Over 600 Claypaky Fixtures Light up Singapore’s Bicentennial National Day Celebrations

262 x HY B-EYE K25
208 x Scenius Unico
132 x Mythos²

Lighting designers: Mac Chan and Michael Chan
Lighting programmer: Tejay Yeo
Tech manager: Chew Yongfa



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Jerry Appelt turned to GLP for the Summer Night Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic using more than 440 GLP fixtures to ensure radiant illumination of stage, castle and gardens – and it’s beautiful!

From GLP: “For this mammoth task, the internationally renowned designer primarily relied on LED fixtures from the GLP portfolio. More than 440 of the innovative luminaires were used. Appelt turned to the impression X4 L to bathe the castle in light and create a stunning backdrop to the orchestra that he was able to emphasize with color accents during the course of the concert.

The white light onstage was created by 54 GLP impression S350 and 28 impression S350 Wash – both moving lights that the designer has come to appreciate. “I really like the impression S350 Wash. For medium-sized studios and concert areas this is a really great all-purpose tool. Both the S350 Wash and its spot counterpart are, in my opinion, a contemporary alternative for applications that once were predominantly covered with fixed zoom profiles. I used them for the first time in larger quantities at ‘MTV Unplugged’ with Udo Lindenberg, where I really liked them. The S350 also deliver a perfect, camera-friendly output, which was vital for the ORF broadcast of the Summer Night Concert.”

While the impression S350 occupied the keylight positions, the impression S350 Wash in the lower stage area served as a softer source.

For the audience light – especially for the distant positions, such as the area in front of the Neptune Fountain – Appelt used 24 pieces of the new GLP HIGHLANDER Wash. With its 1,400 watt lamp and large 230mm front lens, the HIGHLANDER Wash delivers impressive light output with optimal light quality.”

Read the rest from GLP

Roland Greil & Patrick Woodroffe, lighting designers, of Woodroffe Bassett Design used over 100 Chroma-Q® Color Force II™ LED battens to light the Rammstein’s European Stadium Tour 2019.

Rammstein, the legendary German metal band, is on their first-ever stadium tour, with 31 European dates this Summer. They are touring to promote their self-titled studio album. The tour is considered one of the most technically ambitious concert productions this decade.

With the massive stadium shows requiring production values to match, a versatile and tour-proof LED lighting solution which could be supplied in large quantities to achieve their artistic vision would be needed.

They found them with Chroma-Q’s Color Force II fixtures, and 86 Color Force II 72™ and 18 Color Force II 48™ LED battens, as well as 28 Color One 100/100X™ LED PARs were supplied.

Arranged in vertical strips upstage and on PA towers, plus horizontally upstage on the floor, the Color Force II fixtures deliver eye-catching strobe, blinder and chase effects which perfectly complement the band’s theatrical performances and trademark pyrotechnics.

Robe‘s new IP65 rated iPointe moving lights were prominent among lighting fixtures on the main stage at this year’s Elements Festival, a two day showcase of great vibes and fabulous house music — techno and tech house to future house, hardstyle, and EDM — in a beautiful amusement park at Dormettingen, 80km southwest of Stuttgart, Germany.

The festival is staged in a picturesque environment landscape and built on a former mining area, complete with its own artificial lake and beach. The event features three vibrant stages of music and is known for its high production values.

Lighting for the main stage – located in a natural amphitheater-like dip in the topography – was designed by Raphael Herrmann whose company, Prolite Event, also coordinated the supply of the lighting kit, which included eight x Robe Pointes and 16 x LEDBeam 150s, as well as the 22 x iPointes, plus some other lights.

Herrmann has lit the main stage since Elements Festival started five years ago and has been involved in designing and supplying lights and running his own associated business since 2000 when he was aged 18.

Being dance/DJ orientated, the Elements stage set-up was different to a standard rock event. The set was also designed by Herrmann and featured a 35m wide pyramid structure, which was supporting striking columns of LED, with a large scenic/LED event logo sign in the center upstage and above the DJ riser. The highest point of this back wall was 14.5m.

An overhead canopy provided immediate weather protection above the DJ, but the main structure was completely exposed to the elements.

Other challenges included lighting for daylight … as only the final acts of the two-day event each night played in full darkness, so Herrmann needed high output fixtures that registered in daylight and were weather resistant.

Realizing that iPointes would be perfect for all the uncovered positions on the stage, Herrmann utilized 22 luminaires which were rigged to the top of the LED structure at the back and positioned on the deck and in front of the PA wings … all completely in the open.

The volatility of the weather didn’t disappoint, as bouts of sunshine were regularly interspersed with violent downpours of rain … and the iPointes were put to the test!

Due to the shape of the design, “They were the main light to carry the show,” says Herrmann, “giving those huge super beam looks and mid-air effects that are so important for dance music festivals.”

The standard Pointes were centrally above the DJ booth below the canopy roof and proved an “ideal” complement to the iPointes, allowing numerous effects that could fill the black hole immediately behind the lower central area of the DJ booth.

Raphael has been using Pointes for a while in his work and never grows tired of their multifunctionality, excellent beams and mid-air effects.

Eight LEDBeam 150s were tucked away behind the DJ on the main stage, and another eight were spec’d for the Lakeside Stage where they were also the primary backlight for the DJ.

This was the first time that Herrmann had used the iPointe, a brand-new Robe fixture that has just gone into production. It’s been developed following the massive success of the standard Pointe for dance style events — Robe’s R ‘n’ D team realized that a complimentary water-resistant version would be an asset for outdoor shows and seasons, so the product was launched earlier this year.

“The large zoom range is incredible,” says Herrmann, “it opens up incredibly wide!” Also helpful were the high output and the rich colors. “It’s simply a great extension for outdoors, and we do not need to use domes, which can sometimes have distracting reflections!”

Two lighting operators ran lights for the Elements 2019 and both were also suitably impressed with the iPointe.

Sebastian Seibert comments: “They are definitely in a class of their own in terms of powerful, bright and well-engineered IP rated spotlights. The incredible zoom range is wicked for EDM!”

Dennis Hertrich agrees: “The beam power, even at a great distance, is amazing and you can still clearly see the beams piercing the sky. The IP protection saves us serious amounts of work on site in not having to use domes etc.! The effects are great, the choice of gobos is perfect! In summary, it’s a super package! As with virtually all Robe fixtures, they work immediately ‘out of the box’ and are properly reliable!”

With its hurly-burly mix of saints and sinners, Hot Box dancers and street-smart gamblers, colorful costumes and evocative settings, Guys and Dolls is as captivating today as it was when it debuted on Broadway in 1950. This was plain to see when Frank Loesser’s multi-Tony Award winning musical kicked off the 2019 season at the St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre (“The Muny”) on June 10.

Part of the allure, was no doubt due to the timeless quality of this sweet but sassy tale of New York’s bygone underworld, but also enchanting the audience was something decidedly more modern: the theatre’s new state-of-the-art LED lighting system that features over 700 Chauvet Professional fixtures.

Great theatrical works never seem to age, but the same cannot be said of even the finest theaters. This is why The Muny, the oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre in the United States, elected to begin its “second hundred years,” with a new stage system that, in addition to the IP rated LED lighting, features one turntable, three tracks, five lifts for moving sets and actors, LED screens, and a protected orchestra pit.

“The Muny embarked on this upgrade so it could continue to offer the most rewarding theatrical experience to the community,” said Rob Denton, lighting designer at the 11,000-seat venue, which opened under The Muny banner on June 16, 1919.

Denton, who was instrumental in the lighting upgrade and worked with Bandit Lites on its execution, notes that the theatre’s main goal was to create a LED rig that would be more flexible and energy efficient. Based on his experience lighting Guys and Dolls, as well as the productions that followed, he feels the new system has more than lived up to expectations.

“The new rig allows us to have a wider breath of looks than before, and the ability to unify our lighting with the vibrancy and feel of the Chauvet Professional F4 IP LED video walls,” he said. “It also gives me, as well as any visiting designers, a greater ability to focus the audience’s collective eye. This is true whether we’re lighting a modern musical where we want vibrant light, or a classic show that requires the traditional warmth of the tungsten lamp. In each case, we can evoke the sought-after mood.”

Playing a key role in the new lighting rig are its 310 Ovation E-910FC IP color-mixing indoor/outdoor ellipsoidal units, 130 Ovation E-260WW IP warm white fixtures, and 205 COLORado 3 Solo pieces. Many of these fixtures are hung on a 183′ span that runs over the downstage deck. From this position they provide front light, texture across the stage, and scenic element lighting.

Additionally, the Ovation fixtures along with a small number of the COLORado 3 units are positioned in a variety of side positions for cross lighting and template coverage. Ovation E-260WW and COLORado 3 Solo units are also flown on truss over the video wall and are used for downstage and full stage back lighting. The backwall structure of the stage is uplit with 22 COLORado Solo Batten fixture, while COLORado 3 Solo units provide downlighting. Adding another new dimension to The Muny stage are the massive back video wall and two side walls that are made with 238 F4 LED panels.

“The entire new rig is my baby,” said Denton. “I have been working on the plot and design of the system for several years now. For me, the biggest thing I’ve noticed is the quality of light from all the fixtures, especially the E-910FC and E-260WW. They have an amazing color and quality, so it that feels like you’re using a traditional tungsten lamp, but of course they’re LED units with all of the advantages that brings. Plus, like the rest of the rig, they’re outdoor rated.”

Denton has also heard rave reviews of the new lighting system from his colleagues. “The rest of the creative team here has noticed a remarkable difference in the quality and ability of the lighting design,” he said. “Everyone agrees it opens new possibilities in storytelling.”

Apparently, the creative staff members at The Muny aren’t the only ones impressed with the updated lighting. Writing about the theater’s production of Guys and Dolls, the critic for the St. Louis Post Dispatchsingled out the LED system writing, “Particularly representative of the new technology is a scene set in Havana. It’s so richly evocative — and so brilliantly realized — that you’ll want to hop onstage and order a drink.”

So K-Pop probably isn’t something you’d expect to find us discussing, but the band EXO took stage lighting to a whole new level in their most recent concert.

During the K-pop band’s July 21 concert, the colors of the audience’s light sticks changed whenever the stage lighting changed, as did the waves of light that filled the hall.

Crowds in yellow clothes and accessories flocked to the KSPO dome, where “EXO Planet #5 ExplOration” concert was held. Fifteen thousand seats in the dome were packed with fans holding silver EXO light sticks.

Enjoy!

Dutch pop star, Marco Borsato, recently returned to Rotterdam’s De Kuip stadium for the first time in 15 years to host a five-date concert series featuring an ambitious lighting and video program that turned De Kuip into a stage to rival all venues. The 50,000-capacity stadium was fitted with a massive 85 x 15 meter rear wall screen as the backdrop to Borsato’s band and featured an innovative display of lighting and augmented-reality (AR) video images.

Here’s footage of the concert

The highly anticipated Eric Prydz EPIC 6.0 HOLOSPHERE debuted at Belgium’s Tomorrowland Festival last weekend, with Eric performing inside a giant video-mapped, 3D transparent LED sphere.

More details from RES (www.resgb.com):

The production was the latest in Prydz’s EPIC (Eric Prydz In Concert) series of jaw dropping visual spectaculars, realized by dream team, long term collaborators Liam Tomaszewski (Punkette), Ross Chapple (RCLD), Mark Calvert and Dave Green (RES) and Bryn Williams (Light Initiative) with the eight-meter-high HOLOSPHERE forming the centerpiece of the new design.

“EPIC 6.0 has been two years in the making, starting with conceptual sketches, through to putting together exactly the right team with the skills, know-how and passion to get the project off the ground, and now successfully delivering the show at Tomorrowland,” says Calvert, who’s been working with Eric Prydz on the EPIC shows for more than a decade as Executive Show Producer, Production Manager and Co-Show Designer. “When our team presented the concept to Michiel Beers and Jan Herinckx at Tomorrowland, they were extremely supportive and excited to co-produce the show with us.

“We are very grateful for their faith in this production and equally to our chosen technical fabrication team, Light Initiative. We believe the show takes the core elements of dance music, LED technology, creativity, engineering, lighting and video control to the next level.”

To deliver Tomaszewski’s holographic imagery, Light Initiative designed and manufactured a lightweight structural and cladding system that provided high transparency. Applied to their structure, Light Initiative developed a miniature LED strip and video distribution system, bringing the total weight of the sphere to a mere 4.6 tonnes.

806,000 LED pixels were applied across the inner and outer surfaces, equalling 276m2 of LED screen surface displaying bright, custom mapped animations. With a uniform 16mm pixel pitch, the sphere achieves an impressive 64% transparency, revealing Prydz at the center of the action.

Light Initiative’s recent expansion meant that its London HQ was the perfect place for HOLOSPHERE’s creation. The company has doubled its warehouse space and opened a new fabrication area, within which the HOLOSPHERE was made.

Bryn Williams says: “One of the biggest challenges set by the Mark and Liam was to achieve a high level of transparency while not compromising the logistical demands of festival productions. To achieve this, the HOLOSPHERE was designed so that the structure and panels fit with millimeter precision and pack down into just two trucks.

“We designed the individual elements of the HOLOSPHERE to be modular and repetitive, so if a component fails – be that electronics, LED or PSU – that component can be rapidly replaced. This adds a further level of robustness and flexibility, which is great when you’re transporting such an intricate yet mammoth object to a festival scenario.”

Upstage to the HOLOSPHERE was a 31.2m x 9.6m 9mm pixel pitch transparent LED screen that enveloped the stage, expanding the spectacle to the edges of the arena. More than 540 lighting fixtures were used as part of the lighting design. Groups of fixtures were carefully rigged to trussing, controlled by automated Cyber Hoists that surrounded the HOLOSPHERE, with a daring, but subtle addition appearing as a 1.6m circular rig of fixtures that lowered into the HOLOSPHERE itself to mimic an ‘interstellar explosive experience’.

Ross Chapple, Lighting Director, Co-Designer and Operator for the EPIC shows, says: “Once we had come up with the HOLOSPHERE as the central show concept, it was my responsibility to work out how we would light Eric as he performed. My design aimed to emphasise the form of the sphere and give it some spread into the arena, bringing extra energy and big motion right out into the audience.

“We built ‘automated spokes’ that extended out from a central point of the sphere – the longest of which is 6.5 metres – and wrapped around to encompass the HOLOSPHERE structure. We also had hundreds of LED moving head lighting fixtures behind our upstage LED wall, which interacted with the content and provide high-powered looks behind and around the sphere, picking up key points in the music and animation. I’m really proud of the ambitious effects we all achieved.”

Eric Prydz’s Creative Director, Co-Designer and VJ Liam Tomaszewski, comments: “The holographic aspect to the sphere is about us creating visuals in three dimensions. This is unique: I don’t know anybody who’s created three-dimensional visuals and displayed them in three dimensions, using what we call the double equirectangular projection – a spherical map that wraps images onto the curved surface.

“The HOLOSPHERE visuals were rendered by six separate virtual cameras and stitched together to create content that would be correct from all viewing angles. Figuring out the process to get to an end result that we were happy with took a really long time. When a sphere is your medium, it’s a whole new challenge – you can’t just render regular aspect ratio video and wrap it around. You have to work from the ground up with the sphere in mind, so figuring out unique looks and forming them into an overarching narrative was an enormous challenge.”

Dave Green, Technical and Software Director on the EPIC project and Co-Owner of RES, has been developing the software used to drive the video elements of the show for more than ten years. The software, called ‘Ai’, is now commercially available from Avolites in the UK, with RES being one of Avolites’ Global Centres of Excellence for Ai integration. The hardware used was two Avolites R4 media servers – one main show machine and one backup.

The system outputted three video feeds at up to 2160@50p and playing back media at custom resolutions in the order of 4k also running at 50p. Green comments: “The major challenge on the EPIC shows is always the same, keeping the media playing smoothly, while driving one of the most complex stage sets in the industry. We achieve this by using the fantastic AiM codec developed by Avolites, myself and Trey Harrison of Harrison Digital Media in California. The codec facilitates impeccable video quality along with class-leading performance. The Ai software also has incredible video mapping capabilities which allowed us to drive the near perfect spherical output map produced in collaboration with Bryn Williams at Light Initiative.”

Eric Prydz says: “I’m excited to see our nearly impossible idea come to life and I hope the people watching are as wowed by the sphere as I am. It’s fun to see how far you can push it, how extreme you can make things, and how you can come up with ideas that people haven’t seen or experienced before. Then, the joy of seeing people going absolutely crazy over it is an amazing feeling.”

Calvert concludes: “The EPIC shows get more and more ambitious every time. It’s as exciting as it is satisfying to see the hard work of so many talented people come together for a truly awesome experience. I’d like to personally thank everyone involved in both our internal project team, Light Initiative team and Tomorrowland’s team for their dedication and passion to realising EPIC 6.0, especially Bryn Williams for believing in our original vision and sharing the journey with us to realization and successful delivery.”

The Verge has a fascinating article on how the Holosphere was made.

www.ericprydz.com