moving LED battens which are a personal favourite of Martin’s. In this case, they were practical luminaires for these positions and had the desired optical impact, programmed to deliver a series of extra-terrestrial style effects, especially during song number 32 “Zlatokopky” when the runway was lowered from the roof for the first time.

Martin appreciates the zoom on the Tetras, and the lensing system which enabled an array of cool and funky looks, like sheets of moving light, all amping the exhilaration as the catwalk descended. He also notes how well “all of these Robe fixtures from the Tetras to the FORTES” work well and harmoniously together, commenting on aspects like colour mixing.

Robe Tetra2

When adding the final details to the lighting rig, Martin included 3 x BMFL FollowSpots on the front truss (flanked either side by the six FORTES also on this truss position) for quality and uniform front spotting everywhere around the performance space.
These were running on a 3-way RoboSpot system with the three BaseStations located backstage. “Good key lighting was absolutely essential to make this show work, and using BMFLs and the RoboSpot system made this work brilliantly,” declared Martin.

The two-hour shows were a massive success with the artist, his fans and in terms of producing a truly world class show and high value entertainment. They were the result of a lot of hard work and complex planning from a diverse team of talented people. Both concerts had sold out immediately when announced the previous year, so the pressure was on for everyone involved to imagine something very special.


In addition to the moving runway, the nine trusses and two lighting pods (upstage left and right) rigged with 144 PAR 64s; a 14 x 10 metre cross set piece loaded with lights any pyro also used as an artist transportation and entrance / exit platform; plus the upstage LED screen … were all rigged on 48 axes of Kinesys motors / automation. Martin carefully choreographed multiple set moves into the show.

The automation operator was Kosma Szostak, owner of Showstak from Poland which supplied all these related elements of the show technology, and other companies contributing to the event included T-Servis, Black Stages, Flash Barandow, CS live and Alunad stages. As show designer, Martin also commissioned the video content that was delivered by Jan Turek of Signal Generator.
He concludes, “The collaboration with the artists, their team and all the suppliers was excellent. The artists were very involved in the preparations, and everyone worked smoothly and seamlessly together as a team.


With such a demanding one-off production, glitches will arise on the set, and you can always recognize a professional crew by how quickly problems are solved. These Kontrafakt concerts worked 100%, and we owe that to the dedication and attention to detail of Cyril Hořánek, Ministry’s CEO Rudo Tuček and all the others involved including Mafia Records, who were instrumental in creating the project. As always, with every ambitious production, the challenge is learning and taking away experiences that will contribute to the next project being even better!”

Rudo Tuček, commented, “The next level design required several custom elements to make it properly 3D in appearance that Ministry supplied to this technically complex and unique project. The spectacular set and substantial LED elements certainly delivered a show that thrilled and amazed everyone and we were very proud to be a key supplier and an integral part of it!”

For more info about Robe lighting, you can visit www.robe.cz

 

Ayrton Mistral S is perfect for Saturate Designs in Bangkok

Established in 2009, with offices in Bangkok and Sydney, Saturate Designs specialises in lighting design for the entertainment industry, providing bespoke solutions for festivals, live music, installation projects, films and theatre designs, from concept visualisation through to programming and operation.



(Blackbox lighting and Saturate Design teams (left to right) : Mr. Yothanan Khamsermson (Blackbox lighting), Mr. Peem Poolpol (Saturate Design), Mr. Jakkapan Hongtawee (Blackbox lighting)

Saturate Designs, Thailand recently invested in 16 Ayrton Mistral S fixtures which were supplied by Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for Thailand, Total Solution Marketing Thailand.

The team at Saturate Designs were extremely impressed and pleased to discover the compact, yet powerful Mistral S lights which produce an infinite palette of vivid pastels and saturated colours:
“We now own 16 Mistral S which we use across a variety of our own projects and designs,” states Mr Peem Poolpol, Lighting and Creative Designer at Saturate Designs.

“We had previously searched for a small ‘easy to carry’ fixture which could still maintain the high quality and strong light output that is so necessary for our designs. We then discovered Mistral S which is perfect for the kind of work that we do, and, additionally, as an excellent substitute for the riders of many international artists.


Ayrton Mistral S is perfect for Saturate Designs wide variety of shows.

“The Mistrals are currently on the fixture list for most of our shows, which can be anything from a small live house of 500 people up to a maximum of 12,000 people for arena shows. The Mistrals are great for most of the applications in each venue that we bring them into.
There are some shows where the stages are quite big and need a bit more power, but with the right placement, the Mistral’s 300W LED light source works well as it is pretty bright for its size. We are hoping to add more Mistrals in the near future and are also looking at bigger models from Ayrton.”



Service is always an important factor when purchasing new equipment and Saturate Designs was not disappointed with their experience with Total Solution Marketing. “We are delighted with our Mistral S fixtures, especially the good quality of the build and the ease of use with such a light weight product,” confirms Mr Poolpol. “We are very happy with the service we received from Total Solution and look forward to exploring a variety of fixtures from the other Ayrton series with them in the future.”


Tevin Heng, Executive Director of Total Solution Marketing commented: “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Saturate Designs for their faith in choosing Ayrton Mistral. Saturate Designs is a team of young, exciting, and highly sought-after lighting designers who have captivated audiences in Thailand with their bold and innovative approach. We are glad the Mistral S performance has exceeded their expectations and is now a key member of their lighting inventory.”


For more information on Ayrton Mistral and the full range of Ayrton LED and laser-sourced lighting fixtures, visit www.ayrton.eu

 

Robe for Spectacular Belters Only Gig

A team from Dublin-based Spectrum Productions led by David Lawless and Jack Quirke supplied a large quantity of Robe moving lights rig for a boisterous, sold-out electro-extravaganza gig by popular Irish mixmasters, Belters Only, at Dublin’s 3Arena.


David and the team have been working with the artists for the last year and designed the floor lighting package for their 2023 festival appearances. Their brief for the 3Arena show was to make it BIG, bold, and breathtaking visually, helping pump the energy and excitement everywhere in the room from the stage to the back of the auditorium.

On the lighting plot were over 100 Robe moving lights – 52 x Robe Tetra2’s, 12 x TetraX’s and 32 x MegaPointes comprising most of the moving lights, joined by strobes, some other profile moving lights and 10 x 30-Watt lasers.

The lighting design was based on a 10-metre diameter circular truss centrepiece, inspired by the ‘circle of life’ in the musical duo’s logo, which was flown vertically and prominently in front of a large LED screen masked into a spherical shape. The DJ booth sat on a riser downstage of both these elements.


Robe TetraX

Four two-metre upright truss sections in front of the riser were rigged with the 12 x TetraXs, providing whizzy and crazy effects to fill the space where there was no screen and for dramatic back lighting for guest vocalists and dancers using the space in front to perform.

Twenty-eight Tetra2s were rigged around the perimeter of the large circle. More were on four floor-mounted vertical truss towers measuring 3 metres and 6 metres respectively and positioned left and right of the circle at different depths. The entire lighting design was carefully calculated to maximise the depth of the stage space.


Robe Tetra2

The balance of the Tetra2s was distributed between two horizontal 3-metre truss sections also downstage left and right, with two fixtures on the front rail and three on the back of each truss section. It was somewhat of a Tetra-fest!


Robe MegaPointe

A 6-metre truss circle flown directly above the DJ riser was rigged with 12 x MegaPointes, with another 6 of Robe’s omnipresent and popular original multi-purpose moving spot light on the two 6-metre vertical towers, three each on the 3 metre verticals, with another 3 each on the ground trusses … making up the 36.

As with the Tetras, these were positioned to achieve as many dynamic angles as possible. “We wanted the Tetra2s specifically to frame the large circle which was the epicentre of the action and the stage design,” explained David.
“The idea was to make this circle pop out into the audience in a series of completely unexpected ways!” … effects which were achieved to everyone’s delight!

David likes the crispness, tightness, and definition of the Tetra2 optics, and how the lightsource can become a dense wave of light blasting out into the audience if used in conjunction with properly managed haze. “Mastering the atmospherics is key to getting this style of lighting design looking properly amazing,” he noted.


He is also impressed with the Tetra2 colours, especially the greens and blues, and comments that they were “ideal” for colour matching with the video content appearing on the scene. On this occasion, they didn’t use the Flower Effect, but he says, “It’s great to know it’s there when needed.” The TetraXs created a kinetic space all of their own with features like the random strobe effect running, adding to the general visual craziness, with the rest of the rig kicking in with full impact on the drops.


David appreciates the brightness of MegaPointes, which are still one of Robe’s most popular and most frequently spec’d fixtures for numerous electronic events. He says that being able to go from the tight pencil shaft to the “high volume” fat beam is “super-handy”.
He also thinks the colour mixing is good and notes that Tetras and MegaPointes make a great combination for full on dance music environments.

“Our goal was to produce a properly immersive show and lots of mayhem for Belters Only, and these fixtures were great for this,” he stated. He thinks Robe’s reliability is a great asset generally, and essential for a large one-off show like this with a big design to implement in a tight timeframe with no room for errors!

The get-in was 6 a.m. for 6 p.m. doors, and the lighting installation was masterfully coordinated on-site by chief lighting tech, Emmet O’Donnell and the Spectrum team.
An Avolites Arena was used for lighting control, which David commented was an “excellent choice” as this show involved a high degree of busking and improvisational operation together with some timecoded moments.


Spectrum also supplied the LED screens and a d&b sound system, together with a substantial amount of pyro, SFX – flames and CO2 jets – as well as the aforementioned lasers, while Shane Fogarty and the gang from Emerald Isle Rigging worked tirelessly to get everything in the air in time. Spectrum Productions is a rental, show and production specialist passionate about the industry, based in Dublin and working all over Ireland and Europe.

For more info about Robe lighting, you can visit the Robe website

 

LD Joshua Schultz goes full Ayrton for The Turnpike Troubadours

Country-bluegrass band The Turnpike Troubadours are continuing their hit US “A Cat in the Rain Tour” with Ayrton Zonda 9 FX and Zonda 3 FX LED moving head washes, Bora LED beams and washes, and Khamsin LED profiles dominating the rig. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America.


Joshua Schultz chooses Ayrton Zonda 9 FX, Zonda 3 FX, Bora and Khamsin to light The Turnpike Troubadours US Tour.

The tour, which kicked off last summer, follows the August release of the band’s album of the same name. It wraps at the iconic Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth, Texas just before New Year’s Eve.
Nashville-based independent lighting designer and programmer Joshua Schultz has been working with The Turnpike Troubadours for the last two years. In designing the tour he wanted to “keep the focus on the band and not go over the top with a gigantic rig. We have to be able to scale to the size of the venue, which ranges from 5,000-seat theatres to 14,000-seat arenas.”


Schultz also wanted “an entire rig of Ayrton fixtures,” a goal he achieved with the exception of strobes. “I was introduced to Ayrton fixtures when I worked with Morpheus and used them on a lot of tours when the company was primarily making effects lighting. Now they have broadened their range of fixtures, and I really enjoy their products. I was able to get everything I needed from SES for awesome, one-stop-shop convenience.”

The production marks the first time that Schultz is using these particular Ayrton fixtures. The stage is designed with an upstage straight truss; a split upstage number two truss for band backlight; six fingers angled at 40º in a V-shape; a split downstage for front light, audience light and effects; four upstage truss carts; and floor lights on the deck.


Zonda9 FX

“The Zondas are key to what I wanted to do, the look I was going for,” he explains. “I was curious about their output and intriguing LiquidEffect™, and when I saw the lights I was sold on them. I haven’t seen an LED fixture with that much output before, and I like how tight the beam can get.”

Schultz selected 24 Zonda 9 FX for the rig. Four are mounted on the upstage number two truss for band backlight; eight are downstage and act as washes; eight more are in the fingers; and four are in the drape truss.

Recently, he added 24 Zonda 3 FX to the tour. “I wanted a baby version of the Zonda 9s, and they’ve gone beyond my expectations with their zoom and punch. I wasn’t sure how they would stack up with everything else, but they are punchy little guys, I love them!” Four of the Zonda 3s are mounted on 10-foot sticks on GT truss; the rest are positioned across each of the trusses.

“I become more of a fan of the Zondas the more I use them,” Schultz says. “I discover how I can build more and more looks with their colours and intensity. “It’s also nice to have an all-Ayrton rig so I know everything will be uniform; it’s a massive value having all the fixtures within the Ayrton family.”


He cites “Diamonds & Gasoline” as one song which especially showcases the Ayrton fixtures. “It’s a very intimate song with the lead singer and steel player. The rig turns red, and we paint the entire arena with all the fixtures and use a gobo to play off the crowd with a mirror ball look.”

In addition to the Zondas, Schultz chose 21 Bora fixtures “as the main punch light, it’s a wash but also a great effects fixture.” Four are mounted upstage to light the band’s album logo backdrop, 13 are on the mid-rig fingers to cover the stage and four are downstage for crowd effects and key light. “I was told the Boras would complement the Khamsins well, and that’s very true,” he reports.

Schultz has 28 Khamsins to assure him of the punch he needs in any size venue. They are mounted on the V-shaped fingers where they deliver his “go-to scenic looks with gobos and paint the stage, drapes and band.”


“ACT has definitely been supportive whenever I need them,” he notes, and he gives SES kudos for bolstering its inventory with a wide range of Ayrton products. “This tour was my opportunity to go full-Ayrton, and I’ve been very pleased with the results.”

More information on the full portfolio of innovative Ayrton LED and laser-sourced products can be found at www.ayrton.eu

Robe Helps De Tocht Production Look Icy Cool

De Tocht is an exciting new ice-based musical production staged in the purpose-built 1475-capacity Friso Theater in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands.
Directed by Eddy Habbema and choreographed by Marc Forno, the production design was created by Luc Peumans, artistic director of Painting with Light (PWL), whose brief encompassed lighting, video and scenography, an ambitious collage of visual disciplines to capture all the skating action presented in “spectacular” style.

Luc utilized over 200 Robe moving lights for the show including 120 x Esprites, 83 x LEDBeam 350s, 16 x T2 Profiles and 13 x iFortes running on a remote follow spot system, supplied to the production by RentAll.


The Dutch-language De Tocht story follows five former skating friends on their adventures skating the Elfstedentocht – an 11-city, 200 km long-distance tour on natural ice over rivers and canals in the Netherlands, which is both a speed skating competition with 300 contestants and a leisure tour with around 16,000 skaters at the start. The last time it was run was in 1997.

Luc worked closely with set designer Jo Segers. He had initially started discussing the show around five years ago with figure skater Madelène Van Beuzekom who he knew through past “Holiday on Ice” productions, and who was one of the instigators of the De Tocht concept. The show was postponed twice due to Covid before finally being premiered in October this year to outstanding reviews.

The staging features a 60-metre-wide by 6-metre-deep bespoke revolving ice track weighing 140 tons, offering up with the stage area included 2000 square metres of ice. The ice revolve was built by creative engineering specialist, Mannen van Staal from Leeuwarden and a seating tribune sits in the middle of this innovative staging concept, offering 270-degree viewing of a stage at one end.


The stage is at one end of the venue, with a 52-metre-wide by 7.2-metre-high LED screen in front which splits open in four sections that track horizontally to reveal the stage behind. These sections move into different configurations to support the action happening on the revolve. At the back of the stage is another screen, this one measuring 41 metres wide and 8 metres high, so with the front screen open and two sections flanking each side of the stage, the total screen area spans an impressive 93 metres!


This presents an 18000-pixel wide vista for the audience and delivers the stunning Impressionist-inspired digital scenery and backdrops that the PWL team has devised for the project.

To stand out in this massive LED environment, Luc needed super bright and clearly defined fixtures … So, he was delighted to be able to utilise all the Robe elements and the Esprites in particular, which are the backbone of the lighting scheme.

The front half of the revolve is all performance space while the 180 degrees behind the seating tribune comprises backstage and technical areas. A feat of engineering in its own right, in conjunction with smart video content, the revolve was vital for narrative details like the impression of speed and motion. It also enabled props to be seamlessly moved into and out of the performance space.

While the show design was originally planned to have projections, the newest ‘dark black’ screens were not yet available in 2018, so after some wrangling, it was decided to go with LED screens supplied by Faber Audiovisuals. Luc then found himself needing more lighting for projection onto the ice, which also led to his choice of very flexible fixtures like the Esprite.


The lights are rigged on a series of curved and straight trusses installed in the roof above the seating tribune and over the stage and ice.

As well as projecting onto the ice, with the addition of four custom gobos designed by PWL, the Esprites add texturing to the ice to make it appear more natural and match effortlessly with the video content. These fixtures also double up as front, top and back light. “They are used in a proper multifunctional context,” noted Luc.

They are paired with the LEDBeam 350s which are used in both spot and wash mode, and to produce most of the general stage washes. Luc likes their small size, serious punch, and general usefulness, “they are such handy little fixtures.”

Four side ladders each side of the stage provide boom positions, which are rigged with more LEDBeam 350s and T2 Profiles. Each boom ladder has 2 x T2s and a pair of LEDBeam 350s plus a smoke machine and fan to boost the atmosphere. Luc highlights that ‘active smoke management’ plays an important role in the overall design.


LEDBeam 350s

Robe T2 Profiles


With just shy of 400 luminaires in the main lighting rig and the large quantities of LED, key lighting and follow spotting were critical, so he chose to work with 13 x Robe iForte FollowSpots rigged above the seating tribune, operated via a remote hybrid manual / automated system.

Robe iForte

Thirty-five other fixtures were also connected to the following system which is triggered either automatically via trackers worn by the cast or undertaken manually by two remote operators.
Luc loves the quality and look of the iFORTE light output and the refined key lighting it brings to the production together with colour temperature control and other dynamic features.

The key light tracking positional information is also used to mask the video content in the disguise gx 2c media servers, allowing the digital content to move in unison with the skaters staying in perspective, which is vital when they are moving, also going in the right direction when skating left to right or vice versa, keeping the background parallax correct.
Crisp key lighting further enabled Luc and the video content team led by Menno Broere to add more cinematic touches to the content with blur and bokeh, all of which look very cool.

The Impressionistic aesthetic for lighting and video content was developed first as a series of mood boards with a scale model at PWL’s HQ in Genk. Lighting was programmed on a grandMA3 console by PWL’s Stijn Vanholzaets and Matthijs van Hulsentop during the technical and rehearsal sessions.

Stijn was dealing with the main show lighting while Matthijs programmed the remote spotting system. Niels Huybrechts was the associate LD. The media servers were programmed by Toon Raskin, and the remote follow system was maintained by Rik van de Weerthof. Once all the lighting and video programming and fine-tuning were completed, operation was handed over to the producers’ show run crew.


Luc mentions that while they had the unusual luxury due to the postponements of plenty of time to think in advance before the production was finally green-lighted, once on site and in situ, they needed to be as adaptable as possible and accommodate numerous changes as the final details were blocked.

He and the PWL team used the 18 months before to engage in rigorous preparation as they arrived on site very well organised and able to fully maximise their time there.
Working on all visual aspects of the production brought the huge bonus of being able to see digital content immediately which speeded up the process, as they could assess and know immediately this needed lighting.

“There was a lot of teamwork involved both internally and externally and it was great to collaborate as always – it’s the best way to work!” stated Luc. “I think we all enjoyed being a] part of staging such a groundbreaking and entertaining performance which our audiences are loving!”.

De Tocht is almost already completely sold out, and is currently scheduled to run until the end of April 2024.

For more info about Robe lighting, you can visit the Robe website

Cameo sets the scene for the “German Film” exhibition

Since its opening in October 2023 in the presence of German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the “German Film” exhibition has been on display at the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site at the Völklingen Ironworks in Saarland, Germany.

The fascinating industrial hall on the grounds of the UNESCO World Heritage Site is dominated by gigantic blowing machines and flywheels and presents more than 125 years of German film on 100 large screens, combined with over 350 original exhibits.


In order to provide flexible lighting for these and future exhibitions, the Völklingen Ironworks’ sponsoring organisation invested in a modern lighting technology setup consisting of Cameo P2 FC LED profile spotlights and ZENIT W300 LED wash lights.


Cameo P2 FC

Cameo Zenit W300


“The Gebläsehalle is an extraordinary industrial hall with a very special atmosphere,” explains Udo Treimetten, who, together with Mario Esch, is the managing director of Triacs Veranstaltungstechnik GmbH. The full-service provider from near Trier, Germany, has been the Völklingen Ironworks’ technology partner for more than 20 years and was responsible for the lighting design and programming of the control system.

“We needed spotlights that could be variably adapted to a wide range of requirements and also impress with their high CRI values and ease of use. As we have always had good experiences with Cameo, we ultimately opted for the P2 FC and ZENIT W300 models.”



Wireless control

Elektro Rief – responsible for installing and setting up the lighting technology – placed a total of 150 P2 FC LED profilers with 230W RGBAL COB LEDs and alternating zoom lenses (15°-30° and 25°-50°) in the ceiling structure of the 6,000 square metre blower hall.


“As the P2 FCs have to be repositioned for each exhibition, it was important for us to be able to control the spotlights wirelessly. This allows us to remain flexible and minimise the installation effort,” explains Karsten Rief, Managing Director of Elektro Rief.

For this purpose, each P2 FC was equipped with an optional Cameo iDMX STICK W-DMX receiver, which was supplied with DMX signals via four W-DMX T2 2.4 GHz transceivers distributed throughout the hall. A ChamSys QuickQ Rack, in conjunction with a Swisson Ethernet DMX Node, is used to control the lighting setup.

Triacs had a special task in mind for the 30 ZENIT W300 LED wash lights: to illuminate the massive blower machines in high-resolution colours, the team placed the robust IP65-capable LED wash lights in a cavity in the floor beneath the blower machines. From here, the LED floodlights shine steeply upwards and impressively highlight the huge flywheels.


In addition to the precise illumination of the exhibits, the lighting of various original film posters in particular presented Triacs with an unusual challenge: “We had to match the colour temperature of the posters exactly to the temperature and colouring of the respective film being shown,” explains Udo Treimetten. “This would not have been possible without the high CRI value and the infinitely variable adjustment of the colour temperature of the P2 FC.”


The following Cameo products are used at the Völklingen Ironworks:

  • 150 x Cameo P2 FC full-colour LED profile spotlights
  • 100 x Cameo P2 15-30° ZOOM LENS Zoom lens (for P2 spotlights)
  • 50 x Cameo P2 25-50° ZOOM LENS Zoom lens (for P2 spotlights)
  • 30 x Cameo ZENIT W300 LED Wash Lights
  • 150 x Cameo iDMX STICK W-DMX Receivers
  • 04 x Cameo W-DMX T2 2.4 GHz W-DMX transceivers

Further information:

voelklinger-huette.org
triacs.de

cameolight.com
adamhall.com/fr-fr
blog.adamhall.com/fr/

Prolight+Sound 2024, From 19 to 22 mars 2024

With less than two months to go before it opens its doors at the Frankfurt exhibition centre, Prolight+Sound sees the return of some heavyweights from the audio industry. The lighting and stage equipment industries, for their part, have clearly understood the importance of this exhibition in terms of international trade, and have reserved their product launches for it.


Of the 27,556 visitors to the 2023 Prolight+Sound, 47% came from outside Germany.
For almost 40% of visitors, this is the most important trade fair in the world. And more than 50% of the trade visitors were top-level decision-makers. Survey reveals 85% satisfaction rate.


In a constantly transforming event industry, Prolight + Sound is helping to shape change and providing impulses for the future. From 19 to 22 March 2024, the leading trade fair for the event & entertainment technology industry will open its doors to focus on innovation, inspiration and networking.

With a clear commitment to the sector and a broad spectrum of technological innovations, the event proves its reputation as an important international meeting place for manufacturers, decision-makers and creative minds from all areas of event technology.
The promising development in the event industry and the positive feedback from the sector are reflected in the manufacturers’ commitment to Prolight + Sound.


A large number of well-known companies have already declared their participation for 2024, including

Adam Hall, Adamson, ADJ, ALFA-SYSTEM, Algam, Altimate, Area Four, ARTTHEA, ASM, Astera, Aura Audio, AV Stumpfl, Avolites, Ayrton Lighting, BÜTEC, Cast, ChamSys, Chauvet, Claypaky, CLF Lighting, Coemar, ComputerWorks, CSI Audiovisuel, Das Audio, Dataton, Digital Projection, DTS, Elation, ETC, Eurotruss, FACE Bvba, Follow-Me, Gerriets, GLP, Harmonic Design, Highlite International, InEar, inoage, JB-Lighting, Kupo, KV2, Kvant Laser, L-Acoustics, Lawo, Lightpower, LMP, LumenRadio, Luminex, MA Lighting, Madrix, Major, Martin, MDG, Meyer Sound, Milan, Mipro, Movecat, Music & Lights, Music & Sales, Neutrik, NTi, Osram, Portman, Prolite, RCF, Riedel, ROBE, Robert Juliat, ROE, Rosco, Roxx, RVE, Sfat, SGM, Smoke Factory, SICA, Sixty82, SpotlightSRV, Steinigke, TAIT, TMB, Tronios, Unilumin, Vari Lite, Verlinde, Vision Ears, Vireless Solution, Zactrack… and more to be discovered on the prolight+Sound website


Mira Woelffel

Mira Wölfel, Director Prolight + Sound, emphasises: “We are creating an internationally oriented stage in the heart of Europe where the industry comes together to develop innovative ideas for the future and to set trends.
At Prolight + Sound, the industry not only underlines its economic importance, but also its awareness for sustainability, networking, creativity and the promotion of young talent.”


Uniting the industry: The main goal of Prolight + Sound 2024

In the face of impending recession and a growing demand for sustainability, the event industry finds renewed optimism through mutual support and collaboration. Prolight + Sound 2024 recognizes this spirit and aims to position itself as a catalyst for new alliances and innovative solutions.
The fair aspires to be a melting pot, bringing together creative minds from all corners of the event technology world. At the heart of the sector for 29 years, Prolight + Sound remains at the forefront of industry discourse. The event is a true community get-together, a global family where professionals can connect and explore the latest advancements.

Wide-reaching platform for the industry

Whether concert stages, opera houses, clubs, museums, theme parks or worlds of experience: Prolight + Sound presents the entire spectrum of technological innovations from the world of event technology and provides them with an internationally relevant platform.
Sound, studio and production equipment, as well as media and camera technology, are once again at home in Hall 11.

One of the highlights is the newly developed Image Creation Hub: In cooperation with the Bundesverband der Fernsehkameraleute e.V. (BFVK – Federal Association of Television Camera Operators), a unique area is being created for everything to do with moving pictures. The heart of the site is the Speakers Area in the style of a television studio.

Hall 11 will also be the stage for innovations in DJing and digital live performance, complemented by various audio demo rooms and workshops.
In Hall 12, everything revolves around lighting and theatre equipment, projection and display technology as well as event services, equipment and planning.
The outdoor area will attract visitors with spectacular live presentations of outdoor solutions for audio and display technology as well as mobile stages, tents and inflatables.



Focusing on the Future: Trends and Innovations

As the public’s appetite for entertainment grows, evidenced by this year’s vibrant festival season, Prolight + Sound 2024 aligns itself with the future, focusing on the sustainability concepts and the promotion of young talent.


©Messe Frankfurt Exhibition Gmbh.

The Prolight + Sound Experience: ‘Glitz and Glamour’ meet Business: The upcoming show promises a vibrant mix of glitz, glamour, and serious business. Attendees can anticipate an exceptional keynote programme, captivating live performances, exclusive community nights, and upgraded red carpet award ceremonies. Prolight + Sound 2024 is where the international event technology family convenes.


Key Highlights: What to Expect

– Theatre + Light: Europe’s largest trade fair for lighting in the event industry, showcasing the latest products by key players from nearly 40 countries. In addition, ROBE will celebrate their 30thanniversary at Prolight + Sound 2024 with a spectacular area.


©Messe Frankfurt Exhibition Gmbh-Mathias Kutt.

– Expanding the Audio Sector: Key players such as RCF, L-Acoustics, HK Audio, DAS Audio, and Meyer Sound will present exciting innovations. At the new Audio Bar, visitors can try out high-quality headphones from well-known brands in a relaxed bar atmosphere. The Live Sound Arena will showcase sound reinforcement systems under realistic conditions.


– Performance + Production Hub: The innovative hub for product experience, knowledge transfer, and entertainment will be expanded to a 3,000 m² area including a newly built Soundbox, that will be brought to life by an array of high-calibre live performers.


©Messe Frankfurt Exhibition Gmbh-Mathias Kutt

– Enhanced Educational Programme: The Prolight + Sound College will consist of three bilingual colleges (EN/GE): Camera College (in cooperation with the BVFK), ProAudio College (in cooperation with the VDT e.V.) and the VPLT College.

– The Prolight + Sound Knowledge Hub will include the Prolight + Sound Conference (in cooperation with the VPLT), I-ESC (International Event Safety Conference) with a curated, bilingual programme, the Manufacturers’ Forum and the Main Stage, where an array of high-calibre keynotes will be presented by renowned speakers.

– Emphasising Sustainability: “Green Sessions” in collaboration with EVVC, are-designed Future Hub as an Urban Garden, and guided tours on sustainable event technology.


©Messe Frankfurt Exhibition Gmbh-Mathias Kutt.

– Image Creation Hub: A new moving image area, developed in cooperation with the BVFK (Federal Association of Television Cinematographers), featuring workshops, exhibitions, and daily talks on cutting-edge topics.
At an accompanying exhibition, visitors can experience the innovations of renowned brands (for example, Canon, Sony, Sumolight and many more).

– Promoting young talent: Future Hub (Hall 11) is the central contact point for young event talents.

©Messe Frankfurt Exhibition Gmbh

It consists of the Campus (where educational institutions present specialised courses of study), Career Center (a meeting hub between professionals and companies with vacancies), Start-up Area (a low-cost presentation opportunity for young, innovative companies) and the Networking Lounge (which invites young and seasoned professionals to relax, connect, and exchange ideas in a cozy Urban Garden setting).

The Future Talents Day (on 22 March) shows occupational fields in the industry to trainees and students.

– Upgraded community events and awards: Prolight + Sound 2024 introduces new community events, including three community nights at exclusive locations in Frankfurt City, among them the Champions Bar at the Marriott Hotel.
The Opus / Sinus Award Ceremony transforms into a glamorous red carpet gala dinner at the Steigenberger Icon Frankfurter Hof (21 March).

– New visitor groups: Prolight + Sound is further opening up new target markets and visitor groups, among them Scandinavia, amusement parks, churches, theatres & playhouses and rental companies. 1,000 theatres from all over Europe are invited, including 50 French theatres.


Meet the Maestros: Guest Speakers and Performers

Prolight + Sound 2024 boasts an elevated keynote program with luminaries such as:

– Holoplot : on the groundbreaking immersive audio system they created for The Sphere in Las Vegas
– Genevieve Cleary : Award-winning creative director on “The Power of Sound”
– Stefan Weil : CCO of Atelier Markgraph on “Music makes the people”
– William Ellis & Prof. Tim Wall : talk about their “What is your One LP?” project
– Gregor Tresher & Edgar Dirksen : on their careers, being a producer, running a label etc.
– Stefan Luppold et Patrick Haag : will explain the “Success factors for events”
– Yasi Hofer : about live performing and touring life
– Renowned live performers, including award-winning: DJ Emanuel Satie and guitarist
Yasi Hofer (Helene Fischer band and others), promise to elevate the entertainment quotient. The full programme, including further speakers and performers, will be announced in the coming weeks.


Free Access to Knowledge and Innovation

All lectures, workshops, product demos, and the PLS Community Nights are free of charge for visitors with a valid ticket.

Prolight+Sound : From 19 to 24 mars 2024 – Location: Messe Frankfurt – Website : Messe frankfurt

 

CHAUVET MAVERICK STORM 4 PROFILE, A STROKE OF GENIUS!

We couldn’t miss the first 1250 W LED source! But if it is also installed in a fixture capable of singing in the rain, what more could you ask for? A list of parameters as long as my arm? Many protocols that would make a network administrator green with envy? Complete connectivity? Simple and quick disassembly of modules? And why not aim for the moon too?



Chauvet : What if we proposed all of that?

SLU : Could you give us the moon too!?

Chauvet : All of it, except for the moon…

SLU : OK and, when is all this ready for?

Chauvet : It is already available!


A strong and beautiful baby!

[private]

For this new source, the American brand hit very hard. It was thanks to the collaboration between the Chauvet United States and European teams, who collected and then cross-referenced the requests from rental companies and users that this project saw the light of day.

The two “love handles” are ideally placed for easy lifting and handling of the fixture.

We will start at the beginning and make it clear that the Storm 4 Profile is mainly intended for large venues. On the one hand, it’s a pretty baby that measures 836 mm from the top of the head to the bottom of the base unit.
It is also well built with a width of 469 mm from handle to handle! It must also be said that the midwife cleaned her glasses twice to check the 46.5 kg of this sacred baby!

To carry it, no problem, two additional handles have been added to the yoke to facilitate movement. If there is a lack of space, they can be removed using 4 BTR screws.


The IP Tester by Chauvet.

It is important to point out that from birth the newborn was clean, we did not detect any air or leaks of light. Like the entire Storm range, it is IP65 and waterproofing requires the application of permanent internal pressure.

It is also part of this new generation of IP sources that can be opened. Thanks to the “IP Tester”, which is, basically, a compressor with a pressure controller.
On the one hand, we can check that everything is going well, but also automatically recreate the right pressure in the head and yoke.
This allows you to check that all the casings have been reassembled and that the seals have not moved at all.


From head to toe

The compressed air connector is located on the rear of the base, just above the USB socket which is used for updates. It is possible to modify the software version on several fixtures if they are connected via DMX. We don’t always think about it, but this socket can also be very useful for connecting a USB lamp if you need to do a little maintenance or tidy up in a dark area.
There are also two XLR 5 sockets for the DMX signal, a Seetronic PowerCON power socket, and two RJ45 In and Out connectors for the ArtNet and the sACN. The Storm 4 is also controlled via W-DMX and is RDM compatible. If you use the CRMX Protocol in G4S mode, you can use the Chauvet Micro T-1 TRX G6. Of course, all connectors are IP65 and should be capped if not in use.


Do you prefer square ones, round ones, or flat ones?

Just like the rear panel, the front panel of the base unit can be dismantled from the front (not from above) and held by 8 screws. This is a detail that seems practical to me for maintenance. On the front of the base unit, the LCD screen displays the status of the fixture. You can also view the menu and modify the options using the 6 navigational buttons.


The baby is already in full adolescence, screen and buttons!

As a practical little tip, if you need to work on the fixture, a long press on the two top buttons (when the machine is in place) deactivates the pan and tilt parameters. We can thus control and check parameters without the risk of being disturbed by the head movement.

Here you can see the electronic board. for the tilt function. The other is where the big three-phase motor is for the pan function.

The side covers of the yoke “arms” are held in place by 10 screws each. This is the most effective way to maintain uniform pressure all around the seal.

As on the majority of fixtures, we find, on one side the head drive (tilt) but for once with a motor management card plus a strand of cables, and on the other, the power supply cable runs with two electronic cards. We can also see in this arm, the imposing three-phase stepper motor of the Pan parameter.

Each of the head covers is held in place by 8 screws. As with the “arms” of the yoke, it is necessary to have regular and complete contact between the two covers and the structure of the head to ensure that the pressure is maintained and to guarantee sealing.

The laws of physics mean that the overall architecture of the head does not differ from other sources. At the back are the light source and its cooling, then the settings compartment, and finally the optics.


This is how we see that everything is precise. We cannot say that the Storm 4 lacks cooling!


At the very rear of the head, the enormous radiator cools the 1,250 watts of LEDs. It is crossed by a flow of air generated by 6 fans, 3 above and 3 below. It is also crossed by a series of pipes in which a fluid circulates in a liquid state which vaporizes by absorbing thermal energy emitted by the hot light source.


Keeping its cool!

The vapor/steam then circulates to the cooling system where it condenses to return to a liquid state. Placed against the radiator, the LED matrix is on the border between the rear section and the first compartment.

It’s clear that, like at home, the more space you have, the more stuff you have! The Storm 4 is far from having the size of a wimp and one might have expected to find a little empty space in the settings compartment, but nope. Not even room for my baby finger!

On the other hand, we note that dismantling the 2 parameter blocks is easier than in certain smaller machines. Thanks to two “large” screws that can easily be loosened with a flat head or Phillips screwdriver, you can replace the parameter block without removing the fixture from the truss or pipe and thus maintain optimal precision on the focused points for your show.

The first module, closest to the light source, are the 6 CMY trichromic flags (2 per shade) and the 2 CTO flags. On the color side, there is also a wheel with 6 slots accommodating 1 CTB, a CRI corrector, and 4 colors. The solution of dichroic glasses glued close to each other was used, it allows a better transition between the slots and a much better reproduction of two-color beams.


On the first module, on the light source side, in the middle of an array of motors, we can see 4 of the 8 CMY and CTO flags.

Just above is the effect wheel with one axis for insertion and the second for continuous rotation. And finally, 2 wheels of 6 rotating gobos. We also note the presence of 5 fans allowing all of these little “busy-bodies” to operate without a problem.


On the other side, the color and effect wheels as well as the 2 gobo wheels.

The gobo size.


On the second module, it is “simpler” but just as busy. This is where the 4 framing shutters are located which each use 2 motors. The module supporting all of the framing shutters is of course rotatable. The last parameter is the iris.

In the upper part of the head, the zoom moves between two sections and of course along with the focus. There are also 2 diffusers and 2 prisms. We can notice a metal plate that can be placed in front of the zoom. This is the “Sun Shield” which helps protect the optical components when the sun passes through the 188mm lens.


Having studied among machine tools and technical drawing desks, I am always in awe of the framing shutters modules.

The Iris is a parameter that is very heat-sensitive.


There is a constant at Chauvet, the design of the base units of all its fixtures. Even if there are variations in size, we always find the rectangle with the 4 corners rounded inwards to form the handles. The moving heads are also very similar with some differences depending on the size of the Pan motor. We find the oval shape as well as the alternation of exterior circles with interior rounded angles (a little reminder of the base unit).

It is often the grooves that, in addition to the position of the series name, identify the model. On the Storm 4 Profile, they are shallow, unlike those of the Force 3 Profile, but present in quantity on all sides. They allow it to slim down the rather potbellied silhouette. I find it well proportioned with a balanced mix of lines and curves which enhance the hidden strength of this fixture.


Our first steps

Thanks to the 6 buttons on either side of the screen, using the menu is very easy and user-friendly and there are a multitude of options! To avoid any errors, access to the menu is lockable. If a colleague forgot to remove the option and you don’t want to read the manual, the code is 0920! To facilitate basic configuration, the choice of address, protocol, and mode are at the start of the menu.
Even if we often use the option in the controller/lighting desk, we can also reverse the pan and tilt in the fixture but we also have a choice of 3 ranges of movement for each of the two axes. As long as it’s logical, we might as well put the screen rotation with the pan and tilt inversion, even if I would have preferred a shortcut on 2 buttons, always more practical than searching in the menu, with your head upside down.

Among the most interesting options, the menu offers different “Move in Black” options, a total reset, and 5 other resets by parameter type, 3 menu memories that can be automatically synchronized with the Storm 4 Profiles of the same DMX line, and 5 fan speeds!

Video presentation



With a single fixture and a complete universe at my disposal, I have the luxury of choosing the 55-channel mode. Controlling via ArtNet works on the first turn of the wheel. Of course, I roughly direct the nose towards the white target and @ Full, then “Wow! Now that is a slap in the face”! One thing is for sure, there is no shortage of light!

Both pan and tilt parameters are well managed. I tested the movements with several speeds, tilt alone, pan alone, and a combination of the two. Given the weight of the head, one might have expected problems, but the big three-phase stepper motors make it possible to obtain smooth movements with slow or rapid transitions and smoothness at the ends of the movements.

On the optical side, the aperture range is very close to that of the large and small sharp edge beam. We regret a somewhat short amplitude but it is more than sufficient for the vast majority of uses. Depending on your working habits, or what you want to do, there is a “Minimum Zoom Focus” option which offers complete independence between the two settings or automatic focus adjustment when the zoom approaches its minimum value. You can also add the iris to obtain a tight beam/pin spot of light.


From 5 m away we can obtain a sharp-edged circle of 5m to 60cm in diameter, and using the Iris it can come down to 20cm.

The base white is at 6855 K (according to our measurements) with a CRI of 72. Even if I prefer to work with slightly lower white temperatures, this value increases the visual impact. The CRI is within the range of most of the fixtures commonly used in shows.


Now, concerning the color settings. As we have seen, the Storm 4 benefits from a CMY three-color process with dichroic glass flags/blades. The insertion of colors is discreet and we can therefore work with pretty pastels. It also produces beautiful saturated shades even if the base white limits the depth of the reds a little.


A small taste of what the trichromic flags can do.

4 colors and 2 correctors on the color wheel.


The 2 CTO flags can roam at will in the beam of light

We can also play around with the progressive CTO to warm up the white or, a color. The color wheel includes 4 shades that are difficult to obtain with trichromacy, a corrector that allows you to obtain a CRI of 91, and a CTB. The combination of all these parameters gives us a wide range of colors and the power of the source makes it possible to bring out certain saturated hues quite nicely.

It’s always a pleasure to have at least 2 rotating gobo wheels. With 2 x 6 rotating gobos we are at ease, especially since the choice of images is intelligent. They are often effective in projection and volumetrics with a good range of luminosity and finesse. Certain combinations of 2 gobos are very interesting with the possibility of playing on several focal lengths. We also have pretty water or fire effects by adding color.

Added to this is the possibility of superimposing one of the prisms with one or two gobos. The first 5-facet prism produces a circular multiplication and the second, with the same number of facets, multiplies the image along a line. Finally, the effects wheel, which can be used alone or with the gobos and/or prisms, producing a linear animation, adds dimension to the rotation of the gobos. The Storm 4 has a complete range of stackable parameters to create many effects and adapt to the different atmospheres if needed for a show.


12 indexable and rotating gobos give you a new dimension.

Whether in a circle or a line, it’s always x 5.

The framing shutters module is also one of the settings that I find effective. Each shutter can completely pass through the beam but, depending on the zoom aperture, we still manage to have an acceptable sharpness on several shutters, with the advantage of having an almost homogeneous defocus on all sides.
Of course, if your zoom is wide open, a large cut will not be possible but with a little practice, you can anticipate and position the fixture in the right place to get an optimal result. The complete module is indexable over 120°, this is, in my opinion, the minimum so as not to have too many problems with cropping when playing with the pan and tilt axes.


Watch out it’s shuttering!

The last mechanical parameter is double, light and/or medium. These are the 2 frost filters that are separate on two parameters. I find it wise to choose these diffusers which correspond perfectly to most common uses. There is also a virtual setting that may be interesting, “Virtual Shaking”. It’s a sort of “chaser” in the LED matrix which generates flickering effects. You can simulate an old movie/film, a laser beam, or shine in a gobo.


The frost: without, light or medium.


Here comes the downpour of numbers

Derating

The derating measurement shows that despite its 1,250-watt LED source, the flow stabilizes in 10 minutes with 3.42% attenuation of illuminance in the center.
Just to be sure, but also to go and enjoy some Sushi, we leave the fixture on for a little over an hour. Upon our return, we have the same value.


Faisceau 20°

We start the measurements with the reference aperture at 20°. At the center of the target, we note 26,420 lux after derating (27,355 at cold start) and between 8,100 lux and 10,400 lux at the edges of the beam. The luminous flux reaches 53,720 lumens (55,620 lm cold).
If I’m not mistaken this must be our highest score in the Spots and Profiles category! No incident is visible on the intensity curve. I can also tell you that with the CRI corrector, the white temperature drops to 5900K, and with the CTO at full 2900K.


Small sharp-edged beam

The following series of specs concern the smallest sharp-edged beam (without using the iris) but the measurement range limited to 99,999 lux of our Minolta lux meter was exceeded by the illuminance of the Storm 4. At this aperture, the Chauvet photometric readings indicate an illuminance at the center of 131,608 lux at 5 meters and a flux of 26,678 lumens for an aperture of 6.6°.


The widest sharp-edged beam

For the widest zoom, we can take a look at our lux meter which displays at the center of the target 3,852 lux after derating (3,990 lux cold start) and 1,000 lux at the edge. The flux reaches 53,600 lumens (54,500 lm cold start) for an aperture of 53.13°. The intensity curve is nicely drawn.


An encouraging storm!

The Storm 4 is built to tackle the great outdoors. Very bright, it offers a complete range of functions with an avalanche of rotating gobos, a torrent of colors, and a deluge of effects. Development and manufacturing deliver a quality product that seems built to last. The value for money makes it a very attractive fixture that should very quickly be found on the largest stages on earth and, perhaps one day, beyond!


We like:

  • The powerful light output
  • The value for money
  • The very extensive menu

We miss:

  • The possibility to invert the display via a shortcut with the menu buttons

General Specifications

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