White Light welcomed the new year by allowing lighting designers and technicians to explore some of the new lighting technology which will shape the way they work this year and in the coming years in a friendly, informal New Technology Showcase.
The mid-January event presented the equipment in the real theatre setting of the Central School of Speech and Drama’s Embassy Theatre. At different times of the afternoon, visitors were able to play ‘hands on’ with the products, to watch the products in action in mini-shows designed and programmed by students on Central’s lighting courses, and to participate in feature-by-feature run through of each product with the ability to ask to see specific actions (slow fades, colour changes), or combinations of products compared side by side – all without the ‘hard sell’ that often characterises trade shows.
Included in the rig were some of the latest LED lighting fixtures, including the Vari-Lite VLX, the iPix BB4 and BB7, and the prototype of Robert Juliat’s first LED profile spot. LED cyc lighting from EvenLED, LDDE and Pulsar was lined up side-by-side for comparison, while the Fusion672 battens demonstrated the visual possibilities of exposed LEDs. High End Systems showed off items from their Digital range, including the DL3 automated projector, their Showbeam and ShowPix moving fixtures, and the Cyberlight 2. Other moving lights included the Coemar Infinity ACL-S moving beamlight, the Coemar Infinity Spot-S, plus Martin’s TW1 and Vari-Lite’s VL1000TS used as familiar ‘controls’ for the colour temperature and fade quality of tungsten fixtures. The VL1000s were also being used to demonstrate the magical properties of the RSC/Total Structures Lightlock, which can automatically damp the unwanted movement that appears when moving lights are rigged on short flown bars. Control was provided by a High End Road Hog, an ETC Eos, and a pair of MA grandMA consoles plus an MA Media Server.
The event enjoyed an enormous turn-out, with visitors including many of Britain’s leading lighting designers (with almost all of those with a forthcoming West End show in attendance), freelance electricians and programmers, staff from venues in London and across the UK, staff and students from most of London’s drama colleges, and many more. Around fifty of them stayed on afterwards to take part in the first Association of Lighting Designers Quiz Night, a hugely successful and entertaining evening.
Most of the products showcased – and many others – are available now for hire or sale from White Light; for those who missed the Open Day, demonstrations can always be arranged by contacting the Hire or Sales teams at White Light on 020 8254 4800.
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