Tag Archive: lighting install

1. White Light Provides Royal Albert Hall with LED Upgrade

   14 January 2020 11:18 Leave a Comment

   

   White Light recently supplied the Royal Albert Hall with a range of Martin MAC Encore fixtures, continuing the phased upgrade of the in-house lighting rig.

   Located in South Kensington, the Royal Albert Hall is one of the world’s most iconic concert halls. Founded in 1871, it has played host to some of the biggest artists of all time and seats over 5,000 audience members.

   As it hosts concerts on an almost nightly basis, the venue possesses its own in-house kit which is used by incoming shows. The rig has to be extremely flexible in order to adapt to such a varied programme, as well as needing to be energy efficient and sympathetic to the needs and requirements of a wide range of different lighting designers and productions. The existing fixtures, whilst having served their time very well, were due for upgrading in line with the Hall’s ongoing replacement program. As a result, the venue approached WL in order to invest in some LED alternatives.

   

   WL’s Business Development Manager Jonathan Haynes explains: “I met up with the Royal Albert Hall’s Lighting Design Manager Richard Thomas who told me about their existing set up and what he was looking for to replace the ageing fixtures. The main priority was that the new fixtures were LED and provided a tungsten colour match that was at least as bright as the fixtures they were replacing. They also needed to be quiet, as well as have the ability to provide a high output in cool white to cut through the rest of the rig for aerial work.”

   WL put forward a range of options and held an on-site demonstration at the Royal Albert Hall for the lighting team to see each one in situ. Jonathan explains: “It is so important to shoot out fixtures in the venue for which they are intended, to see how they react to the conditions, throw distance etc. After discussing suggestions with Richard and his team, it became obvious that the Martin MAC Encore Performance CLD was the best option”.

   The Martin Mac Performance CLD integrates cutting-edge LED technology with a proprietary and innovative light engine carefully engineered to generate pristine, full spectrum light with ultra-high colour rendition. The feature-packed moving head offers unparalleled 6000K crisp, neutral daylight. Its advanced colour mixing system delivers the full palette from smooth and subtle pastels to rich and vibrant saturated colours.

   

   Richard comments: “Integrating the Encores into the rig has revolutionised the way we are able to light certain areas of the Hall, as well as offering a whole new palette of gobos, colour potential and framing options that previously did not exist. Added to that the increase in reliability in the rig means less maintenance time required over a typically busy week. We have received many positive comments from a whole host of lighting designers in just the few week after their install”.

   

   Jonathan adds: “The Encore is an extremely popular fixture, used right across the industry. It’s one we’ve invested in heavily for our rental stock to meet the demands of some of the UK’s biggest touring and West End shows that we continue to supply. The small form factor, combined with high output and whisper quiet performance meant it was a no brainer for this application. Ultimately, it was the right product for the right location”.

   The Royal Albert Hall invested a total of 18 fixtures which have all been successfully delivered and are now in pretty much constant use. The investment reinforces the continued relationship between WL and the concert hall, and adds to a large stock of Martin MAC Viper Wash DX fixtures that were purchased last year, along with ETC Lustr Series 2 LED Profiles and ROBE MegaPointes. The venue also recently replaced its stock of Robert Juliat Cyrano Followspots; again all purchased through WL.

   Jonathan concludes: “We have a very close relationship with the Royal Albert Hall and it is great to be involved in yet another project for this iconic venue. As a company, we relish being able to work closely with the team and offer them technical solutions that are bespoke to their exact needs; something we were able to do one again on this occasion”.

   Photos courtesy of Richard Thomas.

2. WL Supplies National Theatre with GLP X4 Bars

   25 July 2017 10:43 Comments Off on WL Supplies National Theatre with GLP X4 Bars

   

   The GLP Bars in use on the National’s production of Angels in America.

   
   The National Theatre on London’s South Bank has invested heavily for the second time in GLP’s award-winning impression X4 Bar 20s. The venue’s Lighting Resources Manager, Paul Hornsby, has added to the initial tranche of 18, which he purchased as soon as they first became available, with a further 20 in order to meet the increasing demand. Both batches were supplied by GLP dealer, White Light.
   Explaining his decision behind the purchase, Paul states: “We have an extremely substantial rig at the National, and so every year, with my onsite team, we evaluate and discuss what needs replacing and upgrading, depending on both lighting designers’ requests and advances in technology.
   He adds: “The initial GLP purchase was the result of a combination of lighting designer referrals along with our own need to replace our ageing DLC fixtures.” As soon as the first 18 fixtures arrived, they were immediately requisitioned for productions of Angels in America and Salomé.
    
   

   

   The Bars played a significant role throughout.

   
   Paul’s introduction to the X4 Bars had been on GLP’s stand at last year’s PLASA Show in London. He states: “I was extremely impressed and had never seen a unit like them — they seemed to have a lot of features. I had also seen them in use on other shows and heard nothing but praise from lighting designers who were quick to shout about their capabilities.”
   Both the X4 Bar 20 and smaller X4 Bar 10 are high performance battens that incorporate tightly-packed 15 Watt RGBW LEDs to produce a full line of light. High quality optics ensure a smooth, homogenised output across the batten through a broad pallet of pastel and saturated colours, complemented by exceptional dimming. DMX control offers full pixel mapping capabilities, while the impressive zoom range, from 7° to 50°, ensures effects from a narrow angle light curtain to a wide angle washlight.
   LDs were quick to recognise this unique feature-set, and due to the high demand for the X4 Bar 20s, it was always in Paul’s thinking to invest in a second tranche. He states: “We were immediately aware of how sought-after these fixtures are and the kind of impact they would make on all our shows here at the National.” This is so much the case, that the latest arrivals have gone straight onto Common and NT Connections, while 24 of the X4 Bars will be used on the upcoming production of Follies.
   Part of a cutting edge resource of fixtures at The National, they can easily be installed in any of the theatre spaces within the complex, notably the Olivier and the Lyttelton, in order to provide LDs with greater flexibility.
    
   

   

   WL’s Business Development Manager Jonathan Haynes

   
   The National Theatre has invariably turned to White Light to meet its requests over the years. Paul adds: “We are aware that WL can always offer us the very latest fixtures available on the market — such as the X4 Bars.” Reviewing the merits of the Theatre’s latest lighting acquisition, he remains unequivocal: “These Bars offer low power, high output, flexibility and great colouring — essentially everything you want from a lighting fixture!”
   Currently in use on four shows (with Follies to come), the National’s lighting supremo sees the demand for the battens only increasing. Paul summarises: “ I know they are going to be snapped up for any future show we have in any of the spaces here”.
   The sale marks another example of WL supplying a venue with the latest technology, specific to their requirements. Jonathan Haynes, WL’s Business Development Manager, comments: “As a company, we have strong relationships with leading manufacturers such as GLP meaning we have immediate access to state-of-the-art equipment. In turn, this means that venues are able to approach us, regardless of their size or location, and we are able to provide them with the exact technical solutions they require”.