Professional Lighting & Production Fall 2021 | Page 46

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1PHOTO : ALEX RICE
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Project Update

46 PL & P

Proud Embankment in London ’ s West End is a world-class cabaret venue , featuring circus and cabaret acts , aerialists , fire breathers , and acrobats , headlined by celebrity comperes . It ’ s situated on the North bank of the River Thames and at the heart of the British metropolis , and it was determined to have a high-impact post-COVID reopening and underwent a transformative renovation , which included the installation of 14 new Robe Pointe moving lights . The Pointes were specified by in-house lighting designer Jack Knight , and purchased specially for the venue by rental and installation specialist , Halo .
“ It is a properly ‘ multipurpose fixture ’ in every sense of the word . As well as being fast and virtually instantaneous in response , Pointes are hugely flexible with a great range of colours , gobos , and effects that allow you to be highly creative ,” says Knight . A challenge in lighting the space is that the room is almost 360 degrees around the stage , so everything must look good from all angles . There are several “ busking ” pages set up in the Avolites Tiger Touch II console containing basic building blocks from which Knight can change a show almost on the fly .
1PHOTO : ALEX RICE
PHOTO : ANDY ROSS
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Scottish Ballet has recently taken possession of a second consignment of Robert Juliat Dalis 860 cyclorama lights , which brings its total inventory to 26 , courtesy of Adlib ’ s Glasgow branch . The upgrading of Scottish Ballet ’ s lighting systems began with a focus on cyclorama fixtures .
“ Cyc lighting is a fairly constant requirement at Scottish Ballet , and we don ’ t anticipate models to change dramatically . We wanted an LED replacement for our existing fixtures that looked the part as well as doing a great job ,” explains Scottish Ballet ’ s technical director , Matt Strachan . The Scottish Ballet ’ s curved cyclorama is 15m wide with a 6m deflection and 7.5m high . “ That ’ s a big swathe of cloth to light but we were able to position the Dalis units just 1.5m behind the cloth and they belted straight up and covered it beautifully .”
GH Phipps has installed the new stage roof at Colorado ’ s Red Rocks Amphitheater , which was named by Rolling Stone magazine as the “ coolest outdoor amphitheater in the nation .” The original roof was installed in 1988 and has outlived its life expectancy . The new roof will provide more protection from the weather , hold more weight for lighting and equipment , and provide a safer structure for riggers . The design includes IA Stage ’ s SkyDeck tension wire grid .
“ It hasn ’ t been lost on our design and construction team that the greatest bands , musicians , and performers around the world want to perform at this famous venue , we just happen to be ‘ performing ’ as construction specialists ,” says Kyle Casinelli , the project manager for the roof installation on behalf of GH Phipps . “ The new roof will provide a much safer platform for stagehands and riggers while providing greater access and more space for more lights , camera , and sound via a cable-mesh system . It ’ s almost as if the stagehands will be able to walk on air , while greatly enhancing an already incredible entertainment experience .”
Lighting designer Thomas Gerdon recently used the new LED system Creative Light 1 Plus from GLP in various German TV productions . In the RTL game show Du Musst Dich Entscheiden (“ You Have to Decide ”), he designed both the main set and a separate smaller set that was used for original soundtracks with the compact LED systems .
“ The small set was simply a less appealing conference room within the studio extension . The challenge was to turn it into a TV-compatible set — quickly and with a small budget that also looked like a show . We got around this by placing a couple of flight cases in the background and attaching the magnetic Creative Light 1 Plus to them . Light moods were set by remote control and everything was ready in five minutes ,” says Gerdon . The Creative Light 1 Plus was also used in the main set , but this time controlled by wireless DMX from the lighting desk . “ The challenge here was that at the beginning of our work in the studio it was not yet 100 % clear who would be walking up and down where ; also , which game would be included or which camera settings would be required . In such situations , a small , quickly installed lighting solution is worth its weight in gold .”
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