Tag Archive: White Light Ltd

1. White Light Enjoys The Great Christmas Feast

   14 December 2020 10:22 Leave a Comment

   

   Created by The Lost Estate, London’s master experience makers, The Great Christmas Feast transports audiences  to the streets of Victorian  London  and the chambers of Charles Dickens, immersing them in the tale of A  Christmas  Carol through a mix of theatre, live music, fine dining and Dickensian mixology. It is making a much-anticipated return to the capital this year and White Light has provided the lighting equipment.  

   The Great Christmas Feast first opened in 2018 and offers audiences the unique opportunity to experience a compelling theatrical experience along with a four course meal, with this year’s banquet being the work of Michelin Star chef Adam Gray. The lighting designer is Peter Small, who is working on the project for the first time. He comments: “Like most lighting designers and freelancers working in our industry, it’s been a very challenging few months. With virtually all my upcoming work cancelled, I’ve tried my hardest to keep myself busy, mainly though helping with my partner’s newly-founded facemask business. But I have hugely missed working in theatre so to get the call for The Great Christmas Feast was incredibly welcomed and I couldn’t wait to get started”. 

   The Great Christmas Feast takes place in a bespoke building located near London Bridge. As such, Peter’s design not only had to fulfil the show’s artistic brief but also be suitable for this specific space. He explains: “As a creative team, we were interested in exploring the central idea of ‘motivational practical lighting’, with elements of fantastical behaviour. The lighting design is always grounded in reality but then flows with the story. There is a main performance room which is where the audience sit at tables surrounding a central stage as well as up on a mezzanine. There has to be a different table configuration each night due to the Covid-regulations and the tables are kept apart via bookshelves which are scenic but also function as Covid-compliant barriers. 

   

   He continues: “At the start of the piece, it’s lit entirely with practical lamps and gas jet foot lights in order to create what’s a false start within the show. Then, once the story actually begins, we start to descend slowly into our more fantastical language where the rest of the rig really gets to flex and provide a myriad of effects and looks. At its peak, we touch on almost Hitchcockian Vertigo-esque visuals, to then drift back to a believable study for an eating interval”. 

   In order to choose the fixtures required to bring his design to life, Peter approached WL and worked closely with Senior Account Handler Louise Houlihan. He explains: “Due to the kitchen equipment consuming so much of the building’s power and to minimise the handling of equipment, I opted for a predominantly LED rig. There was a toplight with ETC ColorSource Spots, accompanied with 23 MAC Aura XBs; all arranged into three ‘rings’ around the playing area to provide the backbone of the rig. These were constantly refocusing to provide various effects as well as moving as one to create geometric patterns. I went with the VL1100S LEDs as we needed something very quiet with shuttering and colour mixing and knowing the VL1000 range, this seemed a sensible choice. Around 89 birdies (all with accessories) perform a variety of functions, from work light to specials to scenic dressing, whilst Coemar LED Pars light up through the floor boards. In terms of additional atmosphere, the Unique 2.1, Viper 2.6 and JEM AF-1 are all used to great effect. The design also had around 50 – 70 custom commissioned practicals including a large Gasolier, which were provided by PRAX Lighting Ltd and Junction Ltd”. 

   

   With The Great Christmas Feast taking place in the midst of a global pandemic, this means the production has had to contend with the ever-changing regulations being implemented. Peter explains: “Like most productions taking place during this surreal time, with the various tiers and lockdowns, it was touch and go for a while as to whether we would even be allowed to go ahead. Thankfully we were but we knew we would have to adhere to the very strict government guidelines every step of the way. With everyone complying to social distancing, the get-in took a lot longer than it normally would. Similarly, the scenic design had to continue changing rather late into the process, depending on the latest restrictions, so this made planning where to put the equipment challenging. That said, Adam Squire and his team were fantastic at inventing rigging solutions and the whole team worked together with a ‘can do’ attitude in order to ensure the show was able to open once we were out of the second lockdown. Similarly, the team at WL was an amazing support and went out of their way to ensure we had everything we required”. 

   The Great Christmas Feast has now opened and, subject to new regulations, will run until 10^th January 2021. 

   Peter concludes: “This was a challenging project in the sense that we had to mount a large and complex show within both a tight timeframe and non-traditional space. However, the results have been extraordinary and it felt fantastic to be back at a production desk, making theatre. It made me realise just how much I’ve missed it and I cannot wait until we’re all through the other side of this and back doing what we love”.  

   Photos courtesy of Peter Small.

2. White Light Supplies You Stupid Darkness! at Southwark Playhouse

   27 January 2020 11:05 Leave a Comment

   

   White Light has supplied the lighting for You Stupid Darkness! which recently opened at the Southwark Playhouse, London.

   Presented by Paines Plough and Theatre Royal Plymouth, You Stupid Darkness! is an urgent new play set within the Brightline Call Centre and focuses on four colleagues who try to keep their lives together whilst the outside world falls apart. The Lighting Designer on the show is Peter Small, who comments: “My brief for this production was that it shouldn’t feel ‘lit’; meaning I wanted it to feel as natural as possible to the audience. The concept was that you had sort of peeled the wall off this strange office and were peering in from a dark place, somewhat ‘fly on the wall’. This concept meant working closely with Set Designer Amy Jane Cook and adding in masking which would allow me to drop the rig very low and hide it away from the audience. As this was a dystopian piece, I also had to have a rig that would allow for bursts of surrealism, alongside the hyperrealism.”

   And whilst the show is dealing with large issues, the production itself was all about the smaller details. Peter explains: “The set is the same location throughout and also very naturalistic. Therefore a lot of my lighting had to showcase a passage in time, as this was often the only indication in between scenes. I did this by varying the background from return to return; sometimes the computer was on, sometimes the lamps were on and off, sometimes someone left the main light off but forgot to turn the kitchen light off etc. The show also starts very brightly and intentionally gets darker as the situation worsens for our characters. I don’t think moments of ugliness or shadows creeping in are a bad thing; in fact, it’s something we celebrated with this show”.

   

   Knowing the creative and practical brief that he had to achieve, Peter contacted WL and worked closely with Senior Account Handler Louise Houlihan and Account Handler Hugh Kemp to decide on his perfect fixtures. He explains: “With a show like this, you have to put a lot of thought into every single fixture you draw on and make sure it earns its place. Par cans are the focal point, providing a 4×4 grid of ‘pipe end’ with a heavy diffusion as this 4×4 set up gets around the set obstacles. Dimmable CFLs then echo this concept but in a ’top light’ sort of way, as they are also used as strobes. The Acclaims did a great job suggesting some spotlights on a track like you might find in an office; again, emphasising the natural realism. Generically then anything coming in from outside had to be a Profile to cut around the metal work on the set. 

   He adds: “We used 500w Fresnels for footlights with Source Four Pars, mainly due to their form factor but also the fact that they were a great source for candlelight in the later scenes. The windows all received Chroma-Q Color Force 48s, with the cell control important for us to suggest the various changes that were happening outside the space. A fistful of Data Flashes were used for either a spot effect or backlight strobing the audience whilst Nitro strobes on the advanced bar allowed for a strong front blast. We also had a curtain of ACLs as we cannot achieve a full blackout due to the candles hence the curtain provided a somewhat framing metaphor. Alongside this, we had multiple smoke and haze machines, multiple AF1 fans, a swirl fan, snow machine, an exploding kettle, electro magnets, collapsing desk and a lot of LED tape”.

   

   The show originally ran at Theatre Royal Plymouth before transferring to London. As such, Peter had to make certain adjustments to his design. He explains: “Whenever you move venues, your design is obviously going to change. For us, this mainly came in the form of unit quantity, rigging and infrastructure. When we arrived in London, I had to work closely with my Production Electrician Doug Finlay to go through the show file and calculate the maximum power consumption and channel usage. Following this, rather than cut the rig, we wanted to make sure we used alternatives and paired fixtures where we could. Thankfully, the team at WL was extremely useful in suggesting which units we draw on and I even ended up adding some moving lights to the rig”. 

   The show has now opened to rave reviews and will run until 22^nd February 2020.

   Peter concludes: “It’s been fantastic to revisit this brilliant, highly-relevant show and bring it to a London audience. Often transfers can be tricky but thankfully I had a brilliant team in Doug, Tom Davis (Programmer) and, of course, WL who supported me every step of the way”.

   Photos courtesy of Ali Wright.

3. White Light Enrols at Mountview with New Lighting Investment

   17 December 2019 15:41 Leave a Comment

   

   White Light has supplied a range of new lighting fixtures to Mountview, following the drama school’s move to its new premises in South London.

   Mountview is one of the UK’s leading drama schools, offering vocational training at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate level in performance and production arts. Last year, after a 17 month build, it opened the doors to a new building in its new Peckham home. This included the creation of a brand-new 200 seater auditorium, which required a range of lighting fixtures. As an organisation that has worked closely with Mountview for several years now, WL was approached to provide the equipment.

   Mountview’s Senior Lighting Tutor Alex Cann comments: “Moving into a new space opened up the opportunity to have the very latest technology match these state-of-the-art facilities. Whilst the new building was still under construction, we’d already started to think about the type of fixtures we’d need to invest in. We were keen to draw on LED products as we knew these would dramatically reduce our energy consumption as well as lower operating costs; mainly due to their longevity. The equipment also had to be industry-standard as it would be used by our students who need to familiarise themselves with this technology prior to them graduating.”

   

   To decide which fixtures to invest in, Alex and his team attended various tradeshows across the country as well as product demonstrations. He explains: “Having seen a whole range of products, we made a shortlist of our desired kit and approached WL to supply this; knowing of their strong relationship with the leading manufacturers”.

   Alex approached WL with his equipment list, which included ETC IonXE and Gio desks, Chauvet Ovation E-910FC Profiles, F-915FC Fresnels, B-2805 and B-1965 Cyc battens, VL 2600 Profiles and GLP Impression S350s. Alex explains:‘Our new theatre spaces needed to be able to operate across a wide range of  production styles including musical theatre, plays and actor/musician showcases, along with a range of external hires. It was important for us to make sure that the equipment chosen was able to operate in all these situations.

   He continues: “The Chauvet products produce good rich colours and have an ability to generate the subtle pastel colours required; all combined with a good price! The Vari*Lite 2600 has already become an industry standard piece of equipment that has an exceptionally wide zoom range, along with a extensive range of attributes such as gobos, framing shutters and an iris. The GLPs have nice clean optics with rich colour ability, again with a wide range of additional attributes all housed in a neat compact unit. It is important for us to make sure that students train on industry standard equipment, so the choice of ETC desks was simple as they are so dominant in the market”.

   

   The new Mountview building opened in September 2018 and has already welcomed the next generation of students to start their training. Alex explains: “The lighting fixtures have now arrived and are already being used to teach our students about lighting technology. They will also be utilised on at least 26 productions across our two theatres over the next year. The team at WL have been exceptionally supportive of our students in providing access to the latest equipment, along with hands-on support for the productions with their hire stock”.

   The purchase is another example of how WL work closely with educational organisations providing them with the exact technical solutions that they require.

   Alex concludes: “From all of my team here, we’d like to say a massive thanks to everyone at WL for their brilliant support, in particular Ally DeCourcy and Leo Humphrey. It’s a fantastic company to work with and we appreciated their guidance and advice in helping us get the most out of our investment”.

   Photos courtesy of Mountview/Robert Workman.

4. WL Returns to IBC Show with SmartStage Technology

   5 September 2019 14:30 Comments Off on WL Returns to IBC Show with SmartStage Technology

   IBC is the world’s most influential media, entertainment and technology show. Last year alone it attracted more than 55,000 attendees from over 150 countries where over 1,700 key technology suppliers were exhibiting. One of these was White Light.

   Following its award-winning appearance in last year’s Future Zone, WL is returning to the IBC Show once again to showcase the latest version of its SmartStage technology.

   SmartStage is an immersive video environment which replaces the traditional green screen element of a virtual studio and allows the presenters and audience to see and interact with the content around them. The set-up is scalable to fit any size studio space and allows both lighting and reflections to immediately appear more natural. With a disguise media server driving the heart of the solution, WL has pioneered an innovative workflow which sits on a robust broadcast-grade infrastructure, delivering 24/7 operation in demanding live environments.

   SmartStage was first showcased at last year’s IBC Show, where the technology’s use on the Eurosport PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games coverage won the IBC Innovation Award for Content Creation. The technology has since proven its complete versatility and was recently used to create a fully-immersive, mixed-reality teaching lab at an internationally-renowned business school.

   At this year’s IBC Show, WL will  be presenting the latest developments with SmartStage, including advancements in both the system’s tracking and lighting alongside its external graphics workflow integration. Presentations will run every 30 minutes and attendees will be able to spend one-on-one time with WL staff in order to fully explore the technology.

   WL’s Head of Business Development Lee Dennison comments: “The IBC Show is a fantastic opportunity to meet up with old friends as well as establish new contacts; showing both exactly what WL can offer as a company. Over the past twelve months alone, we have delivered some ground-breaking projects through our pioneering of the latest technology. We look forward to sharing details of this, alongside the advancements in our SmartStage technology, when we arrive in Amsterdam next month”.  

   WL will be situated in Hall 8, Stand B15 with partners disguise (Stand B26) and LED specialist ROE (Stand B24) on either side, promoting an xR village feel.

   

   SmartStage.tech #ItsVirtuallyReality #SmartStage #xRVillage #WhiteLighLtd

5. #InspiringFutureTheatre Day

   4 July 2019 13:38 Leave a Comment

   

   Yesterday, theatres, arts organisations and industry professionals across the UK celebrated the wide range of offstage theatre careers available for young people. A joint initiative by Society of London Theatre (SOLT), UK Theatre and Education & Employers, #InspiringFutureTheatre encourages young people to explore job opportunities within a sustainable and representative theatre workforce. As an organisation which offers an award-winning Apprentice scheme, alongside supporting a range of educational organisations such as the National College of Creative Industries, we were involved in a series of events taking place throughout the day.

   Formed in response to SOLT and UK Theatre’s 2017 Workforce Reviews, Inspiring Future Theatre reaffirms the organisations’ commitment to opening up paths within theatre for young people, building a resilient workforce that’s representative of the UK’s diverse population. Workshops were held at nine theatres across all the major London theatre owners, from speed networking sessions to technical insights into staging a large-scale show. Theatre Royal Haymarket, the Cambridge Theatre, the Vaudeville Theatre, the Aldwych Theatre, the Piccadilly Theatre, the Prince of Wales Theatre, the Gillian Lynne Theatre, the Donmar Warehouse and the Royal Opera House all participated on the day.

   

   WL’s Health & Safety and Workforce Development Director Chris Nicholls attended the talk at the Vaudeville Theatre whereas WL’s Managing Director Bryan Raven was at the Kiln Theatre in North West London where he was helping to deliver a careers session (which included a CV workshop). WL has recently been working closely with the venue’s Creative Learning team as part of a venture to find a new generation of technicians. The Production Arts students in attendance, who are on a 10 week part time course to learn about the technical side of the industry, had visited WL last Saturday to get an overall picture of the potential of the industry from Bryan. The students will be visiting WL over the next two weekends to learn more about audio & lighting through a range of practical, hands-on demonstrations.

   Coinciding with #InspiringFutureTheatre, WL is now recruiting for its latest batch of apprentices. Following on from being crowned Employer of the Year at the CC Skills Awards earlier this year, the company is wanting to continue developing the next generation of industry talent. Find out more here.

6. White Light Supplies LED Lighting Packages to ATG Venues

   30 May 2019 14:47 Leave a Comment

   

   White Light has recently supplied brand-new LED lighting packages to two ATG venues: Aylesbury Waterside and the Grand Opera House York.

   With its heritage in theatre lighting, WL has formed an unparalleled reputation for supplying venues across the world with the very latest lighting technology. Therefore when Stuart Graham, Head of Technical Operations at Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), was looking to begin an LED upgrade at the group’s venues, he approached the technical solutions specialist. WL’s Business Development Manager Jonathan Haynes comments: “Stuart got in touch saying that ATG wanted to implement an LED upgrade and had chosen two theatres as a starting point: Aylesbury Waterside and Grand Opera House York. The organisation wanted to upgrade its offering to support its diverse range of productions, as well as reduce the energy consumption of the house equipment in order to make the rig as green as possible”.

   WL was asked to put together an LED upgrade package. This meant substituting the tungsten rig with LED, replacing the overhead and cyc lighting. WL worked closely with the Stuart Graham and the technical managers in each venue to ensure they created a package that would fulfil both theatres’ needs. Jonathan explains: “We worked with Jacob Edmonds, Technical Manager at the Waterside, and Mark Waters, Technical Manager at the Grand Opera House. The initial brief was for us to come up with a lighting solution, choosing fixtures and products that we felt would offer the most flexibility, but at the same time provide longevity; as well ensuring that they remained ‘theatrical’. The equipment would need to support a diverse programme of entertainment ranging from, dance, music, comedy and musicals – all of which rely on the in house kit from both respective venues”.

   

   WL then carried out a demo for ATG at its Studio15 facility, presenting a range of options within five main categories: cyc battens, profiles, fresnels, pars and moving lights. Once the selection had been honed down, WL arranged follow up demos in each venue to see how the fixtures fared in the environment they were destined for. It was eventually decided that the High End SolaFrame 1000 would be the flagship of the new rig. ATG opted for the High CRI version which offers a much more refined quality of light and a CRI of 90+, as well as 16,000 lumen output. It is jam packed with features including 12-40 deg zoom, fully framing shutters, rotating and fixed gobo wheels, animation as well as CMY colour mixing; whilst at the same time being super quiet and weighing just 32KG. Jonathan explains: “Seeing the SolaFrame in-situ, it became clear that this was the perfect fixture for both Aylesbury and York. They are extremely versatile and will ultimately be the workhorse for the rig. They also have a five year warranty which is obviously a huge bonus”.

   In addition, WL also supplied 48 x ETC ColorSource Par, 42 x ETC ColorSource Spot (complete with a mix of profile and fresnel lenses), 32 x ROBE LedBeam 150s, 8 x High End Shapeshifters and 11 x Chroma Q ColorForce II RGBA cyc fixtures, as well as all the ancillary cabling and rigging across both venues.

   Alongside supplying the equipment, WL offered a three day training package for each venue. Jonathan explains: “We wanted the teams in both venues to feel confident using the new equipment, for both operation and maintenance yet also from a design and programming perspective. The perfect solution for this was offering a training course that would instil this confidence and ensure the in-house staff were familiar with day-to-day maintenance and operation; something that will prove extremely beneficial in the long run”.

   

   The fixtures have now been fitted in both venues and have immediately been used on a host of shows.

   Stuart Graham adds: “It was important for us to find the right company which could offer us industry-recognised products and the full back-up and support required for such a large-scale transition from tungsten to LED. We were also particularly impressed by WL’s willingness to provide in-depth training which will prove invaluable for our staff”.

   Jonathan concludes: “We are delighted that ATG chose WL to deliver this project for them, and the feedback so far has been incredibly positive. As a company, we work hard with our clients to come up with a tailor-made solution and are fortunate to have strong working relationships with some of the industry’s leading brands. For WL, service and after sales support are key. ETC and High End offer some of the longest warranty periods on their fixtures and all brands are represented and supported in the UK. It is fantastic to work so closely with ATG, a global leader in live entertainment which operate over 50 venues worldwide as they continue improving and modernising lighting systems across their venues”.

   Photos courtesy of Mark Waters and Simon Drake Photography.

7. White Light Returns to PLASA Focus Leeds 2019

   8 May 2019 12:33 Leave a Comment

   See our exclusive lines and new products on stand N-C24

   We are pleased to once again return to the biggest trade show in the North of England: PLASA Focus Leeds 2019. Taking place at the Royal Armouries Museum 14-15th May, the show attracts key UK entertainment technology manufacturers and suppliers. Join us on stand N-C24, where we will be showcasing our trusted exclusive lines alongside some exciting new lighting products.

   Hog 4 Lighting Consoles

   

   Road Hog 4 console

   Following our appointment last year as a Master Dealer for the Hog range (High End Systems) in the UK, we’re bringing the Road Hog 4 console to our stand. Our Hog 4 Product Manager Stuart Porter will be on-hand to demonstrate the technology and to answer any questions. Stuart has many years of programming experience, having worked on numerous West End musicals and live events such as the Manchester Commonwealth Games and the Disneyland Paris Millennium Show. If you’re unable to make it to Leeds but would like to find out more, you can do so here.

   Look Solutions Fog Generators

   Look Solutions, our exclusive partner, will be joining to showcase their range of fog generators. The brand is internationally renowned and trusted throughout the theatre world. In 2019 alone, Look Solutions’ products have already been used on Tina – the Musical, Aladdin, All About Eve, and The Twilight Zone.

   

   Production image from Tina – The Musical at London’s Aldwych theatre. Photo by Manuel Harlan.

   Capture 2019

   “If a user doesn’t instantly understand how to use a feature, it’s not good enough” is Capture’s mantra. The company proves its point with the new release of their user-friendly visualisation software. The 2019 edition focuses on the lighting designer’s workflow with the following features: All user interface elements now remember their state; The release supports dark mode and trackpads on macOS and offers improved 3Dconnexion device support. In addition to that, great rendering engine performance improvements allow you to visualise larger projects than before. Find out more here or simply try it out for yourself on stand N-C24.

   Martin MAC Encore Wash WRM

   The MAC Encore Wash WRM provides unparalleled, 3000K warm incandescent emulation. In addition to providing a soft-edged wash extension to the MAC Encore line, the WRM variant is the perfect replacement for the much-loved, discontinued MAC TW1. It can also be used as a modern replacement for generic fixtures such as tungsten fresnels, with the additional benefit of colour mixing and movement.

   Wireless Lighting Control Solutions by W-DMX

   

   Event lighting display at the Making the Modern World, Science Museum London

   Last but not least, our exclusive partner Wireless Solution (W-DMX) will be joining our stand with an unmissable offer.

   Get 15% off BlackBox, MicroBox and WhiteBox ranges if purchased on ShopWL.com within 30 days of the Show.

   W-DMX has become the industry standard for wireless lighting installations, offering a range of reliable and discreet solutions. We recently used a mixture of W-DMX  products to refit the Making the Modern World gallery at the Science Museum. It enabled the venue team to not only switch between daytime and evening lighting with the flick of a switch but also utilise the wireless features to redress the venue according to their own client’s specifications. Read about it here.

   PLASA Focus Leeds 2019 will run at the Royal Armouries Museum 14th-15th of May. Register for free via this link and don’t forget to visit White Light’s stand N-C24.