Tag Archive: Jim Dewhirst

1. White Light in the Picture for Canon Camera Launch

   18 October 2018 10:16 Leave a Comment

   

   Canon recently held the launch of its new camera the EOS R at Shoreditch Electric Light Station, London. The camera giants invited journalists along to take part in an experiential experience in which they were transported to a utopian land 400 years in the future. The experience was produced by award-winning theatre company Les Enfants Terribles, known for their work on Alice’s Adventures Underground. Having provided the lighting on a range of immersive projects, White Light was called upon to supply the equipment for this particular launch.

   The lighting designer for the event was Charlie Morgan Jones, who comments: “Canon wanted to launch their new camera yet do so in a way that was interactive and provided the journalists in attendance with an unforgettable experience. Les Enfants came up with the concept that a Canon ambassador was lost in the future and it was down to the invited journalists to ‘find her’. The set design team created a variety of spaces, including the Lab, Missing Persons Room, Museum of Curiosity, Worker’s Space and the Gym; each of which contained clues and potential pointers as to where the ambassador might be. The finale is that they find her in a space named Utopia and she does a beautiful aerial act which they photograph using the new Canon camera, thus allowing them to try out this latest model and all of its settings”.

   Charlie’s own brief was to create a lighting design that not only helped tell the story and add to the immersive experience but was also allow the camera to take the best photos possible. Charlie comments: “I’ve never done an event like this before where the lighting had to be so precise in terms of hitting certain lighting levels whilst at the same time retain my own aesthetic for the live audience. The team from Canon actually came round with a light meter to ensure we were hitting the exact levels and we often had to adjust our lighting brightness accordingly”.

   When Charlie first visited the site, it was a complete empty space. Using only the renderings and drawings he had, he approached the WL team and worked closely with Jonathan Haynes and Jim Dewhirst to obtain the exact fixtures he required. He explains: “This was a very unique project in the sense that it was very ‘theatrical’ yet wasn’t taking place in a theatre space as it were. After speaking with WL, I decided to draw on the ETC Source Four Minis which proved invaluable for the smaller spaces where we simply didn’t have the space for a large rig. A lot of the rooms required powerful lighting yet for this to be done discretely and I feel the Minis are the only fixture that are able to achieve this”.

   The largest space used in the experience was the Utopia area. It was here where the entire launch would culminate, with an aerial performance from the ambassador. Charlie explains: “The biggest feature in Utopia was the sun, which was a monster to create. It comprised of 19 par cans, 32 pin spots and a lot of LED tape (although I suspect my Chief LX Paul Walmsley and his masterful electrics team secretly loved making it!). The space also utilised 8 x MAC III Performance, 3 x MAC TW1s and a range of Robert Juliat DALIS”. Over the main acting space, 14 x ETC Lustr 2s provided general coverage, acting as a ‘big light’ to ensure the cast could be seen clearly by the camera.

   As with a lot of events taking place in bespoke environments, the set up time for the project was extremely tight. Charlie explains: “We had three days to set everything up and we were working alongside the construction team who were simultaneously building the set. Also, due to the fact that there was very little free space in the main areas, we actually had to position the lighting desk in another room, meaning all the programming was blind. That said, the Lighting Programmer, Shane Button, was fantastic and it often involved a lot of trial and error with me speaking down a radio to him, acting as his eyes. I was really lucky to be surrounded by a brilliant team, including my right hand man LX Paul Walmsley as well as Charlie Hayday, Gareth Clough, Clancy Flynn and Paul Salmon who were all equally fantastic!”.

   The launch was a huge success, attracting journalists from across the globe. It also marks yet another example of WL working with Charlie. Charlie comments: “This was a fantastic project to work on and unlike anything I’ve ever lit before. I want to say a huge thanks to all the WL team for being so accommodating and for offering guidance from the initial planning stages, all the way through to final delivery”.

   Photos courtesy of Charlie Morgan Jones and Canon Ambassadors.

2. White Lights Goes Into The Woods with UCL

   1 March 2018 16:28 Comments Off on White Lights Goes Into The Woods with UCL

   The UCL Musical Theatre Society offers top-quality performance, production, volunteering and social opportunities for the students of UCL. Every academic year the society puts on a variety of shows, including two large-scale productions. This year, one of these was Into the Woods which was performed at the Shaw Theatre as part of the Union’s Performance Season. With a strong history of supporting student productions, White Light was called upon to provide the lighting equipment.

   The lighting designer for the show was Alex Forey. He comments: “I became involved with the production as I am part of the UCL Stage Crew which is responsible for everything technical that happens on every UCL Show. The director’s vision for the show was for it to be set in a post-apocalyptic world. The set design was very industrial with lots of exposed aluminium and barbed wire so it was my job to support that vision with lighting, creating a magical environment”.

   Alex designed the rig for UCL’s whole four-week season at the Shaw. As a result, it had to be very versatile. He explains: “Due to the required versatility, the rig is very mover and LED heavy. I picked the VL1100TS for its versatility as a front-of-house workhorse; with the tungsten dimming curve and shutters being particularly important for Into the Woods. Similarly, the gobos and rich colour mixing was also helpful for the live music and dance. I also drew on MAC Quantum Washes for their zoom range, brightness and saturated colours, along with MAC Aura XBs to add some versatility in terms of focus positions and specials.

   He adds: “The ever-reliable Lustr was used for colour-changing face light whereas the newer ColourSource Spots with Fresnel adaptors were used for colour changing downlight. There were also 30 x Source Fours for general cover front of house along with 2 x LOOK Solutions Unique Hazers and a Viper NT”.

   As with a lot of student productions, one of the biggest challenges facing Alex was time. He states: “As these productions are obviously fitted around our own studies, we have to use time as efficiently as possible! We only had three days to get in, focus, plot and then tech what is a three hour musical. In order to save time when we were at the venue, I visited WL’s warehouse the week before to conduct some gear prep along with colour matching between the various fixture types”.

   The season runs until 10^th March. Alongside Into the Woods, the season includes Electra, a UCL Drama Society Show, and Exhibition, the Dance Society’s big annual showcase. The other shows are lit by a variety of UCL Stage Crew members, including Alex who has lit 4 of the 22 dance pieces.

   Alex comments: “It’s been fantastic to work on Into the Woods along with the whole season; especially in a venue such as The Shaw Theatre. Thanks also to WL, in particular Jim Dewhirst and Jonathan Haynes, for their support throughout”.

   WL’s Business Development Manager Jonathan Haynes comments: “We are delighted to have been able to work closely with Alex and all of the UCL Stage Crew team on this fantastic season. While we still remain the leading lighting supplier to West End theatre, we are also passionate about supporting student shows which often feature the next generation of lighting designers and theatre practitioners”.

   Photos courtesy of Alex Forey.

3. White Light Goes to the Desert with Priscilla at ArtsEd

   14 February 2018 12:23 Comments Off on White Light Goes to the Desert with Priscilla at ArtsEd

   As part of its Third Year BA Musical Theatre Students Showcase, ArtsEd recently produced a brand-new production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Taking place in the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Theatre, the show tells the story of drag queens Tick and Adam, and trans woman, Bernadette, as they embark on a road trip through the Australian outback. The show was lit by Nic Farman and White Light provided the lighting equipment.

   Priscilla Queen of the Desert is based on the 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and won an Olivier on its West End debut. Nic comments: “I had never seen Priscilla before which I think worked in my favour as I was able to approach it with a fresh pair of eyes”. Priscilla is renowned for being a glitzy and loud show; something Nic was asked to embrace for his design. He explains: “My brief was to be as bright and colourful as possible! Something I really had to consider was the use of projection in the show. PJ McEvoy, the set and projection designer, had created this large bus to sit centre stage which he then transformed with video. Making that projection have a visual impact was very important and this required close collaboration between the two of us to ensure the video and lighting created a cohesive stage picture”.

   In order to achieve this, Nic approached WL and worked closely with WL’s Business Development Manager Jonathan Haynes and WL’s Hire and Sales Coordinator Jim Dewhirst to select his exacting fixtures. He comments: “The show called for plenty of colour and texture from the lighting. I spec’d a number of Martin MAC 700 Profiles and Washes. The Profiles provided good beams in the air and gobo work on the show floor, whereas the Washes allowed me to wash the stage with saturated colour.

   He adds: “Overhead, we had the VL1100AS which I chose for their shuttering. It was important to control the light within the space so that I didn’t wash out the projection surfaces and the VL1100s gave me that ability. We also had a number of Pixel Line 1044s to light the cyc. With bold, saturated colours being so important, the 1044s had ample output for our relatively small cyc. Also key in my design were the ETC Lustrs which cross lit the space and allowed me to light the choreography with a rich colour palette”.

   With the production being so reliant on the use of projection, this mean that Nic had to be very exact with how he lit certain scenes. He comments: “It was all about retaining that balance between projection and the action on stage. I ended up with a lot of cues which had subtle lifts and drops at opportune moments to keep the balance right. It was also a very big show to tech in a relatively short period of time so I was grateful to have such a brilliant team at ArtsEd who facilitated everything”.

   The production ran from 2^nd – 10^th February and allowed the students the opportunity to perform in a large-scale show before graduating.

   Nic states: “This was a great show to work on with a great bunch of creatives. I am also very grateful to WL for being so supportive and allowing me to achieve everything I wanted with the show”.

   Jonathan adds: “We recently supported Nic with his West End debut, The Toxic Avenger, so it’s great he’s able to call upon our services for a completely different production. Ultimately, we want to ensure that we work closely with lighting designers on any project and provide them with the best service possible”.

   Photos courtesy of Robert Workman.