Issuu

Autumn 2011

Issue 104

Where art meets science

www.leefilters.com

Editorial

Can I start by thanking all the contributors to this issue of Television Lighting and Design.

We have just held the AGM and will report that fully in the next issue. We have other meetings already being planned, and if you have never been to one then it is time you did! They are very sociable occasions, always informative (and not just about lighting!) and almost always free to members. Flyers are posted and e-mailed regularly and if you haven’t been receiving them it is possible that our contacts for you are out of date, so let us know and we’ll check. The 4th Knight of Illumination Awards take place in September, and to allow for the judging process we have to close the nomination process by end of May, so there are only a few weeks to go once you read this. Do please take the trouble to enter any work worthy of merit - either your own or someone else’s. There is a link on the STLD website, or else contact any committee member if you have any doubts how to do it. Lastly, the usual plea... if you have thoughts about meetings or articles, or any other opinions or suggestions then don’t keep them to yourself. This is your Society and we want it to be what you want. Contact any committee member and let us know what you think, and let your ideas make a difference. Bernie Davis

Contents 4

Jaunt to Jordan

Oled Conference

STLD Visit to Tate Britain

‘Allo ‘Allo - Duncan Brown

Return to Wembley

Obituary

Letters

Sponsor News

Insurance - Who Needs It?

Society Committee

Talking Point - Bill Klages

Society Sponsors

TV Lighting and Design is the journal of the Society of Television Lighting and Design and is published three times a year. ISSN 0957-2961

Deadlines for the next issue:Advertising copy : 31st January 2012. Editorial : 31st January 2012. Advertising is accepted only from sponsor members of the Society

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TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Editor: Bernie Davis E-mail: editor@stld.org.uk Magazine Production: Iain Davidson Editorial Address: 11 Bloomfield Crescent, Ilford, IG2 6DR Web: www.stld.org.uk Sponsor News: Richard Bowles Tel: 07973 152 682 E-mail: sponsornews@stld.org.uk Advertising: John King E-mail: adverts@stld.org.uk

Cover Picture:

STLD Visit

The Doughty Story Words: Paul Middleton and Julian Chiverton Photographs John O’Brien

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

It is nearly 8 years since the last visit by the STLD to Doughty Engineering. With the increasing globalisation in the entertainment industry it is good to see that some companies have a worldwide reputation without being part of a mega corporation.

So the STLD decided it was time for another visit. The usual Executive Coach was laid on to get members from London to Ringwood. We were greeted by Managing Director Julian Chiverton and then split into groups to tour the facility led by our guides, Dan Philips, Laurence Dyer, Mervyn Lister, Mark Chorley and Director Stephen Wright. Doughty Engineering began trading forty one years ago. Their mission in those early days was to manufacture trailers for companies such as Sainsburys. They ranged from small camping and boat trailers to 20 Tonne commercial truck trailers. By 1979 they were involved almost

totally in the production of low loaders and very specialized trailers. That side of the business continued until the mid eighties. The name Doughty came from the original owner of the company Mr Russell Doughty who sold up in the early years and emigrated to Perth Australia for his retirement.

In the seventies, Doughty started to design and manufacture attachments for Rough Terrain Forklift Trucks used in the farming and construction industries. In 1987 the Directors of Doughty recognised the early evidence of the approaching recession, and the company once again diversified into new areas. Thus they started making metalwork and bracketry for suspending lighting and sound equipment. This came about due to a local theatrical supply company who approached them to manufacture some bracketry. This company was AJS theatrical supplies who are on the same industrial estate in Ringwood. Adrian Sant - the owner at that time had asked Doughty to quote on the manufacture of 500 Hook clamps. Little did they know that this would be a major factor in the future of the company. They quoted Adrian for £1-00 each unaware that he was then paying over £2-00 each and selling them

Doughty

bolt to be held captive within the unit. Accordingly this makes the Doughty clamp extremely versatile. Many of their products have been developed from listening to their customers needs. One of these was the Truss lift which was developed for the smaller mobile performance venue where there are generally no hanging points.

They then decided to send a sample of the hook clamp at the same price to other major companies which included Stage Electrics, Lighting Technology and AC lighting, hoping to get a small response and maybe make a few hundred more hook clamps to increase the batch size they produced for AJS. At least 50% of the companies they approached came back with orders. They realised it was a great opportunity to take Doughty forward. They did a little investigation and were advised to exhibit at a trade show namely PLASA which proved very successful. This opened a whole new area “The Export Market” - which today accounts for around 50% of their business. They travelled to SIB in Rimini and then to Prolight & Sound in Frankfurt. They discovered that

the export customers had slightly different needs due to the vastly expanding truss market. The truss users were not overwhelmed with using standard hook clamps on their brightly polished truss. This was for a number of reasons, but mainly due to the fact that the hook clamps wing screw damaged the truss. This lead to the development of the aluminium half coupler known as the Doughty clamp. The T57000 half coupler was originally developed for the German market. They required a strong tested aluminium coupler that would not damage their Truss and pipe. They constructed the Doughty clamp from T6082 high tensile aluminium extrusion and had this unit tested and certified by the TUV in Germany. The TUV tested the unit with a vertical load to distortion with a 5:1 safety factor, this gave the Doughty clamp a 750 kg safe working load. It was just what their German customers were looking for. One simple but clever idea in the Doughty clamp is the M12 slot that runs through the clamp. This enables an M12

During this time they designed many other products from Lighting stands to a full range of

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

for around £3-50. He was overjoyed at the price and they then discovered there was a whole range of products that they could manufacture for AJS such as boom arms, safety chains and the like. This went on for the next 6 months and the relationship between the two companies grew.

A local rental company “Grapevine” was pushing them to develop such a stand so they developed the Truss lift - a three section 5 metre wind-up stand with a 200 kg load capacity. This stand was the Zodiac. Andy Trevett of “Grapevine” was so impressed with the new Zodiac and the other new products that they were developing that he came to Doughty in the role of Sales Manager where he stayed for seven years.

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securely locked off with the Tee handle. The Trigger clamp has a TUV certified safe working load of 200 kg. Ten years ago they made the bold step into the US market and opened up an office in California. There they discovered that there is no particular standard as to the size of tubing they use. This meant they had to develop new products for the market to fit these sizes. The Atom range of couplers fits on 25, 32 & 38mm tubes, the Mammoth clamps fit 60 - 63mm tube and the Quick Trigger is adjustable from 38 - 51mm tube.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Grip equipment for the TV/Film industry.

One other important product which has been a success in it’s own right is the Easydeck system. Easydeck is a modular performance system which is made up of 1 metre frames and deck panels. The units are held together with clips and channels meaning there is no need for any tools to be used. The systems has been extremely successful in schools, amateur groups and rental companies. Easydeck has a safe working load of 500 kg per square metre and can be stored on a 1 metre square dolly when not in use. Due to safety issues the common hook clamp has become unacceptable in many countries, in particular when moving lights are to be hung. Due to this in

2001 they developed the Trigger clamp range. These are constructed from high tensile aluminium extrusion. The design allows one person to hang moving lights or luminaries with ease. Once the unit is hung the bottom jaw of the clamp closes around the tube. This allows the unit to be easily positioned and

Julian pointed out that as we are all aware recent years have seen many changes in particular more stringent safety standards. At present most of their clamps are tested to a 5:1 safety factor by the TUV in Germany however, they have been informed that this is likely to change in the near future to 10:1. Over the years Doughty’s ability to fabricate special items to customers requirement and to carry stock of the more important items has led them create a vast range of products. The familiar Doughty Blue Book is currently in its Eighth Edition and now includes over 1,700 items. The Ringwood facility covers an area of 32,000 sq. ft and they employ around 60 people. On average they have around £1.5M of products in stock at any given time. However they can produce almost any item from their range with very little notice. As many of their products rely on Aluminium controlling costs is important. They now do as

Doughty

Many of the products are based on custom aluminium extrusions which are manufactured exclusively for Doughty. In the early days they didn’t take much notice of copyrighting designs, but they now take much more care to protect their ideas from being copied by the Chinese. The quality of finish of their products easily sets them apart from the counterfeiters.

Being green is also important and one of Julian’s best recent investments is an aluminium

From day one they have had a general engineering department. With their wide engineering background and ongoing investment in plant and machinery they can offer specialist engineering and subcontract facilities. They can manufacture the odd bracket from a freehand sketch, or work from full engineering or architects drawings. They can also offer in house Auto Cad design facilities and 3D modelling.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

many jobs as possible in-house, with the exception of painting and the casting of Stage Weights.

compactor. This takes all the swarf and off-cuts from the various processes and squeezes them into easily handled blocks that are about the size of a pack of butter. The compactor removes all the lubricating oil and they are able to sell the aluminium waste straight back to the smelting companies. Aluminium is 100% recyclable.

STLD Visit

STLD Visit to the RNLI

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Words: Stuart Gain Photographs John O’Brien

Having left Doughty we travelled onto Poole to the new HQ of the RNLI. Our first duty was to embark on lunch, which was a roast dinner (much appreciated by myself as I had missed out on the previous day’s home roast due to work commitments!). Following lunch our tour guides, Ron and Wendy showed us around the site. The HQ was built during 2003/4 and was opened by the Queen on 28 th July 2004. The main purpose of the new building is to provide a training college. Only about 10% of the crews are involved in the Maritime Profession so training is essential. The new college cost £25m to build and was designed by Architects based in St Ives, the funds being provided by ten benefactors. The interior design has many nautical themes and around 50 students are trained here each week. The college runs more than 30 courses and has international accreditation. There are some 5,000 RNLI Crew nationwide and it takes one year to train a new crewmember. The RNLI needs £150m a year to run and rely entirely on donations for all its income, 60% of which comes from Will Bequests. The college generates additional income from the hire of rooms and it also has a 60 Bedroom Hotel, which is available to RNLI Members (being one

myself I think I will be using this at some point in the near future!) The RNLI has been in Poole since the 1970’s and the site of the new building was formally a motor torpedo builder during the war years before being a chemical factory prior to the RNLI taking over the site. The quayside is used to house spare lifeboats and is also used to repair boats. The highlight of the tour was to view the lifeboat simulator and sur-

vival pool. The main simulator is a replica of a Tamar Class lifeboat wheelhouse complete with 7 video projectors to provide the view from the windows. This provides a safe but realistic environment for the crews to train in and all weather conditions can be simulated. Whilst in there we were treated to a tanker on fire complete with obstacles to navigate. It seemed only fitting that your Chairman (yours truly) should

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TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

take the helm and manoeuvre around Destroyers, Small Boats and even a Submarine. I’m glad to report I was not in charge of a “sinking ship” and all went well! One of the party had noticed a bucket in the corner and asked what it was for. Apparently the sessions in the simulator can be so realistic that crewmembers are on occasions seasick (hence the bucket!!). I must say having been in there for around ten minutes the sensation of movement was strong and I, for one, was glad lunch had been digested!

The Survival Pool has a depth of 5m, a minimum water temperature of 20°c, can produce 1.5m waves and has five different weather conditions. Many different tasks are undertaken in this pool but the one most crew least like is the rescue following an abandon ship order. This entails jumping into the pool, from a height, getting into a life raft and being winched to safety from the raft. Doesn’t sound too bad until you throw in the fact this is done in total darkness with a full storm in progress complete with thunder and lighting (the lighting

being produced by a number of strobe lights) oh, and I should mention you have to stay in the raft for 40 minutes to simulate the time taken to be rescued by helicopter with the wave machine on maximum! (rather them than me I think!). The second part of the trip was a talk given by John Nurser who is Principal of Electronics Engineering Design. His department comes under the Engineering Office, which is responsible for all boat mainte-

RNLI

nance and design of new boats. CAD drawings are use throughout the design office with around 4,000 drawings being produced per boat. The RNLI has 156 all weather boats, 300 in shore boats, lifeguard boats, jet skis and even beach bikes! This is a long way on from when the RNLI was first founded in 1824 and now has Beach Life Guards operating on some 160 beaches around the country. Twenty-two rescues take place with eight lives saved every day. position being able to monitor every other position all off one screen rather than multiple screens. The use of a single monitor screen is new and the seat has controls built into it. All the onboard electronics (taking care of internal communications, radio, navigation, engine management, electrical systems, fire systems, bilge pumps, cctv and data logging all controlled via Windows NT) are built into a 19inch rack mount watertight cabinet, which is placed in a shock absorbent box. This new system

is also being introduced in a simpler version for smaller craft. The electronic system takes 2m 40s to start up. Following the excellent talk from John (who I should add gave us his time especially for our tour – many thanks John!) we adjourned to the bar for refreshments and took in the fabulous panoramic view of Poole Harbour (all be it in traditional not so good English weather!) This was an excellent day out and our thanks must go to Doughty and the RNLI as well as Mike Farmer (who organised the Poole end of the trip) and John O’Brien who sorted the London transport for the STLD. I would like to finish by mentioning that the STLD was able to make a donation to the RNLI and I’m sure that having visited them we have a much better idea of what they do and what a thoroughly worthwhile cause it is to support.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

The latest boats in the fleet are the Tamar Class. These replace the Tyne Class, which are being sold off to countries such as China. The Tamar has twin engines doing a top speed of 25 knots and is operated off a slipway. It has duration of 10 hours and can stay on task for 4 hours. It has a crew of 7, has room for 12 seated survivers but can carry a maximum of 104. When the boat is launched the engines are running and the craft is selfrighting. The interior of the boat has many new features with a new seat design and each crew

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STLD Visit to the Globe Theatre Words: Ian Dow Photographs: John O’Brien

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Val Alliez was the Guide for my half of the STLD contingent, and she herded us to a gap between two unremarkable buildings in Park Street. The site of the original Globe Theatre was uncovered here during the building of a car park in 1989, when the evidence of the stair towers was found, together with some coins. All that remains today is an observation platform, and an outline of the theatre set in stone in the surface of a yard.

There were three other theatres close by, the Rose, the Swan and the Hope, the last of which featured bear baiting! Val explained that this was quite a disreputable area, with narrow alleyways, running sewage in the foul smelling streets, and pubs catering for the theatre audiences. There was great competition between the theatres, and fights would break out as they disgorged their clientele. Shakespeare was one of the four actors who had a share in the Globe. His plays featured the names of many of the buildings, streets and pubs surrounding the Globe, and the local people would act as extras. Romeo and Juliet’s “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” is thought to be a disparaging reference to the rival Rose Theatre which stank from the Thames mud at low tide.

The original Globe lasted from 1599 for only a few years, as the thatched roof succumbed to a stray piece of wadding from a cannon fired on stage during a performance of Henry V111. It was rebuilt on the same site in

1613 with a tiled roof, but closed in 1644 under the Puritan movement. The reproduction Globe we know today is the only building in London built with a thatched roof since the Great Fire of London in 1666, and only

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TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

then permitted after a long battle with the Health and Safety fraternity!

The Great Fire of London remarkably caused only 6 deaths, and as Val took us down the alleyways that Shakespeare would have known she pointed out that as the buildings increased in height they extended over the alleyway, so allowing people to escape fire by jumping across to the building opposite. This also meant it was difficult for pedestrians to avoid being drenched as chamber pots were emptied out of the top windows into the central gutter– a bit like exiting an OB Scanner at the old Wembley Stadium during an England-Scotland game! Continuing to the banks of the Thames we were able turn our backs to the river and appreciate the reincarnation of the Globe Theatre. It took an American actor, Sam Wanamaker, to spur us into action. He first arrived in the UK in 1949, then returned in 1970 to found the Shakespeare

Globe Trust. Sadly he died in 1993, but his actress daughter Zoe Wanamaker spoke on his behalf at the opening in 1997, the only woman who has been allowed on stage at the Globe. As you look at the balcony on the front of the International Shakespeare Globe Centre you will see scrolled into the ironwork of the railings the mirror image initials of William Shakespeare and Sam Wanamaker.

600, facing the elements of sun, cold, and rain. We were surrounded by three vertically stacked balconies which can take another 900 audience members. The stage was surprisingly high at 5ft, such that those in the front row could lean on the stage and stare right up at the actors. Val told us that it also worked the other way round, and she had been shouted at by an actor as she hadn’t been concentrating on his words!

Before we entered the theatre Val explained that the £6million funds for the Globe were raised with no government support, and she showed us her own name inscribed on a paving stone to recognise her donation – it’s the one where they park the coffee cart!

The theatre was constructed of oak, requiring 1000 trees to be felled, with the “marble” pillars on the stage simply painted. A high ceiling covered about half of the stage, and was decorated with the signs of the Zodiac. It incorporated a trap door, as did the stage, so allowing basic flying and disappearances. The productions used very little set or furniture, as the words were regarded as more important than reality. It is not really known whether they may have used murals or tapestries as a back-

We then joined the rest of our contingent and entered the yard of the theatre where David Pearce, who directs shows at the Globe, was our host. We were in the standing area, which can hold

drop. Shakespeare’s actors were appearing in the modern dress of the day. There were no tabs, so any dead bodies had to remain on stage, then make a discreet exit at the interval! The audience could eat and drink during the performances, but were entreated not to smoke, not to throw food at the actors, and not to pee on the ground! Today’s performances don’t use any lighting in the afternoon, but use general illumination in the evening, so that the actors can see the audience as in the original theatre. We could see a collection of PAR 56s, pinspots, and birdies, generally mounted on the front of the balconies, and spot the modern obligatory water sprinklers discreetly positioned! Initially the floor was treated traditionally with hazelnut shells (probably from the soap factory next door) on compacted earth, but it wasn’t practical and so we were simply standing on concrete.

Bernie Davis then took to the stage, firstly to thank Val and David for their hospitality, then to tell us of his experience in first lighting the Globe for television 8 years ago. On the recce he thought that the stage looked pretty bright, until he got out his lightmeter and measured only 10 lux! The productions were Measure for Measure, and Richard 11, directed by Mark Ryland. He used a theatrical style rig with cross lighting, using profiles for the far side of the stage and Par Cans the near side, with some fill light from the front, and fresnels on the audience. The dimmers were rigged behind the stage. He had the lights on right from the start in daylight, and one problem was the difficulty of focussing round the pillars which are in the acting area. Bernie didn’t want to take out any boxes and managed to ratchet strap the lights to the beams, or to position

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Globe Theatre

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experience and was pleased that from the yard you only really saw the lenses. He was called back 2 years ago when a production team had tried to televise a production with no extra lighting, for a cinema relay and DVD release, and realised they needed to improve the lighting. The eye is remarkably adaptable, but the camera was struggling. Bernie found it a difficult job to keep the atmosphere for the audience whilst needing to compromise to serve the many more people watching through the medium of television.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

triangle truss across the beams. He also didn’t want to distract the audience from the “Globe”

As we exited through the exhibition area of the Shakespeare Globe Centre we were struck by how many lighting terms we still hear in our work today that were

penned by the bard so many centuries ago, well before the inven tion of television lighting:

“blinking idiot” “seen better days” “the game is up”

““foul play” “in a fools paradise”

“it’s Greek to me”

“We’d better lie low” “without rhyme or reason”

“bloody minded” “dead as a doornail!”

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TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

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Pre-AGM visit to Daybreak at ITV Studios with Matt Carter

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Words: Eric Samuel Photographs John O’Brien

Prior to the STLD AGM held at the ITV South Bank Studios in March, the STLD were offered the opportunity of a guided tour of the “new’ studios. These “new” Studios are in fact principally one large area (paced!) 24ft x 60ft - 8m x 20m with 4 Quattro peds and 2 hand held plus tripods. Matt Carter (Head of Lighting & Vision for ITV Daybreak) introduced us all to the principal point of the studio, that in May 2010 Daybreak, the replacement for

GMTV had to get a VIEW, an exterior view of the London skyline along the Thames. This view, to enable the studio to be taken “outside of itself”, faces East and the rising sun (when it is not raining!). Varying intensity and colour temperature would cause issues; it was not that the idea was a bad one, just how do we make it work technically? Options of correcting tungsten light sources with blue gel, or using HMI daylight balanced lamps were being ruled out due

to both power supply and heat generation. The key to this was Smart Glass a relatively new product and the only product like it on the market at the time of installation. Just as window glass can be coated with neutral density or perforated screening to cut down the transmitted light, Smart Glass works on the principal of aligning the crystals within the glass so that the density is either increased or decreased depending upon the level of current.

Daybreak

Along with the studio build was the requirement that the Gallery should be on the same level and be completed within the May to September “off air” period. Gallery was up graded to full HD. “Stage Electrics provided equipment for us to test. We tested an ETC Palletta Vivid lamp against a 1.2Kw HMI source, and the intensity levels were higher on the ETC unit. The overall beam spread of the ETC unit is only 22º, so much narrower than the

HMI, but the output was more than sufficient for the role required. We use Vivids as the key sources and Lustrs as the fill/backlights.” The kit from the US would take a week to rig alongside the fight to build the set – not a very large “window” of time. Lighting support consist of short rails of 1.5m length connecting across long rails. They have around 2000 DMX channels running into the studio, across 4 DMX universes and 32 Mac 250 moving lights with a mixture of wash

and Entours. It is all driven by an ETC Congo Jnr. “The lowest level we can realistically run the windows at is about 11% from fully closed. Due to the characteristics of the glass, the ‘tint’ becomes very blue, rather than a Neutral Density. This means that the windows appear to be running in the 7000k colour temperature range. Using the 7 colour LED system available on the Vivid & Lustr kit, we can wind the blue out of the cameras to sufficiently return the window to a natural colour, whilst winding in the blue and cyan level and reducing

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TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

The cost of these glass panels in 2010 was £1000 per sq Meter. 150 sq meters were required giving the total spend of £150,000

Lighting

the red and amber levels in the lights to compensate.” ‘With the range of control of the cameras, plus the range of control over the windows and lights, it does mean that there are many variables to cope with. We overcame that problem by lining up the cameras on a grey scale chart under controlled conditions. Then we lined up the Vivid & Lustr kit using the same chart and camera, thus giving ourselves a ‘standard’ by which we can adjust everything to. The overall cost of the project from purely a lighting sense (Not counting the windows or their control) was £170,000 or 20% of the overall budget for the new set and studio move.”

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Adjustments would be made on the Commercial break. As the light increases the windows reach their 11% limit and the cameras are adjusted to remove the blue from the “outside” Smartglass cannot be tilted at more than a 10 degree angle, and

so reflections cannot be avoided using this method). Chroma Floods are used for decorative purposes and also ArchiLEd Studio Due 300’s The windows are controlled by an ETC Paradigm dimmer unit. Each section of window is 1 DMX channel and can be controlled either by a control unit in the studio or control room, via the Lighting desk, or in full ‘Auto’ mode, when the light harvesters attached to the outside of the building take over complete control. Studio production schedule has a stagger through rehearse time with the script at 04.00, with a fuller and proper rehearsal between 05.00 and 06.00 This is followed by any opportunity that they get during Commercial breaks. All run by only 3 people; LD, vision director and a console operator. The Lustr & Vivid units have a Hampshire frost over them to

soften and spread the beam. The Indian Cricket show and the Al Jazeera football show have both used the studio now, and have not needed to radically change the colour balance of the lights, although as their shows were both afternoon/evening shows, some colour changes to the set were required. Polarizing “rainbows” can appear when viewing the glass at an angle. LEDs are built into the set and the set itself built up to avoid the shelf outside. The uplighters are wireless The average power consumption for the old GMTV show was 120 amps per phase across 3 phases. We now draw around 75 amps on one single phase for the entire rig. Our thanks to ITV Studios for hosting the event

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STLD Visit to the RSC Stratford Upon Avon Theatre Words: Mike Baker Photographs John O’Brien

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

To go (to Stratford) or not to go, that is the question.

The answer was easy enough, I hadn’t been on an STLD trip for some considerable time and it was about time that I did. The last time I had been to Stratford was whilst sitting in for two weeks lighting Teletubbies for Chris Watts some years ago. It was quite a surreal experience sitting in a restaurant after a day’s shooting, eating a meal with Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa Laa and Po. Stratford is also just an Inky Dink’s throw from BBC Wood Norton, formerly known as C.B.S.T. (Centre for Broadcast Skills Training) and now known as BBC Academy where, sadly, one can wander around the old brick buildings without bumping into a single staff Tutor. I know, because along with other freelancers, I have had the still pleasurable task of sharing lighting technique with young people who actually want to learn off ‘Old grippers’ like myself. The Academy seems to be in a tail spin of potentially terminal decline as more as more BBC Teaching staff are put out to graze in pastures unknown. I hope not, as I, along with many readers have spent many happy hours there over the years gradually increasing my knowledge of all the bits of BBC technique and practice that actually makes us employable as freelancers in the big TV world out there.

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Enough of my meanderings; to the main event. The coach duly left from London at the appointed hour and arrived bang on time on one of the hottest days of the year to join an already considerable gathering of STLD and ALD members and guests from other parts of the country. From our meeting point on the first floor of the complex, we had a view of swans, tourists, locals, river Avon et al enjoying wall to wall sunshine and balmy Mediterranean temperatures. Of course, being lighting people, there is no better place to be on such a day than being in a windowless black box using electricity to magically create a similar ambience to what the man in the sky did effortlessly outside. Before such magic was to take place, caffeine intake had to be completed amidst fraternal greetings between attendees such as myself trying to remember names (in some cases) and places at which we had last met. Andrew Dixon was the wizard who had helped to arrange the day and he kept popping up with relevant info during the day. Being a wizard, he doesn’t, of course, ever look any older.

On the stage before us were other magicians who were collectively responsible for what we were about to see for ourselves. Andy Hayles of Charcoalblue who designed the installation was first to describe how the concept of the thrust stage combined with an intimate tiered audience seating would be more appropriate to audiences at the world’s most famous Shakespearean theatre, bar none. Before restoration the seating capacity (with the proscenium arch) had been 1400, now it was 1140. Andy suggested that most people would guess at being considerably less. As we were to witness later, the thrust stage allows a much more involving situation for the actors and their audience than the former traditional proscenium arch. However, it was also pointed out that should it be desired at some time in the future, it could revert without too much fuss. Because of the new layout, acoustics was another ‘black art’ that had to be tackled. In order to help the actors’ voices to be heard clearly all over the auditorium without electronic reinforcement, the walls had to be angled at two and a half degrees to the vertical to enable sound to be reflected slightly downwards so that clarity of speech is achieved to the

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Coffee cups barely empty and we were whisked off to the auditorium with Andrews’s words floating in the air behind him: ‘prepare to be impressed!’ and Lo, we were.

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Andy Hales of Charcoalblue

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

part of the audience which is not benefitting from direct sound or sound ‘bouncing’ off the stage surface, typically when an actor is facing away from the area to one side of the thrust stage. Not three, not two but two and a half. That apparently gave the architect a challenge that he probably didn’t expect: surely walls are meant to be vertical? I checked this detail out with Nicholas Edwards of Acoustic Dimensions when I was unsure of whether the angle of tilt was ‘up’ or ‘down’. He went on to tell me that the parterre (balcony) fronts were angled upwards at five and a half degrees also as part of the acoustic treatment of the auditorium.

RSC’s head of lighting, Vince Herbert was next in line to explain how to achieve all that you want in the way of lighting suspension in the 21st century simply by applying the modern equivalent of witchcraft: eye of newt, toe of a frog etc: simply use Health and Safety rules to your advantage! By pointing out the undoubted ‘hazards’ of the ‘bad old days of changing lanterns using ropes, harnesses and shaky ladders the new arrangements of having all lanterns on sophisticated hoists in a ‘cluster’ arrangement would achieve green lights in the H & S department. Now when I was a lighting ‘lad’ we called them ‘barrels’ but I have to say a lighting ‘cluster’ is a probably a more accurate description of usually two lanterns or luminaires in close proximity on a piece of fairly substantial metalwork which can be raised and lowered by a very quiet, sophisticated and computer controlled electric motor system running on a 600volts DC bus. The positional accuracy was such that clusters could certainly be part of the action should that be necessary in a performance.

Vince Herbert

RSC

Another rather clever bit of technology was the innovative RSC ‘Lightlock’ magic box on top of each cluster that prevents a moving head inducing an equal and opposite movement in the suspension cables which would clearly be not good news. It was demonstrated to us live; and to great effect. The clusters had one more trick up their electrical sleeves: local dimmers actually close to the units which can Lighting cluster hoist be controlled by the ubiquitous DMX. The specially fabricated cables avoided slip rings by a continuous loop which as well as 32amp single phase also had DMX and Ethernet within its outer sheath. Those of us on the non-magic side of the stage were invited to ask questions.

Jonathan Porter-Goff of Stage Electrics who installed all the kit was next up to tell us that not only had the RSC drawn together a wealth of theatrical expertise into the team that was to bring the RSC into the 21st century with little kicking and hopefully no screaming. 3D rendered auto cad design enabled the client to not only see important detail but to see potential problems before they arose. As I always preach when doing lighting training; it’s far easier to change things at the planning stage than on Show day in the studio. Jonathan Porter Goff

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Q Was there a brief for utilising low energy lighting? A No, not yet! Q Was sound reinforcement used? A Only for specific effects and live music which is relayed from a dedicated music studio elsewhere in the building. Q Sinewave dimming; could you tell us more? A Sinewave dimming is used to reduce noise of ‘singing’ filaments due to the non magic ways that thyristors work. The good news is that the dimming exceeds expectations; the less good news is that sine wave dimmers are twice as big and twice as expensive as their forebears.

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Jonathan shared with us some of the stats: 350 miles of cable (no kilometres here in the heart of England). The stat to please the bead counters, client and punters alike was that the project finished on budget and on time. Although I’m not sure that punters is quite right to describe audiences to arguably England’s most famous theatre. Q Tell us about the house lighting. A Well, it’s not just for programme reading, it is used artistically to make the audience look ‘good’. A bit like Telly, then?

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Although it had always been an aspiration to light the many pillars in an interesting way, budgetary constraints had not allowed it in the early development stages. We were told how the new ‘LEDs on the block’ had been incorporated in lighting the many columns surrounding the auditorium at quite a late stage in the development thus illustrating the need to keep up with the rapid changes in technology (and prices!). Jonathan then invited the lighting control magicians to ‘play a tune on the columns’. Promptly the many columns did illustrate a very non Shakespearean disco routine of their own volition. Allegedly.

There followed an organised tour through the labyrinthine corridors that also hide many of the secrets of ‘below stairs’. Part of the rebuilding ethos was to separate the techy bits from the human acting bits resulting in the tiered ‘wedding cake’ bridges. Flying actors and actresses are given level four (just above the upper audience level) whilst moving lanterns have their own cosy space on level five. The nerve centre of the operation was another cosy control room where stage automation (hoist and cluster control) sat alongside the stage manager (seated well above but within sight of the stage via a large window) and the operator of the Grand Ma lighting console. Oh, and there was a sound control room somewhere too!

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TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

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Our brains brimming with techy stuff, we had the opportunity to sample some of James Thomas’s Pixelrange of LED fixtures. They were perhaps not given the best situation to display their wares; the gallery was not exactly blessed with neutral greys to show colour purity and intensity. However, I had my first sight of the Pixelsmart with its 61 individually addressable LEDs which combine RGBW with warm White LEDS. It was doing a passable impression of a fire flicker on a distant part of the gallery ceiling. There were also examples of their Smartline 4 and 6 ‘intelligent’ slimline fully programmable high power ‘wash’ RGBW LEDs. Wash light is something that LEDs do well. As for faces, they are getting better as C.R.I.s creep towards Tungsten’s magic ‘100’ but I think many L.D.’s remain to be convinced. I for one would like to see a fixture whose correlated colour temperature could be lower than 3200K. when used for fill light, for example. Once more, I digress. It was time for a quick bite of lunch before we were shown to our seats to watch the matinee performance of ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’. I naively expected to see a very traditional performance. My naivety was washed away in what, at times, was a stimulating example of good theatre lighting. The luxury of a long slow lighting change is part of theatrical magic that we TV people sadly cannot enjoy. ‘No more than two colours and white’ was time and time again

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Let me be completely honest about a couple of minor niggles of our seating positions up on level three. The seating can best be described as ‘cosy’ with leg contact with ones neighbours being assured. A bit like a Ryanair experience. It was also somewhat sauna like. Yes, it was the hottest day of the year outside, but was the air con on? Or were the RSC on a low carbon crusade? And finally, the sight lines. I know from chatting to others that many of us suffered seeing rather less of the action than we would have liked. Leaning forward helped, but I estimated that I was still ‘not seeing’ about 30 per cent of the acting area. That said, the overall experience was excellent and thanks must go to the organisers for what was a most enjoyable day. And it wasn’t over yet: Wizard Dixon had us all seated for a dinner (at half past four in the afternoon) that had us all enjoying a fine meal accompanied by equally good wine (other beverages were available). Indeed, some of us were seated around a round table that King Arthur would have been proud of. We ‘special’ people were seated at the same hallowed table that H.M. Queen Elizabeth had eaten only a few moons previously. Allegedly. Warm handshakes and farewells all round and then it was our turn to magically disappear into the warm summers evening. Not so much a Midsummer Nights Dream, more a case of a Late Summer Lighting Fest. Excellent stuff; when’s the next one?

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

proved to be a good working rule. I particularly enjoyed the carefully arranged dapples giving ‘forest floor at night’ effects on the thrust stage. At times, it was quite mesmerising; especially from our high viewpoint.

Obituary The passing of a friend or colleague often brings back many memories of past events and experiences. So it was with the news of John Mason who died on 26th March 2011. Most people will remember him as a very strong willed and determined person with a personality that endeared him to those he met. Together with an infectious laugh, he left us with a feeling of well being and glad to have spent moments in his company. John was just two weeks older than me and we first met on the TV Entry Course at Evesham. We both attended three other courses together and our careers in Outside Broadcast ran parallel with promotions at the same time. Consequently, we never worked together. We did actually play Rugby together on two occasions for the BBC Club but he was really too good for us and returned to his Old Elthamians team. Following the early years of training and gaining experience in Outside Broadcasts, opportunities soon opened up as a result of expansion with the opening of BBC2. Strangely enough, John was working on Sound at the time and his first promotion was to become a Sound Supervisor. Soon after this, vacancies occurred for Engineering Manager and John was again successful in obtaining promotion. Lighting on location was part of an Engineering Manager’s duties although usually restricted to those who showed aptitude for it. Photography was a lifetime passion of John’s and he was well into it even before his days with the BBC. His darkroom with enlarger, was in his mother’s bathroom where we made enlargements of portraits which we both submitted for a selection board to attend a Lighting Course. We were both successful in getting a Lighting Course which was a great bonus for our eventual Engineering Manager promotion. The seventies and eighties were the great years for BBC Television with innovations in Production ideas; great advances in technology and camera performances and the coming of Colour. An experimental Drama Location Unit was built with two cameras, to supplement some of the work previously done on film. Although it had a mixed reception at first, a lot of hard work and persistence was done by a few of our senior colleagues. As time went on, John had the chance to work with this unit more and more and built himself a very good reputation and success.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Full recognition came with two BAFTA awards for The Box of Delights in 1984 and for the Chronicles of Narnia in 1989. There were also two BAFTA nominations for Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 1990 and The Silver Chair in 1991. John was even more thrilled with awards from his peers in the Society of Lighting Directors and in particular the presentation made to him by Sir Paul Fox CBE for excellence of lighting of the BBC Television production of The Chronicles of Narnia.

In retirement, John continued his enthusiasm for photography with experimental photos of leaves frozen in ice and illuminated and a new Christmas Card photo each year. He was a member of The Beckenham Photographic Society and exhibited his work in exhibitions and shows again winning awards. His courage, determination and resilience were put to the test back in 1995 when aneurisms necessitated a harrowing series of operations which resulted in the loss of his leg above the knee. John bounced back from the surgery, vowed that he would never use a stick and set out to break the record for becoming mobile on his artificial leg. Nursing staff looked on proudly as he “graduated” by cavorting up and down the ward, trying to improve his time over a specially constructed obstacle course. Shortly after his release from hospital, I went with another colleague to take him out to a pub for lunch. On the way to his house we discussed how to get to the pub. We met him at the house and he was using a walking stick; at the pub he insisted I drove to the car park rather than to the front door and when he got out of the car he threw his walking stick inside and said he would not need it. We were amazed by his determination. All those who knew John, I am sure, will enjoy the memories of times spent in his company. We would like to extend our sympathies to Sue, his widow, his children Simon and Georgina and their families and to his brother Richard who gave us help in preparing this article. John Wiggins

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STLD Visit to the RSC Stratford Upon Avon Theatre Written by: Ken Bennett-Hunter Article reproduced by kind permission of the ABTT When it came to the re-building of the RST the Royal Shakespeare Company had a number of advantages which are not given to all. This first is that they had a very clear understanding of the nature of their operation. As Artistic Director Michael Boyd notes, “It is our destiny to be a repertoire company”. They had the chance of a full year’s operation in the temporary Courtyard Theatre, in Boyd’s words “a 1:1 prototype”. He notes that this is “a situation which I believe to be unique in the history of a performing arts building”.

But perhaps most importantly, they had on hand experienced staff and a group of actors who knew the Company and knew what was required of them. They were closely involved with the design, planning and commissioning process. Architects and theatre consultants, project managers and building contractors all worked closely with the RSC staff who will be operating the building. There were two building working parties, one for FOH and one for the technical departments, which met regularly throughout the project. In addition several RSC staff were ‘embedded’ with the project team. And, for example, a number of dressing room configurations were mocked up for actors to use and comment on. The benefits of this approach are clear.

Photo: Stewart Hemley

“Undiluted joy” is how artistic director Michael Boyd describes his response to the RSCs new theatre, and among directors and staff there is a general feeling of confidence and pride.

TV Lighting and Design Spring 2011

They also had some very clear basic conceptual ground rules. The stage was to be a deep thrust and the old proscenium wall and the original back wall of the auditorium were to be preserved.

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This is essentially a re-build rather than a refurbishment, and yet there is plenty that is familiar. At a glance the outside of the building looks much as it did and the foyer also remains recognisable. However the footprint of the auditorium is smaller than before and administration offices have been moved to a new building across the road. This allows for much increased public space. Next to a 37 metre high viewing tower, there is a new entrance on the ‘town’ side of the building which opens directly into a new spacious colonnade leading to the entrance to the Swan Theatre and linking the entrances to the RST and the Swan for the first time. To the left is the old foyer complete with the former, listed, box office, although this now ‘flies’ to above head height at performance times to expose one of three openings in what was the back wall of the auditorium. These openings lead to a striking full height inner circulation area which has the boards of the old stage as its floor. On the other side of the building, the former narrow riverside walkway has become a wide public terrace and on the top floor above the foyer is a new restaurant. A feature of this is a couple of theatre seats high on the wall which show where the back row of the upper circle was in the old auditorium. Of course the auditorium is the focus of the new configuration. Seating for 1140 (down from the old RST’s 1400) is on three levels. The acoustics seem to be excellent and the benefits of working in the Courtyard are in evidence here with acoustic panels carefully angled to bounce sound to audience on the opposite side of the thrust.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Having committed to a deep thrust stage and to preserving both the back wall of the old auditorium and the original proscenium wall, perhaps the most important decision was to provide a seven metre flytower over the thrust stage and to excavate a seven metre deep double level basement below it.

There are no bridges above the area of the thrust, giving flying space across the whole area. Access is from two galleries which follow the outline of the thrust stage above the third level of seating. The lower one is access for flown actor entrances, the higher is a technical gallery and slightly overhangs the lower one. The grid contains a new modular dual winch system, designed by Trekwerk b.v. in collaboration with theatre consultants Charcoalblue and the RSC, which allows for motorised flying points for the suspension of technical equipment or scenery and performer flying anywhere across the thrust stage or within the original flytower. A more detailed description of this follows on p?? The flexibility available in the flytower above the thrust provided by the absence of lighting bridges

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TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

The lighting clusters with moving lights Photo: Stewart Hemley

or conventional flying bars is made workable by a system of individual motorised lighting hoists, now colloquially named the ‘lighting clusters’. These units provide an adaptable rigging system for lighting that would otherwise be difficult to reach within a thrust-stage auditorium. As Gavin Owen of Charcoalblue notes: “The success of the lighting clusters has only been made possible through the development of the RSC Lightlock, designed by the RSC’s Head of Lighting, Vince Herbert. With a Lightlock on each cluster it is possible to use a moving light on what is essentially a trapeze arrangement, without the momentum of the fixture being transferred onto the rigging position, which would otherwise create unwanted and prolonged ‘wobble’.” When necessary, the lighting clusters can be tracked to the section of the top technical gallery which runs across the back of the auditorium, loaded onto special trolleys and wheeled a few yards to a large lighting workshop for repair or storage. This area is also close to the control room, which overhangs the auditorium and has floor to ceiling windows. A raised gallery at the back of the room allows lighting designers or other visitors to observe without getting in the way. The excavation of the basement was one of the most difficult aspects of the work. Digging into the floodplain for the River Avon was a major engineering feat, but the space and its scenic lift allows a further aid to repertoire change-overs. The depth means that actors or scenery below stage can be low enough to be masked even from the topmost seats in the auditorium. Behind the proscenium the original stage area has similarly flexible flying possibilities and also has a large lift area. Achieving full flying and understage facilities in a thrust format was an ambitious aim but the customised winch system and Lightlock are good examples of the latest technology providing for scenic and lighting facilities in circumstances which would make it difficult or impossible without them. The thrust stage can be entered, not just across the original stage, but also from just in front of the old prosc and from two downstage gangways. To facilitate this there are no doors on the auditorium and the wrap-around entrance passages have quick-change areas, prop cupboards and prop-table areas. These can be concealed by red curtains as the audience come in. There are no exit signs in the auditorium itself; they are located on the wall of the access passages on the grounds that they can easily be seen from the auditorium through the doorways. As architect Rab Bennett observed, “the auditorium is in the play”. It should also be noted that the thrust can be reconfigured to be wider and shallower. The balcony sections nearest the old prosc can be extended across the proscenium opening to provide an ‘in-the-round’ format or, indeed, they can be removed altogether.

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Backstage, all dressing rooms have a balcony overlooking the river and all technical offices, on the other side of the building, have daylight. The backstage canteen and the rehearsal room on the top floor have access to a terrace which overlooks the river and the park beyond. Again with the needs of repertoire in mind, the dressing room corridors have caged off areas for the easy storage of wardrobe rails of costumes for shows which are not being performed for a day or two. So called ‘dressing stations’ provide a refuge in the dressing room corridor for a mirror, seats for dressers and drawers and cupboards for general consumable items such as T-shirts. Each department - automation, lighting, sound and scenery – have their own running workshop on site and wig-making and the armoury are also in the main building. There is a permanent, disabled accessible quick change room near the stage and a well-equipped running prop room. The location of a painters’ sink was, as is so often the case, a bit of a problem. However this was solved by the discovery of a German manufacturer who made a mobile one. It has its own permanent position in a recess just backstage but can be wheeled to where it is needed. If there are no water or drainage points to plug it into it has its own tank and can recycle the water. Everyone should have one! Throughout the building are small CCTV relay screens, switchable between the RST and the Swan stages. Everywhere there are small kitchenettes so that no one is ever far from a restorative cup of coffee. A large open plan office has facilities for stage management and visiting creative teams.

One difficulty with the location of the RST is that every elevation looks on to public spaces. This means that the get-in cannot be away from public view. Those who have reservations about Leicester Curve’s get-in across the foyer will have a slight shiver to discover a similar arrangement here. However, there are key differences. The seasonal repertoire system of the RSC and the much increased storage in the building mean that major get-ins are not all that frequent. In addition, the scenery crosses only the colonnade, and so does not interfere with most FOH areas. The floor is reinforced and at tailboard height and the area can be securely sealed off from public access with full sized shutters. And I haven’t even mentioned the sound editing room or the recording suite or the ground floor greenroom. I have no doubt that audiences will love this new Theatre. But for those that work there it is clear that the influence of practitioners has been crucial in producing a building that is ‘fit for purpose’, from the vision of the directors to those who have provided a safe, flexible and efficient way of providing it. Undiluted joy, indeed. Charcoalblue describes the overstage flying and lighting cluster systems The overstage system within the new RST provides a flexible, modular system for the suspension of technical equipment, flying of scenic elements and the potential for performer flying. The grid over the thrust Photo: Sarah Rushton-Read

The system comprises 60 dual winches, each with a maximum payload of 400kg, which have been

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Less obvious is the work which has been done to the Swan Theatre. Flying space has been freed up due to a reconfiguration of the air handling system and the front three rows will soon be on a double-height lift so that the lower level can be raised to stage height, scenery loaded on and then lowered to understage storage.

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designed and developed for the RSC by Trekwerk b.v. in collaboration with Charcoalblue and the RSC technical team. Each winch features two separate rope drums with their own gearboxes powered by a single motor. These drums can be operated in tandem or individually, which means that the system can provide up to 120 separate suspension points. The dual winches are mounted into mother-frames arranged around the thrust stage, at either end of the slot zone (a 2 metre deep zone running the width of the stage sited immediately downstage of the old proscenium) and within the grid in the flytower above the original stage. As well as providing a structural connection point, these eleven mother-frames provide the power and control infrastructure for the dual winches and mean that each of the 60 winches can be moved into any one of 104 positions. A series of travelling beams have been installed both above the thrust grid and the flytower grid, whilst a number of fixed channels are sited within the slot zone. These elements accept a number of different pulley accessories which allow for both vertical and horizontal diversion of winch lines, meaning points can be easily rigged anywhere above the stage.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

The system is powered by a 600V DC Bus which features regenerative technology, meaning that when elements are flying down, and thus assisted by gravity, excess power is stored within the system to be utilised by elements being flown up, resulting in an overall reduction of power consumption across the entire system.

Control is provided by a number of Trekwerk TNM consoles which can be deployed in various positions throughout the Theatre. These consoles have been provided with bespoke software which features a 3D visualisation of the new RST space to assist with offline editing. The control system allows for the grouping of a number of winches as well as the recording and accurate playback of a series of cues. The control system gives real-time feedback on position and load. Lighting Cluster System Another essential part of the overstage system is the provision of a system of ‘lighting clusters’ which provide rigging positions for lighting equipment over and around the thrust stage. There are 30 clusters which sit within a series of tracks over the auditorium and can be moved into any of 53 different positions. Each cluster has a single winch which provides four lines to support a head end. There is also an integral composite cable reel which provides 32A 1-phase power, Ethernet and DMX to

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the cluster head. The cluster heads can be lowered to the stage for rigging or alternatively rigged at height on an adjacent gallery and then tracked into position. The vertical position can be set locally or via the global control system, and their inclusion within this control system also offers the possibility for adjustment within performance for artistic reasons. For the RSC Each cluster can support a Project director Peter Wilson payload of 120kgs and is priDeputy project director Simon Harper marily intended for the suspension of 2 moving lights. Project co-ordinators Flip Tanner The RSC currently deploy an Belinda Aird armoury of VL1000s, VL500s and Martin TW1s Deputy technical director Peter Bailey amongst others. The deployment of moving lights in this way has been made possible through the development of Architects Bennetts Associates the innovative RSC Lightlock which compensates for the Theatre Consultants Charcoalblue movement of the fixture and Engineers and transport consultants Buro Happold prevents momentum being Construction management Mace transferred into the rigging system. Acoustic consultant Acoustic Dimensions Project management and This article first appeared in strategic planning advisors Drivers Jonas Deloitte the Winter 2010-2011 issue of Quantity surveyors and Sightline planning supervisors Gardner & Theobald

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Showing the flytower over the thrust stage and the upper level of basement taken from just behind the proscenium Photo: Stewart Hemley

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TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

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ADB The new, purpose-built MDR high definition television studio in Erfurt, Germany, where programmes for the popular children’s channel Kika are filmed, has upgraded its lighting system to feature 28x ADB ALC4 multipurpose modular luminaires in the role of asymmetrical Cyclorama lights. A new studio and the show’s switch to HD entailed a new concept in lighting. Camera operators at the

Compiled by Richard Bowles – sponsornews@stld.org.uk

Thomas Jacobs of ADB Germany, which supplied the new luminaires to MDR, said that the pre-existing facilities, with 90 kilowatts of light, were no longer acceptable, as the standards of illumination intensity and uniformity have changed greatly with high definition television. There is a much higher demand on the uniformity of the light and the differences in light levels created by using Fresnel lens spotlights would not deliver that uniformity. After a series of tests of LED cyclorama lights, the Kika lighting team found ADB’s ALC4 as the only luminaire that met its uniformity demands. In fact, the ALC4 well outperformed the specification with a deviation of just +/- 35 lux, and clearly proved its advantage in homogeneity compared to halogen lights. The 28 ALC4s, each fitted with an asymmetrical reflector, are hung above the camera view area at around 3 m high, spaced apart by 2.4 m, filling the cyclorama evenly down into the floor curve. Toni Schulz, lighting director of MDR, said that the ALC4s deliver the uniform and easily controllable light that they required - and are also light in weight, consume much less power than conventional lights and had lower installation costs because they don’t require dimmers or as much cabling – all of which makes them an excellent addition to our HDTV lighting setup. The modular ALC4, with a growing range of interchangeable reflectors and barndoors, can be used as a cyclorama light, side light, footlight or any lighting design requiring uniform areas of light, for

theatres, television studios or tours. Its palette of 1 million internally mixed fringe-free colours includes pure yellow and soft ambers, and a white light range from 2700K to 6500K.

Architainment

Architainment Lighting Ltd has expanded its Technical Services department with the addition of two new team members. Jonathan Adkins has been appointed to the role of Technical Services Manager and Ian Davies joins as Technical Services Engineer. In addition to a growth in business, the company has found that projects are demonstrating a technical complexity that demands greater attention from the technical services team. Expanding the team was imperative in order to continue to fulfil services such as commissioning, programming, specifying and integrating control systems to the high standard for which the company is known. Jonathan comes to Architainment from Lighting Technology Projects, where he worked in project management and technical services for 12 years, gaining a wealth of experience in how to oversee large-scale lighting installations. Jonathan’s knowledge of the Philips Color Kinetics range of products specifically will lend itself to many of Architainment’s projects involving the technology. In addition to his long period at Lighting Technology Projects, Jonathan was Sales Manager and Technical Support at Lighting Technology Group, and a Project Manager for Strategic Installations where he worked to improve the technical knowledge of his team. Also joining the Architainment Technical Services team is Ian Davies. Ian graduated Derby University in 2007 with a degree in Sound, Light and Live Event Technology, and began working at Lighting Logic as an Installation Engineer, becoming a Project Manager within a year of his time there.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

600 square-metre studio at MDR’s headquarters laid down a stringent specification for lighting the huge cyclorama – which has a curved base with a 1 m radius that merges smoothly with the floor to avoid a hard lighting transition. This stipulated a maximum variation in lighting of +/- 70 lux across the cyclorama, within the cameras’ operating range on Kika of between 300 and 500 lux.

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ARRI Before deliveries even start, ARRI’s new L7 Series LED Fresnels have already made an impact and orders are accumulating fast. The L-Series is launching with three fixtures so close to their conventional equivalents that they create a previously unattainable opportunity: like-for-like replacement of traditional Fresnels with LED-based units!

achievable only with full-spectrum tungsten sources, is a hallmark of the L-Series. Both 3200° K and 5600° K are reproduced with excellent colour results (CRI >90), providing greater colour latitude. With the L7-C, tuneable white light can be adjusted for different skin tones, camera sensors and mixed-light environments, while specific colour shades can be matched through full gamut colour mixing. Unlike other LED fixtures, this level of colour control does not involve compromising the quality of the light field.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Whereas other LED fixtures have taken forms that demand sacrifices in the quality of lighting designs, the L-Series is unique in fitting perfectly into established working practices. Lighting designers need not adapt their creative techniques, nor will studios have to change operating procedures; conventional Fresnels can be exchanged for L-Series units on a like-for-like basis, achieving substantial and immediate cost savings with minimal disruption.

The L7-T, L7-D and L7-C are the first LED fixtures to truly incorporate Fresnel characteristics such as continuous focus adjustment and a smooth, even light field. L stands for LED and 7 for the 7” Fresnel-like lens shared by all three models. It is in colour output that they differ: the L7-T is 3200°K tungsten matching, the L7-D is 5600° K daylight matching, and the L7-C is colour controllable. Smooth intensity, uniform colour and even illumination are traits shared by both the LSeries and conventional ARRI Fresnels, so designers and technicians have nothing new to learn in order to use LED technology. A key element of the versatility of traditional Fresnels is the ability to spot and flood the beam, and the L-Series performs just as expected, with the added bonus that the efficient optical system maintains the same field lumens in all focus positions. Controllability is crucial and the L-Series provides the same ability to cut and shape with barndoors and flags as conventional Fresnels, delivering the same single-shadow properties for natural results. True-to-life colour rendition, previously

To satisfy the rigorous sound requirements of modern broadcast studios, the groundbreaking L-Series passive cooling system incorporates no moving parts or fans, is completely silent and can be used in ambient temperatures up to 35°C. Alternatively, the active cooling system uses an extremely quiet (<20 dB) fan and provides a compact and lightweight option for location work in temperatures up to 50°C. One of the most significant accomplishments in terms of the L7’s robustness is the IP54 rating for weather resistance. ARRI True Blue-style focus knobs provide the precise adjustment and rapid flood-to-spot that users enjoy from manual, mechanical control. Knobs on both sides of the fixture ensure easy access from all positions. The ARRI sliding stirrup enables precise adjustment of the centre of gravity, to compensate for front-end accessories or reduce hanging height. A slim-profile, extruded aluminium stirrup provides high strength with minimal added weight, while the disc brake tilt lock permits extremely secure locking, ensuring the fixtures will stay where you put them. The optional pole-operated version allows pan, tilt and focus from the floor.

Compiled by Richard Bowles – sponsornews@stld.org.uk

For broadcast studios, remote fixture control is of paramount importance, and all functions of the L7 are controllable through DMX. The L7 is also fully RDM compatible, providing feedback and reporting of parameters including system status; hours on the light engine; calibration data from the internal colour sensor; and DMX address. For location applications, the L7-T and L7-D include an on-board dimmer control, while the L7-C offers the ability to access all lamphead functions manually. Lighting crews on location will love the versatility they can achieve in small to mediumsize packages. No less than 12xL7 Fresnels can be run off a single 13A, 230V outlet, as opposed to just three 1000W or four 650W tungsten Fresnels!

Cirrolite The new Kino Flo Tegra 4Bank combines the soft, glamour light quality of the award-winning Kino Flo 4Bank System, with the remote dimming, power savings and the onboard control features of the best-selling Diva-Lite fixture.

Avolites

Due this Summer, the fantastic and exciting V5 release of Titan is rich with new features. The eagerly awaited graphics generating Pixel Mapping tool is just one to mention. Hard to describe in mere words, this allows you video and graphics to be mapped onto LED surfaces and fixtures. With Titan V5 you can now run the consoles in a variety of languages. V5 also includes Midi Triggers to control the console from external devices such as Keyboards, Midi Pads, Cubase and Ableton. Other features include ëQuick Buildí, ëShape Palettesí, ëView Paletteí and ëCue Macrosí. Avolites would like to invite you to come and try for yourselves, by visiting their exhibition stands or their London base, to discover the intuitive joys of their new graphical tool.In addition to this, they also now have a virtual console available to download at www.avolites.com.

It features newly designed hinged 180° Barndoors, Reflector and Honeycomb Louver. Also the proprietary solid state electronics operate the lamps at a high output, flicker free, and dead quiet.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

The Tegra 4Bank produces as much light as a 1000W tungsten softlight using only one tenth the amount of power (just 1.4A at 230V), yet operates high output, flicker-free and dead quiet. The Tegra 4Bank includes a centre mount system ideal for rigging in tight locations or on a light stand.

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The original Dedolight PanAura 5 was labelled “The portable window” and is renowned for its beautiful light character – and it now has a big brother, the PanAura 7. The PanAura system of lighting instruments are large surface area soft lights that produce a beautiful wrap around light from extremely thin lightweight fixtures. This allows these systems to be used with convenience and speed - and now with the introduction of the 7’ version twice the output and size. The fixture includes two individually switchable, dimmable lamps that can be boosted from 400W to 575W daylight or alternatively with tungsten balanced discharge lamps, this allows a dimming range from 300W to 1150W without significant colour shift with both lamp types. The fixture is also available as a traditional 2Kw tungsten source or also as a 4kw tungsten source with high tempera- Millennium Studios ture octodome fabric. The 7 foot wide soft box is available with three different diffusers and a 40° grid is only 60cm deep, which provides excellent space saving solutions compared to similar sized soft lights currently available. This allows the use of this big window sized soft light in confined spaces and on location. This is following the Dedolight philosophy of being economical, interchangeable, compact and as lightweight as possible, without any loss in quality.

1200s and Alpha Wash 700s. In use for the first time was a new chrome version of the Alpha Beam 700. Developed for TV sets and interiors, the shiny chrome finish is designed to help the luminaire become less visible to the eye by reflecting light and blending into its surrounding environment. Even if the name Sue Sylvester doesn’t yet frighten the life out of you and you’ve never heard of Glee, there’s little doubt you will do soon. As Glee fever sweeps the UK, the hit high school TV drama has inspired British kids to compete in a charity fundraising spin-off called Comic Relief does Glee Club. The show was aired during Comic Relief Week, when the whole country gets together to entertain each other and raise cash for UK charities.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Clay Paky

After his sell-out success at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, it was just a matter of time before Britain’s most notorious pub landlord, Al Murray, was given his own TV game show. Now the British stand-up (or rather his beer-swilling alter-ego) is hosting his own pub quiz on UK comedy channel Dave, called Compete for the Meat. The game show is a parody in which contestants compete for the grand prize of a £3.99 frozen chicken, features lighting designed by LD Chris Kempton and supplied by Richard Martin Lighting (RML). Chris Kempton’s lighting specification relies on a wide and varied selection of equipment including a range of Clay Paky Alpha Beam 700s, Alpha Wash

Hosted by BBC presenters Sam & Mark, the allsinging, all-dancing new series kicked off on BBC One with the aim of finding the UK’s best youth Glee Club. Young hopefuls from across the country performed in front of a panel of celebrity judges. LD Roger Williams designed the spectacular light show with equipment provided by RML. Tom Sutherland was on hand to assist Roger as moving light operator. The lighting rig consisted of equipment made by a number of manufacturers, but the real star of the show was the Clay Paky Alpha Beam 700.

Compiled by Richard Bowles – sponsornews@stld.org.uk

2011 saw the largest live audience in attendance in Eurovision Song Contest history, with 36,000 people in the venue, on top of an estimated 200 million television and internet viewers, making it the largest music television program in the world. In terms of lighting equipment, this year had the heaviest roof load and the highest number of lighting fixtures in the show’s history, with a staggering total of over 5,600. LD Jerry Appelt, known for large-scale events in music, TV, industry, art and architecture, included over 2,100 moving lights for the massive Düsseldorf Arena, of which over 300 were Clay Paky fixtures, used primarily for the stage area. No stranger to big effects, Appelt created a completely new and exciting design for all 43 songs, plus three interval acts and an opening to the Final – a challenging undertaking! The rig extended to every square metre of the arena and was carefully chosen by Appelt in order to handle the wide assortment of looks needed.

A moving truss structure consisting of three graduated rings of 10, 16 and 30 metres diameter was centered approximately 20 metres above the stage. The rings held 35x Clay Paky Alpha Wash 1500, 16x Alpha Beam 1500 and 8x Alpha Profile 1500 fixtures, creating a sea of bright beams to the stage below. 26 moving truss sections were arranged like spokes from the centre rings. These truss sections held an additional 28x Alpha Wash 1500 and 36x Alpha Beam 1500 with four shorter truss sections holding 24x Alpha Spot 700 HPE fixtures. At floor level, both behind the stage and on each side were 24x Alpha Beam 1500 fixtures lending powerful effects to match the brilliance over the stage. 25x Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures were placed on the floor surrounding the front of the stage. Additional truss spanning the ceiling from the rings to the perimeter of the arena held 35x Alpha Profile 1500 and 42x Alpha Spot 1500 HPE fixtures. Finally, the top perimeter of the arena was home to an additional 50x Alpha Spot 1500 HPE fixtures. Appelt explained that the design included a variety of Clay Paky fixtures that could combine to create so many fantastic looks, and crucially he knew that the colour will match perfectly and that they put out brilliant light, they’re fast and incredibly reliable. He particularly liked the Alpha Spot 1500 HPE because it does so many things so well. He loved the Sharpy too, although those were specified for one song only (Germany). And of course he found the Alpha Beam 1500s were great too – they were put them on the floor around the stage and they put out some powerful effects, which the huge arena needed. He said he’d be very happy to have an all Clay Paky rig for a show of this scale! Finally, Clay Paky is pleased to welcome the familiar face of Glyn O’Donoghue as the company’s new Business Development Manager for the UK market. With this appointment, they are committed to improving our customer support even further, as following his 20-year career at AC Lighting, Glyn knows Clay Paky’s products and the UK market extremely well, and he will be working, with others, to promote the sales and support of Clay Paky within the UK.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Small, fast and lightweight, the Alpha Beam 700 is known for producing tight parallel beams that show up extremely well on camera – making them one of the most popular tools for television work. The unit creates highly visible beams that cut through even the brightest scenes awash with LED. The Alpha Beam 700 is also blessed with smooth movements and brilliant optics, giving designers the confidence to use them in the most demanding and high profile shows.

Compiled by Richard Bowles – sponsornews@stld.org.uk

ELP Wedding Bells have been in the air for ELP crews in recent months as they participated in two televised wedding ceremonies. The events could not have been more different. First up was possibly the biggest televised media event of all time – The Marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. The second event followed the marriage of scientist Victor Frankenstein to his brideto-be, Elizabeth in the BBC’s production of Frankenstein’s Wedding. For the Royal Wedding, ELP provided lighting and power inside Westminster Abbey for LD Bernie Davis and they supplied both BBC commentary studios for LD Lee Allen (Abbey Studio) and LD Dave Gibson (Buckingham Palace Studio). Details of the Bernie’s design is elsewhere in this issue, but outside the Abbey, both the BBC studios were identically kitted out with Source 4 profile sports as key lights and 1ks, 2ks and 650w Arri Junior Fresnels as fills. An assortment of Thomas Pixel Pars and Chromafloods were also on hand to augment the set with colour changes as required.

customized with an IntelliGen operating system which allows syncing across multiple units. Frankenstein’s Wedding... Live in Leeds was a bold and ambitious project, exploring Mary Shelley’s gothic masterpiece through live drama, contemporary music and mass audience participation. Twelve thousand free tickets were made available to the public to come and watch the live event unfold on stage and via a large video screen. The whole spectacle was broadcast live from Kirkstall Abbey on BBC Three. There were effectively three lighting disciplines being represented on the night. Bernie was in charge of lighting all things ‘Outside Broadcast’ just as he would normally be. But there was also a Director of Photography (Fabian Wagner) covering the film and drama lighting, and live event LD Max Conwell operating the board for the Leeds audience in front of house. The Gaffer stuck in the middle of these three demanding creative lighting professionals was Darren Fletcher together with a crew of 6 from ELP Manchester. Diplomatically, Darren said it was a lot smoother than you might expect – as he’s worked extensively in all three lighting areas and knows the lingo of each, translating from one to the other wasn’t a problem.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

The OB lighting kit included Thomas PAR64’s, Pixel Pars and Lines, Chromaflood 200 & 900’s, Photon Beard Highlights, as well as various battery/hand held devices including Pulsar and Sachtler. The Film side was a mixture of conventions ranging from birdies and 650W right up to Arri 4 & 6KW MSRs, together with both Kinoflos and Half Dino’s! Over on the Live stage, moving lights were used, including Vari*Lite VL 1000s, Martin Mac 700s.In many ways this was the perfect kind of event for ELP, as it’s a great showcase

Due to a recently condemned local power supply at the Abbey, ELP supplied a 200 KW Twinset Generator to power all lighting controls on the north side of the Abbey plus a 140 KW Twinset Generator for the south side. All technical vehicles, broadcast scanners and vision trucks in the outside compound took their power feed from four of ELP’s unique LitePower generators. These LitePower 150kva Super Silent Generators are one of the most compact generator units in the world - highly portable with the performance of much of larger systems, and yet it’s light enough to be air freighted. ELP’s range has been uniquely

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for what they can deliver across multiple media and live event channels, and it fuses all their areas of expertise into one single show.

of Aida, staged in a purpose built amphitheatre at the foot of Masada Mountain at The Dead Sea in Israel., and enjoyed by 60,000 people over 8 nights

The heavy LED look used for the Abbey and the glass box which became Frankenstein’s laboratory (open to the viewing public to peer inside) contrasted with the natural HMI lighting used for drama scenes – as DOP Fabian Wagner created a dark, atmospheric mood with his lighting, deliberatly chosen to create a cinematic contrast during the intense drama scenes.

Four containers of lighting kit were dispatched by sea freight from the UK and one by road for the production, which featured a creative Stage and Mountain lighting design by Avi Yono Bueno. HSL’s crew chief on site was Ian Stevens and the project manager was Mike Oates. The show incorporated nearly 200 moving lights. The majority were Robes, and HSL also purchased 52 new Martin Professional MAC 3K profiles with framing shutter modules specially for the show to fulfil Bambi’s specific requests. There were nearly 300x ETC Source Four profiles with 10,19 and 50 degree lenses and over 300x other conventionals including ACL bars, individual PARs and Iris 1 floods.

LD Gurdip Mahal designed a glitzy light entertainment look incorporating dozens of Chromaflood LED fixtures, 30x moving lights including Clay Paky Alpha Beam 300s and VL 3500 wash. This production was a cross between an gameshow, a fashion show, a live music event and a panel interview show so ELP supplied Gurdip with a full range of lighting kit to deploy. In addition, production manager Barry Denison also supplied a 400KW twinset generator, constructed camera platforms, and even had some Perspex catwalk tubes custom-built! Other shows include Top Gear - now out for its seventeenth series - with LD Chris Kempton and supported by an ELP crew gaffered by Chris Rand. The orchestrated media machines of X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent have been touring the nation, auditioning the good, the bad and the downright ugly using ELP gear under the creative eye of LD Mark Kenyon. Finally, CBBC’s Sadie J returns for second series. This is a studio-based children’s sitcom about a feisty 13-year-old girl. ELP, working under the direction of DOP Nick Tebbit, provided a conventional studio lighting kit into stage 8 at Elstree film studios. An assortment of Arri Junior Fresnels, Source 4 profile spots, kinoflo and cyclights were supplied.

HSL Although HSL have of course been busy on the television front, they have also been involved in numerous other shows. One of which took site-specific productions to new heights by supplying all the stage lighting equipment for the Israeli Opera & Les Choragies d’Orange in France’s production

Challenges included the usual environmental issues of working in a desert, with the sweltering heat, ubiquitous dust and frequent high winds. However, being the second time around for HSL, many things were easier. The mountain of Masada played a huge scenic role in the show as a dramatic and breathtakingly beautiful natural backdrop to Emmanuel Favre’s majestic Egyptian set. This year, the Mountain - also a World Heritage site - was illuminated with a series of fixtures spread out for about a kilometre along its base, including 18x of HSL’s new MAC 3 Profiles and 54x bars of 4 x 600 Watt ACLs. There were also 60x Panther 5K xenon searchlights from Stage Design, all of which were controlled via 5 systems of City Theatrical wireless DMX (4 and a spare) plus 12x DMX buffers and 5x Avolites 24way ART 5K dimmers, with power supplied by 11 x 125 KVA generators. The mountain appeared out of nowhere when lit, a spectacular effect accentuating it’s imposing craggy face and distinctive shape, sometimes in stark white, at times streaked with colour or rippling with delicate movement from the Mac 3 animation wheels. When it was unlit, it disappeared completely into the pitch black. The remaining 36x MAC 3s were stationed on three large lighting gantries, together with 94x Robe ColorSpot 2500E AT - these were utilised for all the basic stage washing and illumination of the cast.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Some of the other summer shows which ELP have been supplying recently include Style The Nation, a Saturday morning show aimed at fashion conscious teens, and broadcast on Channel 4 live from the HDS Studios in Hayes.

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20x Robe Robin 600 LEDWash fixtures highlighted for set stage right and left, including four scenic Sphinxes and a 12 metre high Pharaoh’s head upstage centre. Further set lighting was provided by 12 Robe RedWash 3●192s on the stairs behind the Pharaoh’s head, and below a large trap that opened in the stage during the tomb scene towards the end of the performance.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

The Robes all stood up well to the tough operating environment again. The 2500s were fitted with custom reflectors which boosted the output by about 30 per cent - a special request from the LD. Some also had custom rectangular and square gobos to enable precise focussing on specific areas of the stage. Bespoke dot gobos in 24 of the Robes were used in the final scene, allowing the stage lighting to be matched to a special LED ‘Galaxy Effect’ that was happening on the Mountain.

The Source Fours were dotted all around the gantries, on the floor, on special stands and under the stage and used for general stage and key lighting. Behind the back of the stage, 16 bars of 250 Watt ACLs provided set candy. There were of course still some trusty PAR cans used to light the audience, and also some single cans in the outfield behind the stage as specials. The runway leading up to the base of the Pharaoh’s head was lit with 76x 1K individual cyc units recessed in the ramp walls, strafing the floor. Finally, 16x K1 smoke machines were used,

together with 4x Robert Juliat Cirano and 2x Lancelots. To manage all this, four ‘Dimmer City’ locations were established, with 8x 48-way Avo ART2000 2K racks, as well as distribute the 20 universes of DMX. Don’t Scare The Hare

Light Relief Claire House (Cooper Controls/Zero-88), Philip Norfolk (MA Lighting) & Simon Allan (Martin Professional) recently joined forces to participate in†’Hell Rider’†this June to raise money for Light Relief. Light Relief is a charity established by and for the entertainment lighting industry, to help in times of extreme hardship. Formed specifically to help theatre lighting designers and those working in the field who are not in regular full time employment, Light Relief can provide either practical support or financial help, depending on the individual need. It is also the official charity supported by the STLD. The Hell Rider course comprises separate run (5km) and†bike (8km) loops and†the team has eight hours in which to complete as many laps as possible. Over the eight hours Claire, Philip and Simon each completed over 30km of hilly, off road terrain in this incredibly tough challenge. Whilst the team members are keen runners and bik-

Compiled by Richard Bowles – sponsornews@stld.org.uk

action-packed stand at PLASA Focus 2011 showed. From Italian lighting manufacturer DTS (for whom Lightfactor is the exclusive UK distributor), comes the new Nick 600 Wash Zoom, a high-output LED moving head projector with a 13° - 35° variable motorized zoom, and the latest in the ‘Nick‘ series. It is available in RGBW, RGBA or white versions.

If you would like to support their efforts and help motivate them to continue on more ludicrous challenges in the future, please visit their dedicated fundraising page www.justgiving.com/teamlightrelief. Contributions donated on Just Giving will go straight to Light Relief, and at the time of writing, they had nearly reached their target of £1000. However, if you would like to support the team but would prefer not to donate online, you can†send your donations to Shane McGreevy at PLASA (address at the end, cheques payable to Light Relief) - please mention itís for the Team Light Relief challenge.

Lightfactor Lightfactor has a history of bringing innovative and dynamic technology to the market, as their

Other LED technology from Lightfactor include UK manufacturers’ Cogent’s Ambient XC controller, which can be used to control RGB LED strips triggered via audio and video sources, including the new Cogent RGBW strip unit. Not forgetting traditional light sources, they also distribute another Italian manufacturer, LDR, who have a comprehensive range of theatrical fresnels, profiles and PC fixtures, including their new Canto 2000th Mk2 (tungsten halogen) and Canto 250HR MK2 ceramic (discharge) follow spots.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

ers and have competed events in the past - Claire and Philip were part of Team PSA who ran the Bath Half Marathon in 2010 - this challenge really tested their mental and physical limits. “ Their fundraising page is jovially entitled ìClaire, Philip and Simon do something silly for Light Reliefî, but “tortous” would have been more accurate! They all love a challenge, but Hell Rider required pacing, endurance and tactical skills to ensure we they could get as far as possible, in the toughest event they have ever entered. Finding the mental strength to do repeated laps when you are tired was one of the hardest aspects, but raising loads of money for Light Relief helped them endure the pain and kept them going, especially in the final stage!

The new Delta 10 Wash Zoom from DTS is a very bright 1200 series type fixture with the same spec as the Nick 600 series. It offers 5,000 Lux at 5 metres and is made up of 240 LEDs (60 Red, 60 Green, 60 Blue and 60 white). It’s designed for rental applications and touring and has a 15 - 40 degree motorised zoom. There is also a Fixed version for static applications. Also from DTS is the new Titan Plus RGBA unit, which is 100% brighter than the first generation of Titan fixtures.

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To control all these, LightProcessor products also have a wide range of dimmers, including the full range of LightProcessor Location dimmers – a portable dimming solution for the film, TV and events industries – which work well with their range of their Zip lighting control desks - and a diverse selection of handy DMX tools, including a new RJ45 version of LightProcessor’s popular rack, truss and wall mounted distribution unit.

MA Lighting

The Eurovision Song Contest recently completed its 56th year, held at Düsseldorf Arena, marking the show’s first return to Germany since 1983. The production is as much known for its technical achievements as for its lavish and sometimes unusual brand of musical performances.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

The show spanned three live broadcasts – two Semi-finals on May 10th and 12th and the Finals on May 14th. The 2011 Finals in Düsseldorf had one of the largest live viewing audience in Eurovision history with 36,000. This combined with an estimated 120 million television and internet viewers makes it the largest music television program in the world.

German Lighting Designer Jerry Appelt, known for delivering big looks for music, television and everything in between specified a magnificent arsenal of lighting for the massive Arena in Düsseldorf. More than 2,100 DMX controlled moving lights (5,638 fixtures total) with almost 42,000 parameters allowed 43 countries plus three interval acts and an over-the-top opening performance to have a completely unique look during the 3-hour broadcast. 100% of the control for all the lighting and video came from MA Lighting. 4x grandMA2 full-size consoles, each with a full backup, as well as 5x grandMA2 faderwings ran all lighting and video, triggered via timecode. 11x MA NPU (Network Processing Unit) devices handled all traffic in one session on the MA-Net2. Finally, the all video content was operated off 8x MA VPU (Video Processing Unit), each with full backup Four operators ran the desks: one for video, one for effect light, one for white light, and one for audience and Green room. Preprogramming began in Hamburg at NDR from March 21st through April

8th, 2011 with the cost-free grandMA 3D running on four custom built PCs. The team built moving paths for all moving trusses in grandMA 3D to show the exact positions of the lights in each song. Programming commenced in Düsseldorf April 11th-15th. In total there were 70 patched universes and 2,921 cues. Appelt commented that it’s not even practical to do a show like this without timecode, and grandMA2 is the best - absolutely every millisecond is cued and then rehearsed again and again and again. There is no room for an error in a show of this size - the MA system delivered a great result.” Another giant television spectacle to make use of the GrandMA was the recent Academy Awards show, where Jason Rudolph selected a grandMA2 Light console to play the crucial role of controlling no less than 34x media servers, which fed multiple onstage screens via 70x video projectors. Rudolph commented that it was an enormous undertaking - he regularly programs multiple media servers with grandMA2, but I hadn’t done anything of this size - the entire set at the Oscars was projection. They had 34x Hippotizer HD units outputting 53 discrete active outputs and some spares with control from the grandMA2 light console. In addition to the screens, they also took care of the scenic tracking for the moving elements which acted as projection surfaces. He had three grandMA2 lights on hand: a primary controller and backup plus a separate system located back of house for programming. This meant they could run one line to the show console and load the entire show into it. He did a lot of timecode triggers, and grandMA2 worked without a hitch, finding the system a perfect size, with all features needed and plenty of workable space, together with the new user interface and the way the macro system works, making it a very efficient system.

Back in the UK, a GrandMA2 light wasalso in use for the 20th annual British Academy Cymru Awards (Welsh BAFTAs) held at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff, Wales UK. The event was hosted by Sian Williams and Jason Mohammed and celebrated the best of the nation’s television, film and interactive industry in 26 programme, craft and performance categories. The lighting and visuals package for the Awards show was lit by Andrew Cottey, co-ordinated by gaffer Gafin Riley who is based in Wales, with

Compiled by Richard Bowles – sponsornews@stld.org.uk

Martin Pro Martin Professional’s ultra-compact MAC 101 LED moving head wash is now available in three white light versions that expand its use to applications where high quality, pure white light is needed.

some assistance leant by Bernie Davis. Programmer David Horner was asked onboard to plot and operate both the moving lights and a Hippo Critter media server feeding content to an upstage LED wall.

The new variants incorporate cold and/or warm LEDs instead of RGB for a better white light quality and greater output. Ideal for highlighting skin tones, textiles, or set pieces, the MAC 101 white light variants are already finding use in touring applications as a front light, main light, blinder or beam effect. They look great on camera in TV studios and are ideal white light fixtures for car shows, showrooms, fashion shows, corporate events or any exhibition environment.

For the Welsh BAFTAs event, the grandMA2 light was supplied by MA Lighting UK, and Emma Ralphs, the main lighting programmer from Cardiff’s St David’s Hall venue which has also recently invested in a new grandMA2 light console, worked with Horner on the event. The moving lights were all Martin Professional, supplied with the rest of the lighting equipment by ELP.

He commented that the layout screen of the grandMA2 are ideal for video, as it offers all your video layers right there at your fingertips. Also the automated faders are excellent for a television environment, where the operator can work from a page of ‘inhibitors’ and pull lights up and down extremely quickly for on-the-spot adjustment for cameras. The same feature also works well when used to control video media and LED sources. He also likes the new user-definable X-Keys on the grandMA2, which can be loaded with macros or sequences, as well as the ability to completely personalize the user-interface, and the multi touch screens Finally, MA are very happy to announce two new people joining their UK team – David Baldwin has joined as part of their technical sales team, and Glyn O’Donoghue is now UK General Manager.

The 101 CT incorporates both cold and warm white LEDs, allowing for easy changes in colour temperature from crisp cold looks to warm shades, and features simple intensity control. Each MAC 101 CT is colour temperature calibrated to ensure a high quality of white light and visual consistency across fixtures, a uniformity in light output that allows for seamless overlapping of beams on large stage and set areas. The 101 WRM uses pure warm LEDs to mimic the warmth of tungsten halogen and is intensity controllable, and the 101 CLD similarly uses pure cold

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

The Hippo Critter was feeding ambient and effects style video – including custom content created for the occasion – to a 30mm pitch ‘goal post’ shaped screen onstage supplied by PRG, which was also used as an entrance and exit for Award winners, and used custom-made media designed by Horner.

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LEDs for applications where only higher colour temperatures are required.

looks on camera. The 401 Dual’s 36 lenses are grouped into four equal segments, each segment with individual colour temperature and intensity control. A host of built-in effects allows for a variety of different looks fast. For further effects options, an accessory gel frame holder allows users to insert frost filters or other custom filters.

The bigger brother of the Martin LED range, the Martin MAC 401 Dual, now comes with a new CT Zoom, which is a module that easily fits onto either side of Martin’s unique dual-sided fixture, creating a white light or colour plus white light source.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

The 401 CT Zoom not only delivers more light, but also a light quality that is better than traditional RGB LED fixtures, making it excellent for highlighting skin tones or textiles. The colour temperature is adjustable between warm and cold (3000 – 7000K). The LEDs are fully dimmable and are colour temperature calibrated for excellent consistency across fixtures.

A unique large lens face produces a refreshingly novel broad beam look. The distinctive wider beam has a brilliant appearance mid-air and gives a fresh look to any show or event. The speedy beam angle can spreads from hypermode tight to a wide wash in less than 0.5 seconds! If that wasn’t enough, high speed pan and tilt motors can generate quick acceleration with smooth, accurate movement, and there is a special fast mode to boost pan/tilt speed when needed. For television and theatre settings, a silent mode option virtually eliminates fan use for extended periods for noise-free operation. And for television and film, the LEDs give completely flicker-free

The final new products to mention from Martin this issue are their two new economical DMX splitters for proper data transmission and protection of DMX controllers and devices. The DMX 5.3 Splitter is useful in maintaining proper data over long runs. And the RDM 5.5 Splitter is the perfect companion to any controller or DMX/RDM device by also allowing for transmission of RDM data either way on the DMX line - most DMX splitters will not allow such data traffic to be processed. A built-in microprocessor manages the RDM information efficiently by avoiding data collisions and reducing discovery time of RDM devices on the link. In and Out PowerCon connectors make for easy daisy-chaining of multiple units. Over in Las Vegas, LD Justin Garrone of Innovative Show Design incorporated Martin’s compact MAC 101 wash light into the set of NBC’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship, an annual poker tournament held at Caesars Palace. The set design depicted a Roman coliseum and the 101s were chosen based on size, weight, brightness and speed, Garrone placed 18x MAC 101’s (9 per side) on top of the Roman columns. Two jibs were used with star filters, and so the 101’s acted as RGB stars (beauty lights) into the high wide shots. The columns were constructed out of foam, so the weight and size were also key factors - and as they weigh just 3.7 kg the MAC 101 can be mounted virtually anywhere, so being at the top of a foam column was not a problem! In previous seasons of the show, Garrone used PAR 46’s, but the added feature set and versatility of the 101s added a new dimension. He commented that the PAR lamps did the job but once the 101 came out, they raised the bar. Not only was the size and weight a perfect match but having the ability to move the lights added another layer to the effect.

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He was truly amazed that a fixture that is just 9” square and only 12” tall could be as bright as it was. Another plus was the fact that the LED’s did not flicker on camera - even when dimmed.

Philips Based upon the technologies inside two of their most in-demand fixtures, Philips Vari-Lite is proud to announce the new VLX3 LED Wash, VL400 Spot, VL440 Spot, VL770 Spot and the VL880 Spot luminaires.

Additionally, the VLX3 offers a dynamic CRI adjustment, a continuously adjustable colour temperature white range between approximately 3000° and 9000° Kelvin, and seamless colour mixing that all combine to create a single source that behaves like familiar arc or tungsten luminaires without the associated costs and inefficiencies inherent in those systems. Beam size control is achieved by the use of an optical zoom system that offers a zoom range from approximately 15° to 55°. All movements are smooth, silent, and accurate with a full 540° of pan and 240° of tilt control. Accessory mounting points are also included allowing the attachment of additional, aftermarket beam control devices such as an extendible top hat.

Over the past few years, they have received numerous requests to create smaller and more affordable versions of their most popular fixtures. Since they are generally recognized as the pioneers of the modern automated luminaire, they knew they could not sacrifice any of the performance qualities expected with the Varr*Lite brand. After listening to dealers and designers from around the world, they identified the characteristics wanted, and created what they feel are four fantastic product lines.

The VL400 Spot luminaire uses a 400-watt MSR Gold 400 MiniFastFit lamp to provide 9000 lumens of output, plus 14 fixed colors on two independent colour wheels for rich colour projection and snap colour changes. In addition, a dual-purpose mechanical blade system provides smooth timed fades or variable strobe effects. The VL440, VL770 and VL880 Spot luminaires all provide brilliant colour mixing through the threewheel CYM colour assembly based on the widely praised Series 3000 colour system. Plus they each have eight standard colours on a fixed wheel, a coated glass dimmer wheel, a separate dual-blade strobe system. The VL440 Spot has a 400-watt MSR Gold 400 MiniFastFit lamp providing 9000 lumens of output. The VL770 Spot is complete with a 700-watt MSR Gold MiniFastFit lamp producing an impressive output of 15,100 lumens. And the VL880 Spot has an 800-watt MSR Platinum 35 lamp providing an output of 19,000 lumens.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Based on the award-winning VLX Wash luminaire technology, the VLX3 Wash uses three powerful LED engines to offer stunning colours and intensity, a multi-year source life and high reliability. The three, replaceable 120-watt RGBW LED chipsets provide output that offers three times the efficacy of comparable tungsten sources and the total system provides approximately 6,000 lumens of white light output, and the 10,000 hour source life of the chip ensures that lamp replacement costs are a thing of the past.

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The VL400, VL440, VL770 and VL880 Spot luminaires all have an independent armature with frost glass and a second, independent armature with a rotating and indexable prism; plus both the frost and prism glass are interchangeable. Each luminaire also has one gobo wheel with seven rotatable and indexable positions, and a second gobo wheel with ten fixed positions; powerful pan and tilt motors that provide smooth, fast time-controlled continuous motion capable of 0.3° resolution with a pan range of 540° and tilt of 260°; has a zoom range from 15º to 36º; a mechanical iris for continuous beam size control, and built in mounting points on the front of the luminaire provide for easy attachment of after-market accessories such as top hats.

Prolyte Prolyte Group has just launched a new sales initiative in the shape of aggressive, market- transparent pricing. The i-line is a complete range of industry standard products, instantly available at unbelievable prices, offering complete solutions for the end user. i-line products will be available through a network of i-line partners.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Prolyte Group i-line partners offer key stock, best pricing and support. i-line partners are selected existing distribution partners, who will have a broad range of i-line products directly available to the market via web shop convenience. i-line products can also be obtained through their regular dealer network, offering service and support to Prolyte Group standards.

Prolyteís i-line range includes their standard range of X30, H30 and H40 trusses, the best-selling StageDex decks, and MPT Towers. These all offer the highest build quality at unbelievable prices, together with the largest stock instantly available, and the strongest technical service to back it all up. The new Pulsar Wireless DMX Transmitter and Receiver Interfaces provide an extremely cost effective and flexible solution for interconnecting industry standard DMX controllers and fixtures. The key benefits include the ability to Transmit / Receive a full 512 ch. Universe, compatiblity with

all DMX512 equipment, and uses the latest WDMXTM G4 technology. It is IP 65 rated for external use, with high-quality IP67 rated XLR5 connectors. If that wasn’t enough, it can run from any 6 to 32V DC Low Voltage Supply - which means it can be auto-powered from Pulsar DMX fixtures with no extra power supply needed - making a highly compact reciever, and no long data cables to run! The range is typically 100m, with up-to 250m possible with a clear line of sight. A long range antenna is also available. For the technicaly-minded, it features AFHSS Adaptive Frequency Hopping, Multi-Mode DMX packet error correction, Accurate DMX packet timing integrity, all on the Global 2.4Ghx ISM band. For the less technicallyminded, it features very simple one button setup and pairing, and allows unlimited receivers to each transmitter.

Richard Martin Lighting So much news from RML we can barely fit it in, so apologies for squashing it all in – please see RML’s website for full information on each show! In no particular order then : LD Martin Kempton is back with another series of Shooting Stars, recently revived and now featuring a bold, bright and energetic look to compliment to chaotic craziness that goes with the show as well as the new strong and vibrant set. Lighting is a mixture of Martin Mac 500s, 600s, and TW1s, as well as Clay Paky Stage Zoom 1200s for a constant variety of gobos, Vari*Lite

Compiled by Richard Bowles – sponsornews@stld.org.uk

VL3000 Washes, VL500s, together with Pulsar 300mm Chroma Strips and Chroma Flood TCs. Up in Glasgow, LD Roger Williams lit the third series of Tonight’s The Night, presented by West End star John Barrowman. The lighting rig, much of which came from RML, incorporates a wide variety of the Clay Paky range, including the Alpha Spot 575 HPE, Alpha Beam 700 and Alpha Wash 300. In addition, two Hippo Grasshoppers were used for the video content.

VL1000TS and Alpha Spot 575 HPE. Back down in London, RML also helped Roger out for the The Alan Titchmarsh show, filmed in The London Studios, and again featuring many Clay Paky Alphas as well as some Pixel Par 90’s and LED Parcans. Turning to a different pace, Mongrels is the first adult puppet show since ‘Spitting Image’, and broadcast on BBC Three. RML embraced the opportunity to be involved in something fresh, exciting, and different from the norm, by supporting LD Jamie Cairney. The show took no less than five years to make. The idea was first suggested between the creator and director of Mongrels, Adam Miller, and the show’s head puppeteer, Andy Heath, when they worked on ITV children’s show Ripley and Scuff. Jamie chose VL3000 Spots for the show, as they set new standards for imagery, beam control, colour and brightness in spot luminaires. The first series immediately won the RTS Craft and Design Award 2009-2010 for ‘Production Design – Entertainment and Design’.

RML also supplied Roger for Britain’s longest continuously-running game show, Question of Sport, which is back for another series, now based up in its new home ground – MediaCityUK in Salford Quays. The shows lighting specification comprised of Stage Colour 300, Alpha Wash 575,

Over on BBC2, the tenth series of the topical panel show Mock The Week! Was again lit by LD Dave Davey. The design brief set out for Davey when he first joined the production was to “make the set look colourful without spill onto Projection screens”. To achieve this, Dave opted for VL1000TS, all hanging, focussed on to backing flats. Another comedy panel game show, 8 Out of 10 Cats, returned with LD Oli Richards, who made extensive use of Pulsar ChromaPanels assist with the boldness of both the set and the game itself. Over at Teddington Studios comedy, LD Michael Sutcliffe lit the Rob Brydon Show in front of a live studio audience for its second series of chat, games, and singing. The lighting rig includes Pixel Range Pixel Par 90’s and Martin Stage Bar 54’s. If that wasn’t enough comedy, LD Chris Kempton was back for his 8th year lighting the Comic Relief event. RML showed its continuous ‘Red Nose Day’ support by supplying the lighting to the event, filmed live at BBC Television Centre. The huge lighting rig of over 200x lights included

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Various LED Lights completed the look – including LED Par 36, 2 Lights, iCove QL and Chroma Strips and a new intelligent LED chasing ribbon (see end). The LED Par 36 has RGB colour mixing and has an extremely long life with low power consumption, making it a perfect fixture, especially in a time when there is so much emphasis on being ‘green’.

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Nova Flowers, VL1000TS, VL3000 Wash, VL2400 Wash, Mac 700, Chroma Banks, 8 Lights, 2 Lights, Alpha Wash 1200, Alpha Wash 700 and Stage Bar 54, as well as Clay Paky Sharpys. Another long-running show being relocated by the BBC to Salford is of course Blue Peter. However, RML continues to support LD Lee Allen on the show, which currently has a rig including Colour Block 2, VL3000 Spot and PixelPar 90’s. For the last show at TVC, Lee, who is continuously striving to bring a fresh and energetic look to the ever more contemporary show, used 50 of the latest Sharpys for a performance by the urban dance troupe Diversity to bring a very strong statement look. This 189W lamp Beam Moving Light, has an unprecedented brightness, which until now has only been possible with lights nine times as powerful, and its light beam is so concentrated that it looks more like a laser ray. Blue Peter was the first show to debut the Sharpys back in January, after RML ordered the first 100 units.

Robe

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Robe’s ROBIN 600 LEDWash is officially the “fastest ever selling” product for the Czech Republic based moving light manufacturer since 1999.

Production started at the end of 2010, and by April the 2000th unit was alread delivered, with over 1500 still on order. Special arrangements have been made at the factory in Valasske Mezirici to ramp up production and keep pace with the incredible demand! One of the top territories for sales has been the UK, so expect to see lots of these units everywhere Users have commented that for the weight, size, and light output, there’s no other product that comes anywhere near it. On the creative side, the 15 - 60 degree zoom offering spot as well as wash functionality on the LEDWash 600, and there are also all the really cool effects that can be created using chases and patterns on the 3 rings of LEDs. Finally, the self-levelling touch screen display on the base is a hit with technicians!

The Robe Product Reference is a free downloadbale App for the iPhone, and contains comprehensive information and statistics covering the full Robe product range, including an entire catalogue of ‘key data’ in the form of one sheet with all the essential technical information you need to know about Robe. The App also has user manuals, DMX charts, gobo layouts, etc. and allows users to download and hold as much reference information as they need. Photometric charts, video demonstrations and assorted other information will be added in the coming weeks. It is intended as an invaluable tool for lighting designers, operators, programmers and technicians who are on the move, enabling them to have the crucial facts and figures at their fingertips wherever they are. These can then be used for a myriad of purposes from being included in the creation of a design or drawing to compiling a specification or quote, as well as during programming or troubleshooting at a gig. The App was developed by Leeds based digital media agency, Creode, and co-ordinated by Robe UK. New infomation, updates and additions to the Robe range will be added automatically to the stored data when the App is run. This was developed initially for Apple products, following extensive research that revealed these as currently the most popular among lighting designers and technicians, and possible future developments include versions to run on Android OS, Blackberry and other mobile smartphones and hand held devices. Robe moving lights and Anolis LED fixtures were specified by lighting designer Simon Marcus from Enlightened to illuminate Bath Abbey, Pulteney

Compiled by Richard Bowles – sponsornews@stld.org.uk

strips on the sills at the bottom, two fixtures per window was more than enough to highlight the intricate detail and relief work. Rigged further up on the four roof areas of the Abbey and along the narrow passageways snaking around the roof were a total of 118x Anolis and other LED fixtures. With only a series of tiny, winding passages and staircases to access these areas, having fixtures that were light and portable was essential!

He needed a selection of reliable, flexible, bright lightsources which could be rigged over four levels of the Abbey. The creative challenges included making it look very special, and doing something different from a ‘standard’ building lighting scheme, something that would engage and impress the huge numbers of people who flock into town for the Music Festival opening night. Around the base, washing up the walls on the north and east elevations were Robe moving lights - a combination of ColorSpot 1200, 700 and 575E ATs. These were chosen to bring a touch of party atmosphere to the occasion, and used in a series of rich complimentary primary colours. Robin 600 LEDWash fixtures were positioned at the corners and bathed large areas in striking shades of colour. All of the movers were encased in Robe IP43 LightDome enclosures. All the lights positioned above ground level were LED, chosen for the practicalities of rigging, power consumption and versatility afforded by RGB light sources. The windows’ apertures were very precisely lit with Anolis ArcLine 36 Optic

To contrast the building stonework against these finer elements, the flying buttresses down the north and south sides of the Abbey were lit by a series of LED units including Anolis ArcPad 48s - these tiny units were ensconced into the smallest, tightest nooks and crannies. Special attention was paid to lighting the upper tower with a nice smooth even wash, which because of its elevation became a beacon visible from all across the city of Bath, which is built surrounded by seven hills. Other locations lit included the Orange Grove with Anolis ArcLine Optic 18, 24 and 36 strips located on top of the roof overhang at first floor level. Robe ColorWash 1200E AT and ColorSpot 700E AT fixtures were stationed in between a row of colonnades and used to pick out the Grade I listed Pulteney Bridge in a series of delicate, fluid watery animations and gobo effects. The waters rushing over the 3-tiered ovular weir below were also illuminated with the Robes, producing a crisp, atmospheric contrast, and the row columns were up-lit with 64 Anolis ArcSource 6, RGB LED units creating another layer to this installation. This stunning light work brought a completely new life to this section of Bath, which is reported to be one of the most photographed sights in this spectacular city. These lights were looked after by Rob Sayer and controlled via an Avolites Pearl Expert. Lighting designer Manuel da Costa used Robe’s most powerful series of moving lights – ColorSpot, ColorWash and ColorBeam 2500E ATs – as key fixtures on his rig for the latest series of German Idol (Deutschland sucht den Superstar). This was recorded in Studios 30/31 at the Coloneum complex in Koln and broadcast live on national TV channel RTL in a prime time Saturday night slot. Da Costa has lit the show (this was the 8th series) since the start, and in that time seen the demands

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Bridge and other key architectural feaThe Brits tures around the famous UK World Heritage spa town’s city centre for the opening night of the 2011 Bath International Music Festival.

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and challenges of the lighting become increasingly sophisticated. Over the 9 shows in the series, he had to programme for about 120 different songs and performances … ensuring that each one looked interesting, fresh and unique for the competitors, the 1300 live audience as well as several million TV viewers.

For the recent Royal Wedding ‘live’ media Centre outside Buck House, with a variable sunny/cloudy weather forecast; many broadcasters installed the RoscoView panels and camera filter. The system works well for other temporary situations where speed is essential. For the Tour de France there is a mobile studio in the form of a truck drawn trailer, that elevates as a camera deck, and has a RoscoView panel of 8’ x 4’ (2.44 x 1.22m).

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Da Costa used a total of 42x Robe ColorSpot 2500E ATs, 22x Robe ColorWash 2500s and 12x Robe ColorBeam 2500E ATs in the rig. The ColorSpots formed the main backbone of the system, and were chosen for their intense brightness. For the lighting to hold its own and have an impact amidst all the LED surfaces, it was crucial to utilise really bright lightsources for which Robe’s 2500 Series was perfect!

Moving to more traditional Rosco products, as well all know, Venues and sets can be enhanced or transformed by movement. A good example was a carnival themed event in a large outdoor tent, to be transformed at short notice – the designer wanted it to look like a Venetian canal party. So a ‘tree‘ was built to hang lanterns and to conceal 6 Rosco X 24 projectors. These had 70° wide angle lenses, with a Cyan glass filter and a watery glass gobo on slow rotation to give an attractive kinetic reflected water effect.

Rosco The RoscoView system is a fixed Studio System that we’ve mentioned before, but a recent job came up recently at very short notice (...why is it always like that?) The system is for studio windows and compensates fast for changes in the daylight; exposure as seen through the windows: the system comprises two separate components – the RoscoView high transmission wide width (1.42m) polarising film, and a camera mounted RoscoView filter; so the inherent 1 stop Neutral Density of the main filter can be changed progressively down to black-out.

However, traditional Gobo rotators lack sophisticated controls and may be noisy. So Rosco have designed a new range, engineered fresh from the ground up to include all the features that are really needed. There are 3 models, but all have some common

Compiled by Richard Bowles – sponsornews@stld.org.uk

White Light A powerful and versatile yet lightweight and energy-efficient new tool for those working in lighting for television, film and exhibitions is now available in the UK exclusively from entertainment lighting specialist White Light. The Galaxia Softlight is a flat panel style softlight fixture that generates white light using an LED lightsource; the fixture has a colour temperature that is variable from 2700K to 6500K with a high colour rendering index of 90-95. The Galaxia is just 40mm thick (94mm including rigging yoke), and is available in two versions – the standard 60x60cm version and a ‘half panel’ 60x30cm version. In both cases soft light output is emitted from the fixture’s entire front face; beam control accessories such as barndoors are available if required. The Galaxia can be controlled via DMX512 or using a compact hand-held controller which can be used to set up colour temperature and output level on one fixture and then to copy those settings to other fixtures, removing the need to run cables between fixtures. At maximum output, Galaxia uses just 105W while offering a light output comparable to more power-hungry tungsten or fluorescent studio fixtures. Galaxia will also happily

accept input voltages from 90-250V making it easy to use in studios or on locations worldwide. The reaction to the Galaxia from the many lighting professionals in television and film who’ve seen it has been quite astonishing, according to White Light’s Sales Director Peter Threadgold. To see it seems to be to love it, and they already have a number of people putting Galaxia to use, with others keen to add it to their kit list. It is a great tool – great light output, easy to fit into the tightest of spaces, easy to set up, cool in use and with relatively low power requirements, and at a good price! If you want to try it yourself, either visit White Light at any of the major lighting shows, or contact White Light’s Sales team on 020 8254 4840 or via the White Light website at www.WhiteLight.Ltd.uk. Over at the National Theatre, White Light supplied the most dimmers ever seen in the National’s Olivier Theatre, for their dramatic new stage adaptation of Frankenstein, directed by Danny Boyle – the award-winning director of Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire and, next year, the opening of London’s 2012 Olympics. And the talk of the show is the spectacular lightbulb ceiling which greets audiences on their arrival into the theatre and then creates stunning images suggesting the industrial age and the power of electricity during the show. Triangular in form, the ceiling consists of a mirrored surface below which hang just over 3100 assorted lightbulbs. Conceived by Boyle, set designer Mark Tildesley and lighting designer Bruno Poet it was intended to “represent the forces of electricity harnessed by Frankenstein, and to provide a dazzling light for the moment the creature is born and opens his eyes for the first time,” the lighting designer explains. LED arrays of this type are now commonplace, but Poet was very keen to use tungsten “for its warmth, and because it better suggests the show’s industrial age setting. Danny was very excited about LEDs and the flexibility of colour they would offer, but the National mocked up a portion of the ceiling, and the moment everyone saw that magical glow of a filament at a really low level they were converted!” What Poet did want was the ability to control the bulbs as he would control an LED array, using

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

features. These include a Silicon drive belt for smooth and really silent operation in intimate television or studio theatre or church service use. Designed for B size metal or glass gobo, they can fit all popular luminaire iris slots, like ETC Source 4s and Selecon Pacific. A selection of control options include a precise control of rotation speed from 0.5 to 24 rpm, and from simple DMX on/off to 99 pre-programmed effects.

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bulbs, as it is being broadcast to cinemas around the world as part of the National’s acclaimed NT Live season. This is just one example of the kind of specialist service White Light now offers beyond just supplying equipment - the work was overseen by Simon Needle who spent many years creating effects just like this for shows around the world prior to joining White Light a few years ago.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

pixel mapping and a media server to quickly create dynamic patterns and movement across the array rather than being limited to manually constructed chases. With real lightbulbs, this would mean a dimmer per bulb; an expensive proposition. But he called Dave Isherwood at White Light for advice, who’s research led to him to the NJD DPX12/4 twelve-way dimmer rack, dramatically cheaper than the other options he explored. While 3000 dimmers were still beyond the show’s budget, they stretched to 90 of the racks; just over 1000 dimmers. Poet and his team at the National, including Marc Williams, Paul McLeish and production managers Sacha Milroy and Richard Eustace, therefore divided the ceiling into 1000 equally sized squares, pairing together whichever bulbs lay within each square.

This still left a complex wiring installation, achieved thanks to careful collaboration between many suppliers: White Light supplying and wiring the dimmers, Scott Fleary Productions constructing and wiring the scenery using woven fabric cable from Historic Lighting which, together with Allelectrics, supplied the lightbulbs themselves. The ceiling was controlled using the new pixelmapper/media server functionality in release 1.9.5 of ETC’s Eos console, Poet and NT programmer John McGarrigle running artwork across the array to create effects that range from dramatically intense to hauntingly beautiful glow of three thousand filaments. The show instantly became one of London’s hottest tickets, with the show sold out for its entire run. Fortunately, those without tickets will still get a chance to see the show and its spectacular light-

2011 marks not only the fortieth anniversary of entertainment lighting specialist White Light, but also ten years since the company moved to its expansive headquarters in Wimbledon, South-West London. Now, after ten years of dramatic growth, White Light is expanding again – spreading into a neighbouring building to increase its footprint by more than fifty percent. For those who remember it, their base in Fulham was charming but difficult to work in, particularly as more and more shows moved to HGV transport and the drivers had to back down the narrow suburban streets. Moving to Wimbledon a decade ago immediately made life easier, with much more office space, much more storage and equipment preparation space, and much, much easier truck access. Of course, after ten years of massive growth, particularly in lighting sales and lighting for live events, it no longer feels quite so spacious! Which is why they’re delighted to have been able to expand into an adjacent building – giving more storage room but more importantly more space for preparing shows, carrying out equipment demonstrations, even pre-lighting or rehearsing shows if required. The new building will operate in three sections. One will provide dramatically enhanced storage for White Light’s Sales operations, which now sees the company serving as the exclusive UK distributor for fourteen major international lighting manufacturers. The second will provide a clear area for visiting crews to pre-rig new productions and tours, free from the noise and distractions of White Light’s hundreds of other hire projects but with equipment and cable just a few metres away when it’s required and with a private loading dock available for packing the equipment onto trucks. The final area provides a large, clear, blacked-out demonstration, pre-lighting or even rehearsal space, with rigging and power available. MD Brian Raven commented that Lighting designers have long had to imagine what a light could do over a

Compiled by Richard Bowles – sponsornews@stld.org.uk

XL Video XL Events installed two large LED screens in London’s Trafalgar Square to facilitate one of the main public viewing areas for live TV transmission of the UK’s royal wedding, with an estimated 1 million people lined the streets of London to catch some of the action. The screens were both made up from Lighthouse R7 panels and were positioned around Nelson’s Column. One measured 80 square metres and faced the National Gallery, and the other was 40 square metres, facing eastward pointing down the Strand. Both were rigged on special screen support ‘goal post’ structures.

A stage was also built in the square, and a house band performed live to entertain the crowds along with presenters, which filled specific slots in the day-long telecast covering the wedding. XL Supplied a 3 camera PPU to relay the on-stage action to the screens which was directed by Jerry Rosenfield. Cameras were positioned one at frontof-house with long lens and 2 in the pit at the front of stage. When there was no live music scheduled, the screens received a satellite TV feed of the BBC’s broadcast of the wedding ceremony and procession.

XL Video UK has also just purchased another 250 square metres of the popular Pixled F-11 screen, as used on the Brit Awards as well as many tours, to use on the current Take That tour. This latest version is also 3D ready, allowing greater versatility in future applications. The Pixled’s F-11 recently won the prestigious 2010/2011 Live Design Projection Product of the Year for ‘Display’ from the USbased magazine Live Design. A specialist team from XL Video was dispatched to the 2011 Glastonbury Festival to co-ordinate the first ever ‘mapped projection’ onto 3 sides of the legendary Pyramid Stage structure. The visual spectacular took place whilst Coldplay performed their latest release, “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” as the finale to their Saturday night headline set. The feat of technical engineering was project managed by XL Events’ Robin Evans working with technical director David Mulcahy and XL’s IT expert Ian Woodall. The epic story started with a discussion between Coldplay’s production manager Wob Roberts and XL Video director Des Fallon some months previously. The initial inspiration came from Coldplay’s creative director Phil Harvey after seeing XL’s mapping of the Ralph Lauren building in London. Once the team had demo’d the concept to everyone, the band confirmed that they wanted to go ahead with it as a show-stopping effect for this year’s Glasto. Concepts for the projection were first shown to the Coldplay team using live server feeds into Cast’s WYSIWIG software, which allowed a 3D visualisation of how the projection might look. As the project progressed a physical 1:50 scale model of the Pyramid Stage was built, providing a real surface for test visuals. The challenges were many - from where to locate the projectors, to dealing with mapping the video, to the unique shape of the stage, to designing a super-stable data network. As the Pyramid Stage had never been used in this way before there were numerous unknowns needing to be incorporated into the projection calculations – from the actual response of the stage’s skin surfaces to the projection, though to the levels of ambient light that would be present. They had to make allowances for all these factors and others to ensure that the final

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

long throw while being shown it in a tiny demo room, - but now they’re going to let them try things – be it a single product or even a complete rig - in the kind of environment they’ll actually use it in, with a member of staff dedicated to running the demo space, and organising equipment in response to designer requests.

Sponsor News

The FOH tower was 105 metres away behind the main sound/lighting platform, also 6 x 8 metres wide/deep with an extra 3 metres of height at 15 metres. It housed four Barco FLM R22s, emitting approximately 84,000 ANSI lumens above the top canopy at the front of the Pyramid stage. Control was situated in a portacabin on stage right and received SMPTE timecode from Coldplay’s backline ProTools system. This timecode then fed the band’s touring Catalyst media server system (operated by Ben Miles) and the Pandoras Box Media Server Manager to ensure that the complete system was in sync. A fully redundant server solution was utilised to provide a ‘hot’ backup, and both systems ran locked to the SMPTE code. projections would be bright enough and have contrast ratios that would work on camera.

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

No less than Twenty-two high powered projectors were installed in 3 locations, together with a fully redundant Ethernet network, and some meticulous masking, mapping and programming in 4x Pandora’s Box media servers wasundertaken to make the video content fit the surfaces. Philip Ward of Universal Everything produced the custom created material.

The final projector tower positions were decided after close collaboration between the XL team and Dick Tee, Glastonbury’s production manager. To get the basic parameters established archival aerial photos and video footage was studied. Festival owner Michael Eavis had to give his personal consent and Tee had to undertake some serious health & safety risk assessments before any of the projector platforms could be built. The stage left structure was right in the middle of a public area and the main thoroughfare across the Pyramid section of the site for egress from the John Peel stage. The stage right tower was positioned in the BBC compound 100 metres away from the stage. It measured 6 x 8 x 12 metres high and was loaded with 9 Barco FLM HD20 projectors, all of which were overlaid to produce one mega bright image of 175,000 ANSI Lumens. The stage left tower was a repeat of this, but 120 metres away and offset, so the projection trajectory had to be warped in the Pandora’s Box running that side of the effect, so it appeared straight on to the side of the stage.

All the video content was mapped and shaped exactly to the Pyramid’s covers from CAD drawings. 2D texture maps derived from 3D Studio were supplied in advance by David Mulcahy to Philip Ward, so he could also tailor the footage and its resolution. The task of designing stable and rock solid reliable networking in the middle of a field fell to Ian Woodall, and consumed nearly 5 kilometres of CAT-5 Ethernet cable. A full redundancy ring with automatic fall-over was integrated into the system. The network enabled two vital technical elements sync’ing the media servers in each projection tower, and giving the ability to talk to the projectors remotely, which made the line up process hugely efficient, saving endless amounts of scaling towers hundreds of metres apart. Being the Summer Solstice, they needed to maximise the 4 hours of true darkness available each night! A ‘Network’ pre rig started two weeks before the festival and the XL team moved onsite a full week in advance to finish everything off once the towers were built. The projector line up was completed in overnight sessions and demonstrated to Coldplay’s management on the Wednesday night before their performance. On the night, the effect received an incredible reaction from the audience and amassed media, proving to be every bit the WOW factor and visual focus that the band had wanted. A minute after the end of the Coldplay show, a

Compiled by Richard Bowles – sponsornews@stld.org.uk

holding slide was projected as a tribute to the late Des Fallon, XL Video director, project manager and production industry maverick, who died tragically and suddenly in May.

ability to keep a submaster or UDK available across all pages – perfect for house lights or effects you need available throughout the whole show. A major overhaul of the Macros system means they can now store syntax commands or front panel button pushes, and can be executed either fast or slow, depending on your requirements.

Zero 88

Cooper Controls have announced the launch of Version 7.0 ZerOS software for the Zero 88 Leap Frog 48, Leap Frog 96, Frog 2 and ORB Series consoles. This is the most substantial update to the ZerOS software platform to date, incorporating over 30 new features, and is a testament to the investment Cooper has made in Zero 88 over the last four years These include a completely redesigned look and style for an enhanced, clearer user interface. A Colour Filter lookup allows you to match your moving lights to any Lee, Rosco or Apollo filter using on-screen palette keys or syntax. A new ‘Fixture Levels’ window provides instant view and modification of tracking data for the entire cue stack. A ‘Page Lock’ function has been added, giving the

An updated and integrated comprehensive online help for all desk types, built into the desk software for instant support on all desk features – and finally, an updated fixture library now has over 2500 fixture types from 175 manufacturers! ZerOS 7.0 Software, ZerOS 7.0 Offline Editor and the latest ZerOS Remote Monitor software are all now available from the support centre at www.zero88.com

Wanted! New editor for Sponsor News The old one needs replacement therapy. Join the committee and make a contribution to help run the STLD

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

The new ZeroWire CRMX is based on the first automated and adaptive wireless technology specifically developed for the lighting industry. CRMX wireless transmissions optimise the use of available frequencies providing the most reliable wireless DMX solution. This fully automated feature offers unrivalled convenience and peace of mind during operation. ZeroWire CRMX technology is housed in rugged enclosures designed to meet the particular requirements of the entertainment and architainment markets.

Society Committee Secretary and Sponsor News

Chairman

Stuart Gain

07774 161 996

Treasurer

Mike Le Fevre 07956 305 662

Richard Bowles

07973 152 682

richardbowles@stld.org.uk

chairman@stld.org.uk Sponsors Liaison

Bernie Davis

treasurer@stld.org.uk

Sponsor Liaison +Membership

Exhibitions

07762 562 434

07720 446 921

07860 662 736

members@stld.org.uk

sponsors@stld.org.uk

paulmiddleton@stld.org.uk

Publicity

Magazine Layout

07973 745 583

07811 256 283

Advertising Sales

Iain Davidson

Andrew Harris

John King

07860 759 294

iaindavidson@stld.org.uk

publicity@stld.org.uk

Paul Middleton

Robert Horne

Diary

johnking@stld.org.uk

Rick Dines

Website

Lee Allen

Ian Hillson

07711 088 964

07780 707 169

Picture courtesy of Chris Capstick

leeallen@stld.org.uk

rickdines@stld.org.uk

ianhillson@stld.org.uk

Mark Fowler

Jonathan Taylor

John O’Brien

07920 274 769

07717 170 288

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

07774 698847

markfowler@stld.org.uk

jonathantaylor@stld.org.uk

johnobrien@stld.org.uk

Index of Advertisers ARRI Anna Valley Avolites Clay Paky

13 33 17 27

ELP ETC I-Pix Lee Filters

9 17 BC IFC

Martin Photon Beard Pulsar White Light

IBC 29 21 29

Society Sponsors A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd. (Gordon Smith) Centauri House, Hillbottom Road, Sands Industrial Estate, High Wycombe, Bucks. HP12 4HQ Tel: 01 494 446 000 ~ Fax: 01 494 461 024 ~ E-Mail: gordon.smith@ac-et.com ~ Web: www.aclighting.com

Ambersphere Solutions Ltd now incorporating MA Lighting (Glyn O’Donoghue) Unit 3 Alliance Court, Alliance Road, Park Royal, London W3 0RB Tel: 020 8992 6369 ~ E-Mail: glyn@amberspere.co.uk ~ Web: www.ambersphere.co.uk

Anna Valley (Part of Shooting Partners group) (Mark Holdway, Doug Hammond) Unit J12 Brooklands Close, Windmill Road, Sunbury-On-Thames, Middlesex, TW16 7DX Tel: 020 8941 4500 ~ Fax: +44(0)1932 761 591 ~ Web: www.annavalley.co.uk

Architainment Lighting Ltd.(Nic Tolkein) Unit 6 Premacto Business Estate, Queensmead Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire HP10 9XA Tel: 01494 471 340 ~ Fax: 001494 442 627 ~ E-Mail: nic@architainment.co.uk

ARRI (GB) Ltd. (Andy Barnett, Siobhan Daly, Martin Carnell) 2 Highbridge, Oxford Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 1LX Tel: 01 895 457 000 ~ Fax: 01 895 457 001 ~ E-Mail: sales@arri-gb.com ~ Web: www.arri.com/

ARRI Lighting Rental Ltd. (Tommy Moran, Mike O’Hara) 2 Highbridge, Oxford Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 1LX ~ Tel: 01 895 457 200 ~ Fax: 01 895 457 201 Manchester 0161 736 8034 (Jimmy Reeves) ~ E-Mail: mohara@arrirental.com ~ Web: www.arri.com

Artistic Licence (UK) Ltd. (Wayne Howell, Simon Hobday, Louise L’Homme) 24 Forward Drive, Christchurch Industrial Estate, Harrow, Middlesex, HA3 8NT Tel: 020 8863 4515 ~ Fax: 020 8426 0551 ~ E-Mail: sales@artisticlicence.com ~ Web: www.artisticlicence.com

Avolites (Phil Blue) 184 Park Avenue, Park Royal, London, NW10 7XL Tel: 020 8965 8522 ~ Fax: 020 8965 0290 ~ E-Mail: steve@avolites.com ~ Web: www.avolites.com

BBC Studios and Post Production Ltd. Room 001, The Hub, BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, London, W12 7RJ Tel: 020 8576 7666~ Fax: 020 8965 8806 ~ E-Mail: andrew.breaks@bbc.co.uk ~ Web: www.bbcresources.co.uk

BBC Training and Development. (Tim Wallbank) Wood Norton, Evesham, Worcestershire WR11 4YB www.bbctraining.com

Broadcast Video Forum/Emap (Charlotte Bowskill) Emap Media,Greater London House, Hampstead Road. NW1 7EJ

Chris James & Co. Ltd. (Barry Frankling) 43 Colville Road, Acton, London. W3 8BL Tel: 020 8896 1772 ~ Fax: 020 8896 1773 ~ E-Mail: info@chrisjamesfilter.com ~ Web: www.chrisjamesfilter.com

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Barbizon Europe Ltd (Tom McGrath) Unit 5 Saracen Industrial Area, Mark Road, Hemel Hempsted, Herts, HP2 7BJ ~ Tel: 01442 260 600 ~ Fax: 01442 261 611 E-Mail: tmcgrath@barbizon.com ~ Web: www.barbizon.com

Society Sponsors Cirro Lite (Europe) Ltd. (John Coppen, David Morphy, Frieder Hockheim) 3 Barrett’s Green Road, London NW10 7AE Tel: 020 8955 6700 ~ Fax: 020 8961 9343 ~ E-Mail: mail@cirrolite.com ~ Web: www.cirrolite.com

Clay Paky S p A (Enrico Caironi,) via Pastrengo 3/B, 24068 Seriate (BG), Italy Tel: +39 335 72.333.75 ~ Fax: +39 035.30.18.76 ~E-Mail: cp.sales@claypaky.it ~ Web: www.claypaky.it

Doughty Engineering Ltd. (Julian Chiverton, Mervyn Lister, Stephen Wright) Crow Arch Lane, Ringwood, Hants. BH24 1NZ ~ Tel: 01 425 478 961 ~ Fax: 01 425 474 481 E-Mail: sales@doughty-engineering.co.uk ~ Web: www.doughty-engineering.co.uk

ELP

(Ronan Willson, Tony Slee, John Singer, Darren Fletcher) 15 North Gate, Alconbury Airfield, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE28 4WX Tel: 01480 443 800 ~ Fax: 01480 443 888 ~ E-Mail: info@elp.tv ~ Web: www.elp.tv Elstree Office 020 8324 2100 Manchester Office 0161 953 6630

ETC Europe Ltd. (Mark White, Jeremy Roberts, Lesley Harmer) Unit 26-28, Victoria Industrial Estate, Victoria Road, London W3 6UU Tel: 020 8896 1000 ~ Fax: 020 8896 2000 ~ E-Mail: mwhite@etceurope.com ~ Web: www.etcconnect.com

Film & TV Services Ltd. (Julie Fegan, Eddie Fegan) Unit 3, Matrix Park, Coronation Road, Park Royal, London NW10 7PH Tel: 020 8961 0090 ~ Fax: 020 8961 8635 ~ E-Mail: mail@ftvs.co.uk ~ Web: www.ftvs.co.uk

Finelight Ltd. (Simon Perrott) 708B, Tudor Industrial Estate, Abbey Road, Park Royal, London NW10 7UY Tel: 020 8453 0049 ~ Mobile: 07968 581 440 ~ E-Mail: simon@finelight.co.uk ~ Web: www.finelight.co.uk

Flashlight Ltd. (Andy Dodd, Rob Williamson) Unit A3, Axis Point, Hill Top Road, Heywood, Greater Manchester, OL10 2RQ Tel: 01706 625 866 ~ Fax: 01706 620 756 ~ E-Mail: sales@flash-light.org.uk ~ Web: www.flash-light.org.uk

Fountain Studios

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

The Fountain studios, 128 Wembley Park Drive, Wembley, HA9 8HP Tel: 020 8900 5800 ~ E-Mail: ? ~ Web: www.ftv.co.uk

Gekko Technology (Ian Muir) Units 3 - 4, Cotton Drive, Dalehouse Lane, Kenilworth, CV8 2UE Tel: +44 (0) 844 8005326 ~ E-Mail: ian@gekkotechnology.com ~ Web: www.gekkotechnology.com

Green Hippo (Samantha Bailey) Unit 307 Parma House, Clarendon Road, Wood Green, N22 6UL Tel: +44 (0)203 301 4561 ~ E-Mail: sam@green-hippo.com ~ Web: www.green-hippo.com

GrandPa (Tim Routledge) “Inca”, Taggs Island, Hampton Court, Middlesex TW12 2HA Tim: 07739 316307 ~ Pryderi: 07802 155414 ~ E-Mail: info@grand-pa.co.uk ~ Web: www.grand-PA.co.uk

Havells-Sylvania Ltd (Ian Major) Havells-Sylvania Ltd., Avis Way, Newhaven, BN9 0ED E-Mail: david.hogan@havells-sylvania.com ~ Web: www.havells-sylvania.com

Please mention Television Lighting and Desgn when contacting Sponsors

Hawthorn Lighting (Dave Slater, May Lee) Head Office 01664 821111 - London Office 020 8955 6900 info@hawthorns.uk.com - www.hawthorns.uk.com

Howard Eaton Lighting Ltd. (H.E.L.L.) (Howard Eaton, Peter Willis) Winterlands, Resting Oak Hill, Cooksbridge, Lewes, East Sussex BN8 4PR Tel: 01 273 400 670 ~ Fax: 01 273 408 900 ~ E-Mail: general@helluk.com ~ Web: www.helluk.com

HSL Group Ltd (Simon Stuart, Mike Oates, Graham Ramsdale, Sean McGlone) Unit O, Ribble Business Park, Challenge Way, Blackburn, Lancs. BB1 5RB Tel: 01 254 698 808 ~ Fax: 01 254 698 835 ~ E-Mail: simon@hslproductions.com ~ Web: www.hslproductions.com

i-Pix (Christopher Ewington) Broadstone Mill, Broadstone Road, Houldsworth Village, Cheshire, SK5 7DL Tel: 0161 443 4140 ~ E-Mail: info@i-pix.uk.com ~ Web: www.i-pix.uk.com

James Thomas Engineering Ltd. (Paul Young) Navigation Complex, Navigation Road, Digilis Trading Estate Worcestershire WR5 3DE Tel: 01 905 363 600~ Fax: 01 905 363 601 ~ E-Mail: pauly@jamesthomas.co.uk ~ Web: www.jamesthomas.co.uk

Key Light Hire Ltd. (Alex Hambi) Unit 24, Sovereign Park, Coronation Road, Park Royal, NW10 7QP Tel: 020 8963 9931 ~ Fax: 020 8961 236 ~ Mobile: 07949 68 68 02 E-Mail: alex@keylight.tv ~ Web: www.keylight.tv

Lights Camera Action. (Nick Shapley) Unit 30, 8 Taunton Road, The Metropolitan Centre, Greenford, Middlesex, UB6 8UQ Tel: 0208 833 7600 ~ Fax: 020 8575 8219 ~ Web: www.lcauk.com

Lightfactor Sales Ltd. (Peter Coles) 20 Greenhill Crescent, Watford Business Park, Watford, Herts. WD18 8JA Tel: 01923 698 080 ~ Fax: 01923 698 081 ~ E-Mail: info@lightfactor.co.uk ~ Web: www.lightfactor.co.uk

Lighting Logic Ltd. (Mick Cocker, Matt Miles) The Hopkilns Building, Goblands Farm Business Centre, Cemetery Lane, Hadlow, Kent, T11 0LT Tel: 0845 260 0540 ~ Fax: 0845 260 0541 ~ E-Mail: mick@lightinglogic.co.uk ~ Web: www.lightinglogic.co.uk

LSI Projects (Russell Dunsire, Nick Mobsby) 15, Woking Business Park, Albert Drive, Woking, Surrey. GU21 5JY Tel: 01 483 764 646 ~ Fax: 01 483 769 955 ~ E-Mail: nickM@lsiprojects.com ~ Web: www.lsiprojects.com

Martin Professional Plc. ( Mike Walker, Matthew Pitman) Martin Professional PLC, 175 Long Lane, London SE1 4PN Tel: 0203 207 2960 ~ E-Mail: michael.walker@martin.dk, matthew.pitman@martin.dk ~ Web: www.martinpro.co.uk

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Lee Filters Ltd. (Eddie Ruffell, Paul Topliss, Ralph Young) Central Way, Walworth Industrial Estate, Andover, Hants. SP10 5AN Tel: 01 264 366 245 ~ Fax: 01 264 355 058 ~ E-Mail: ecruffell@leefilters.com ~ Web: www.leefilters.com

Society Sponsors MGC LAMPS LIMITED (James Greig) 1 Sovereign Centre, Farthing Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 5AP. Tel: 01473 466 300 ~ Fax: 01473 240 081 ~ E-Mail: uksales@mgc-lamps.com~ Web: www.mgc-lamps.com

Osram Ltd. (Alison Quinn, Graham Lewis, Jason Hicklin) Osram House, Waterside Drive, Langley, Berkshire. SL3 6EZ Tel: 01753 484 227 ~ Tel Tech Advice: 01753 484 144 ~ Fax: 01753 484 222 E-Mail: photo.optics@osram.co.uk ~ Web: www.osram.co.uk

Panalux Limited. (Ed Pagett, Simon Roose) Unit 21, The Metropolitan Centre, Derby Road, Greenford, London, UB6 8UJ Tel: 020 8832 4800 ~ Fax: 020 8832 4811 ~ E-Mail: info@panalux.biz ~ Web: www.panalux.biz

Philips Entertainment BV. (Mike Goldberg) Marssteden 152, Enschede 7547 TD, the Netherlands Tel: +44 (0)7974 752646

Philips Lighting UK Ltd. (Sharon Banting) Philips Centre, Guildford Business Park, Guildford, Surrey. GU2 8XH Tel: 07774 122 735 ~ Fax: 01 296 670 956 ~ E-Mail: sharon.banting@philips.com ~ Web: www.lighting.philips.com

Photon Beard Ltd. (Peter Daffarn, Mike Perry, Simon Larn) Unit K3, Cherry Court Way, Stanbridge Road, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire. LU7 8UH Tel: 01 525 850 911 ~ Fax: 01 525 850 922 ~ E-Mail: info@photonbeard.com ~ Web: www.photonbeard.com

Pinewood Group (Simon Honey – Head of Studio Ops., Peter Lawes – Production Lighting Manager, Paul Darbyshire – Operations Director) Pinewood Road, Iver Heath, Bucks. SL0 0NH Tel: 01753 785 200 ~ Fax: 01 753 656 103 ~ E-Mail: simon.honey@pinewoodshepperton.com ~ Web: www.pinewoodshepperton.com

PLASA (Ruth Rossington, Norah Phillips) The Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA) is a trade association representing companies and individuals who work within the TV, film, entertainment, installation and leisure industries. Its aim is to develop and promote all aspects of the industry on a worldwide basis, acting in the common interests of its membership. Redoubt House, 1 Edward Street, Eastbourne, Sussex. BN23 8AS Tel: 01 323 524 120 ~ Fax: 01 323 524 121 ~ E-Mail: ruth@plasa.org ~ Web: www.plasa.org

TV Lightingand Design Autumn 2011

Production Resource Group (Mick Healey,Kelly Cornfield, Martin Locket)

The Hoover Building, Western Avenue, Perivale UB6 8DW The Cofton Centre, Groveley Lane, Longbridge, Birmingham, B31 4PT ~ Tel: 0845 470 6400 ~ Fax: 0845 470 6401 ~ E-Mail: prglighting@prg.com www.prglighting.co.uk

Projected Image UK Ltd. (Jim Douglas) Unit 17 Hoults Estate Walker Road Newcastle-Upon-Tyne NE6 2HL. Tel: 0191 265 9832 ~ Fax: 0191 265 8742 ~ E-Mail: gobo@projectedimage.com ~ Web: www.projectedimage.com

Prolyte Group (Adrian Brooks) Prolyte Products UK Ltd., Langthwaite Business Park, South Kirby, WF9 3NR Tel: +44 (0)1977 659 800 ~ Fax: +44 (0)1977 659 801 Web: www.prolyte.com

Please mention Television Lighting and Design when contacting Sponsors

Pulsar Light Of Cambridge Ltd. (Andy Graves, Paul Mardon, Snowy Johnson) 3 Coldham’s Business Park, Norman Way, Cambridge CB1 3LH Tel: 01 223 403 500 ~ Fax: 01 223 403 501 ~ E-Mail: andy@pulsarlight.com ~ Web: www.pulsarlight.com

Richard Martin Lighting Ltd. (Richard Martin, Steve Wells, Amy Helps) Unit 24, Sovereign Park, Coronation Road, Park Royal, NW10 7QP Tel: 020 8965 3209 Fax: 020 8965 5562 ~ E-Mail: info@richardmartinlighting.co.uk ~ Web: www.richardmartinlighting.co.uk RML Admin: Lantern House, Old Town, Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos. GL56 0LW

Robe UK Ltd. (Ian W Brown, William Jones, Ashley Lewis) 3 Spinney View, Stone Circle Road, Round Spinney Ind Est., Northampton, NN3 8RQ Tel: 01 604 741 000 ~ Fax: 01 604 741 041 ~ E-Mail: info@robeuk.com ~ Web: www.robeuk.com

Schnick-Schnack-Systems GmbH (Thomas Werr) Mathias-Bruggen-Strasse 79, 50829, Germany E-Mail: thomas.werr@schnickschnacksystems.com ~ Web: english.schnickschnacksystems.com

Sony UK Ltd. (Daniel Robb) The Heights, Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey.KT13 0XW Tel: 01 932 816 368 ~ Fax: 01 932 817 014 ~ Neil: 07774 142 724 ~ E-Mail: Jane.Green@eu.sony.com ~ Web: sonybiz.net/uk

Roscolab Ltd. (Denise Piquet) Blanchard Works, Kangley Bridge Road, Sydenham, London. SE26 5AQ Tel: 020 8659 2300 ~ Fax: 020 8659 3153 ~ E-Mail: marketing@rosco-europe.com~ Web: www.rosco.com

Specialz Ltd. (Dave Smith) 1 Althorpe Street, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. CV31 1NQ Tel: 01 926 745 366 ~ Fax: 01926 745 344 ~ E-Mail: info@specialz.co.uk ~ Web: www.specialz.co.uk

The Hospital Club Studios (Anne Marie Phelan) 4 Endell Street, London, WC2H 9HQ Tel: 020 7170 9112 ~ Fax: 020 7170 9102 ~ E-Mail: annemariep@thehospital.co.uk ~ Web: www.thehospital.co.uk

The London Studios (Dave Stevens) Upper Ground, London, SE1 9LT Tel: 020 7157 5555 ~ Fax: 020 7157 5757 ~ E-Mail: dave.stevens@londonstudios.co.uk ~ Web: www. londonstudios.co.uk

TMB (Paul Hartley, Bill Anderson) 21 Armstrong Way, Southall, UB2 4SD Tel: 020 8574 9700 ~ Fax: 020 8574 9701 ~ E-Mail: tmb-info@tmb.com ~ Web: www.tmb.com

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Stage Electrics Ltd. (Matt Cowles, Adrian Searle) Third Way, Avonmouth, Bristol. BS11 9YL ~ Tel: 0117 938 4000 ~ Tel Chris: 07836 248660 ~ Tel Richard: 07836 249 627 Fax: 0117 916 2828 ~ E-Mail: sales@stage-electrics.co.uk ~ Web: www.stage-electrics.co.uk

Please mention Television Lighting and Design when contacting Sponsors

TSL Teknique Systems Ltd. PO Box 3587, Glasgow, G73 9DX Tel: 07860 290637 ~ Web: www.tekniquesystems.com

VectorWorks (Martyn Horne) Computers Unlimited, The Technology Park, Colindeep Lane, London, NW9 6BX Tel: 020 8200 8282 ~ Fax: 020 8358 9479 ~ E-Mail: 3ddesign@unlimited.com ~ www.vectorworks.uk.com

White Light Ltd. (Bryan Raven, John Simpson, Jason Larcombe) 20 Merton Industrial Park, Jubilee Way, London SW19 3WL Tel: 020 8254 4800 ~ Fax: 020 8254 4801 ~ E-Mail: info@WhiteLight.Ltd.uk ~ Web: www.WhiteLight.Ltd.uk HireTel: 020 8254 4820 ~ Hire Fax: 020 8254 4821 ~ Sales Tel: 020 8254 4840 ~ Sales Fax: 020 8254 4841

XL Video Ltd. (Hugh Davies-Webb) 2 Eastman Way, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP2 7DU Tel: 01442 849 400 ~ Fax: 01442 849 401 ~ E-Maill: info@xlvideo.tv ~ web: www.xlvideo.com

XTBA (Chris Cook, Fiona Fehilly, Simon Peers) 35 Fernleigh Road, London N21 3AN Tel: 020 8882 0100 ~ Fax: 020 8882 9326 ~ E-Mail: dmx@xtba.demon.co.uk ~ Web: www.xtba.demon.co.uk

SPONSORS DIRECTORY

TV Lighting and Design Autumn 2011

Zero 88 Lighting Ltd. (Ken Bereen) Head Office: Usk House, Llantarnam Park, Cwmbran, Gwent. NP44 3HD Tel: 01 633 838 088 ~ Fax: 01 633 867 880 ~ E-Mail: sales@zero88.com ~ Web: www.zero88.com

The STLD interactive Sponsors Directory has been available for sponsors use for over a year now. It is proving a very useful tool to the STLD and we hope for those of our sponsors who now use it. Its main advantages are that it enables the STLD to display up to date and accurate information about your company on its website. In doing so, it also helps us update our records and ensure that we have accurate mailing and invoicing details. STLD sponsor companies can make use of this facility by contacting Bernie Davis sponsors@stld.org.uk. with the name and e mail address of the person who will become the company’s ‘sponsor user’. They will be registered on our secure database and will then be able to modify their company’s information within the sponsors directory. Please note that the directory can now enable companies to be searched for by category and area. Bernie Davis – STLD Sponsor Liaison

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