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    PVP X6IP at the GEICO 500!!

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    Geico?  Awesome.  Geico 500 with the new PVP X6IP outdoor video panels from CHAUVET Professional?  MORE awesome!

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    LINCOLN, AL – The folks at insurance giant GEICO know a thing or two about marketing; after all they made a lovable gecko the world’s most famous lizard! So as a major sponsor of one of America’s most popular sports, NASCAR auto racing, it was only natural that they would come up with ways to maximize their on-site exposure. This is exactly what they did during the GEICO 500 at the fabled Talladega Superspeedway, using a wall of CHAUVET Professional PVP X6IP outdoor-rated video panels from Dynamic Productions USA.

    Attracting over 80,000 spectators and millions more on television, the GEICO 500 is not only one of the most popular events on the NASCAR racing circuit; it’s also one of the most exciting. Located at a former Air Force base in northeast Alabama, “Dega,” as it is affectionately known to millions of race fans, is not only the longest NASCAR oval track, measuring 2.66 miles, it also has some of the steepest banking and widest lanes in racing — all of which makes for wild and unpredictable racing with 30 or 40 lead changes per race not uncommon. Outside the track itself, a New Orleans Mardi Gras style atmosphere prevails on the legendary Talladega Boulevard.

    Fans attending this type of event are seeking intensity, and the CHAUVET Professional PVP X6IP video wall did not disappoint at Talladega. Thanks to the panels’ illuminance of 4,500 NITS, the bold colors and video images they displayed stood out even in the light of a sunny Alabama day. “Everyone involved in this project was very happy with the looks we got from the panels,” said Brian Rosenblum of Dynamic Productions USA.

    The Talladega race was the second event on the GEICO NASCAR tour to call upon the intensely bright PVP X6IP to generate on-site excitement. Earlier, the panels were used effectively by GEICO at the Richmond International Speedway.

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    Dynamic Productions has been providing gear for GEICO’s NASCAR Tour events for three years through its client RedPeg Marketing. In 2015 RedPeg decided to add an LED video wall to its on-site displays. This was part of RedPeg’s very successful efforts to activate GEICO’s NASCAR sponsorship by creating an interactive experience that engaged NASCAR fans’ passion for the sport. For example, at Talladega, driver Casey Mears displayed his #13 show car and played trivia contests and challenges with fans on the GEICO stage. There were also photo opportunities with GEICO’s racing fleet, and an all-new, interactive “Pit Stop Challenge.”

    Martin Codd, VP of Operations at RedPeg, noted; “This is the first experiential marketing activation in the USA to integrate the new Chauvet 6mm LED screen. We have tracked this technology for years and believe that the inflection point has been reached on both a cost and technology basis. As innovators within the experiential industry we are very happy with the partnership of Chauvet and Dynamic Productions; this will be the first of what we anticipate will be many programs where we will be able to showcase and stream content from multiple media sources onto LED screens.”

    The PVP X6IP was selected to be a part of this marketing project because of its IP65 rating, weatherproof SMD 2623 LEDs with a pixel pitch of 6.9 mm, 4,500 NIT brightness, and its 8% transparency blow-through design for outdoor applications. Sealable louvers provide the option of closing the panel to block back light when used indoors, a feature that Dynamic Productions appreciates when using the panels in other applications, according to Rosenblum.

    Dynamic Productions used 60 of the PVP X6IP panels, which measure 19.7 x 3.27 x 20.35 inches/500 x 83 x 517 mm, to create an impressive video wall. Controlled via an Edirol LVS-800 8-channel + 2x VGA Mixer, the outdoor rated panels were used to show videos of GEICO commercials, abstract patterns and IMAG images from the GEICO stage.

    In contrast to the actual race itself, which as usual was marked unexpected twists and turns (part of the excitement!), the panels performed flawlessly throughout the event, helping RedPeg drive the GEICO marketing message to NASCAR fans.

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    For more information on Dynamic Productions visit: www.dynamicprodusa.com

    For more information on RedPeg visit: www.redpegmarketing.com

    Meghan Trainor ROCKS Nexus 4×4 and NXT-1!

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    Next NXT-1 and Nexus 4×4 Step Up Energy Level For Meghan Trainor On Today Show!

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    NEW YORK – Grammy-nominated singer Meghan Trainor has been making waves ever since she burst on the music scene. It’s not just her highly resonant voice and distinctive blend of blue eyed soul, doo-wop and pop that make this effervescent star stand out, it’s also the confident, carefree way she defies expectations about body types and sets an example for 21st century women to define their own standards. Trainor’s independent exuberance was on full display during her recent appearance before millions of viewers on The Today Show, supported by an appropriately dynamic lightshow featuring a collection of CHAUVET Professional Next NXT-1 and Nexus 4×4 LED panels provided by WorldStage.

    Lighting designer Peter Greenbaum used the Next NXT-1 and Nexus 4×4 to create a seamless look on The Today Show’s Summer Concert Series Stage. “I wanted the lighting to pull everything together on stage, so we got this free-flowing ambience that caught viewers up in Meghan’s performance,” he said. “Meghan’s songs are so lively and full of fun, we couldn’t create a lightshow that was anything less.”

    Greenbaum used 20 Next NXT-1 panels in his design. All of the panels were placed on the stage deck, six lining the 12’ runway and 14 masking the upstage musician’s riser. The LD placed these panels as close together as possible to create a unified look on the runway. Complementing these panels were 12 Nexus 4×4 units, three on each of the stage’s four upright truss structures.

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    Arranged in diamond patterns, the Nexus panels were oriented toward the bottom section of the downstage truss and top section of the upstage truss, helping to create a multi-dimensional textured look. “We used the Nexus panels as diamonds rather than squares,” said Greenbaum “This configuration added an extra element of fun to the design, which was fitting given the nature of the performance.”

    Taking advantage of the color rendering capabilities of the Next NXT-1 and Nexus 4×4, Greenbaum created a rich variety of pastel hues on stage to match the mood of Trainor’s music. Also adding to the upbeat mood of the lighting design was the interplay between the LED light sources of the Next NXT-1 and Nexus 4×4.

    “I love the look of the individual cells on both units,” said Greenbaum. “The smaller cells on the NXT-1 and the larger ones on the Nexus really work well together. This is especially so when you add the movement of the NXT-1 panels. So you have smaller beams and large ones, moving beams and static ones, plus all the changing patterns and colors. It all adds up to excitement and fun.”

    Greenbaum relied primarily on preprogrammed patterns in the CHAUVET Professional units for the Meghan Trainor lightshow. “Given the nature of our production schedule at The Today Show, we have very little time for programming,” he said. “However our programmer Mike “Googs” Gugliotti and outside LD Phil Grosso did an excellent job pulling everything together. Between them and Drew DeCorleto and the team at WorldStage, we accomplished some pretty impressive things. Anytime you have an artist like Meghan who has so many dimensions to her performance, you want to create lighting that does more than just sit there on stage. Based the feedback we’ve gotten, I’d say we created a lightshow that stepped up for a very energetic performer, and that feels very good.”

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    For more information on WorldStage visit: www.worldstage.com

    Broward Center for the Performing Arts Goes #ROGUE!

    Written by David on . Posted in Uncategorized.

    The beautiful Broward Center for the Performing Arts got even more beautiful this week after a huge renovation package that included the ROGUE R1 Spot from CHAUVET Professional!  Check it out below!

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    FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – After completing a $60 million renovation project that earned universally positive reviews, the management team at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts might have been forgiven for resting on their laurels. However, accepting anything less than perfection has never quite been the way things are done at this multi-venue theater and entertainment complex, which sits on 5.5 acres of palm tree-lined riverfront property in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

    Occupying a gracefully balanced modernistic building designed by American Institute of Architecture Gold Medal winner Benjamin C. Thompson, the center has become one of the most popular theater venues in the US by combining its stunningly attractive setting with a richly diverse range of theatrical, entertainment and event offerings. So when management felt that the lighting in the center’s newly built ballroom needed to go beyond what a conventional system could deliver, they didn’t hesitate to search for something more impactful and flexible. This is exactly what they found in a collection of Rogue R1 Spot LED moving fixtures from CHAUVET Professional.

    “We had just completed the renovation project, which included the construction of this new multi-purpose ballroom event space,” recalled Lucas Bonewits, Production Supervisor at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. “Upon completion of the project, we began looking at our lighting options in the ballroom. Conventional lighting worked well, but it was missing that flair that so many weddings, parties, and media events desire – and that this venue deserves.”

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    The center’s team contacted their vendor Miami Stagecraft to discuss their wish for upgraded lighting. “After speaking with us, our vendor arranged a demonstration of a variety of Chauvet moving head fixtures,” said Bonewits. “After the demo, it became very evident that given our needs the Rogue R1s were the direction to go. In fact we felt so certain about the Rogues that we doubled our order so we could have them in our inventory for one of our other ancillary spaces.”

    Bonewits positioned 12 Rogue R1 Spot fixtures evenly spaced around the center of the ballroom. “We felt that positioning the Rogues this way would give us as much flexibility and coverage as possible,” he said. “We have great variety of functions, events and shows in this space and each has slightly different lighting needs. One of the good things about the Rogues is that they have the flexibility to meet all the different demands we encounter. We use them in several ways: as wall washes, stage washes and lighting the crowd, among other things.”

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    The Rogue R1 Spot features a rotating 3-facet prism, seven interchangeable gobos, 16.5° beam angle, and motorized iris and focus for beam shaping. According to Bonewits, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts has drawn on these and other features of the Chauvet moving fixture to create a variety of looks for the ballroom’s diverse range of functions.

    “We felt that a ballroom that’s a part of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts should be able to deliver a certain flair to any function or event,” said Bonewits. “People expect that from this institution, and the Rogues help us deliver that kind of excitement.”

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    Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland Spirits Lives At New York Fundraiser With CHAUVET Professional

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    NXT-1 making magic at the White Hot Night Through the Looking Glass event! Pixels, washes, eye candy, awesome! Check it out below!

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    NEW YORK– (For Immediate Release) – In Lewis Carroll’s classic Through The LookingGlass, Alice steps into a mirror to enter an incredible world where flowers talk, chess pieces come to life and characters like the Red Queen tickle the imagination with enchanting feats. The 257 guests at the JCC New York’s “White Hot Night Through The Looking Glass” fundraiser didn’t have to do anything nearly as dramatic as Alice to be treated to a magical evening.

    They simply walked into a gym-turned-ballroom on Manhattan’s upper West Side and were dazzled by a menagerie of ornamental zebras, lions and fanciful creatures not found in nature, as well as ornamental gardens, garlanded gates, glittering centrepieces and a multi-faceted lighting display created with Next NXT-1 moving LED panels from CHAUVET Professional, provided by WorldStage.

    Liron David, founder and CEO of Eventique, the visionary team behind the event, wanted to create a multi-dimensional experience with the lighting, separating the visitors from reality and immersing them in a surreal environment. Jeremy Jones, lighting designer for the New York City-based event company, helped him achieve this vision by using 14 Next NXT-1 panels, rigged seven each on two 15’ goal posts that flanked the main stage to work some special lighting magic for the annual charity event.

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    The versatility of the moving LED panel, which features 25 pixel mappable RGBW LEDs, allowed the LD to achieve a variety of looks, from soft washes during speeches, to fanciful breakout patterns during more whimsical moments, to punchy audience lighting during dances.

    “The theme for this event was ‘Through The Looking Glass,’ which was a very abstract and off-the-wall take on an Alice in Wonderland-ish type of adventure,” he said. “The Chauvet NXT-1 was a perfect fixture for this event. I was able to have a wash fixture that has built-in pixel mapping and built-in gobo effects all in one, so the panels gave me a great bag of creative tricks. As the guests walked in, we were able to run a sequence that had random numbers and letters scrolling through the NXT-1 panels before stopping and displaying the words ‘White Hot Nights,’ which was the name of the event. We also had the NXT-1 panels spell out ‘Donate’ during the auction with a slight pan movement, which added a nice touch.”

    A key part of the JCC event was a charity auction. Plates used as props in the auction were hung on the two goal post structures that flanked the stage. Jones positioned the NXT-1 moving panels, as well as a collection of moving beams, on these posts to provide stage and audience lighting. The perch atop the goal posts also added impact to the text displayed on the moving panels.

    “Having text positioned that high and moving it slightly with the panels created a special touch when we displayed words like ‘Donate,’” said the LD. “Then when we used the NXT-1 units as moving washes over the dance floor we created a nightclub aura, which was great for guests who wanted to dance the night away.”

    Favoring blues and purples, Jones relied on the color rendering capabilities of his lighting rig to turn up the energy level on the dance floor as the evening progressed. “Near the end of the night I was also able to use these fixtures and add some movement and color effects to heighten the nightclub theme,” he said.

    Another visual element that enhanced the dancefloor was the intense brightness of the Next NXT-1. “This is a very intense and bright fixture,” said Jones. “For most of the event I ran the NXT-1 units 20%-30%, but for the dance segments I would fluctuate between 50%-75% to pump up the crowd.”

    As magical as it was, the JCC event was not without its challenges. “There is no loading dock in this building,” said Jones. “So every year when we do it, we have to go up four floors with our rig in a small elevator. This year since we had a huge tree to carry, we had to use the stairs too. The end result was worth it. We have a great team and were helped immensely by WorldStage, which is a very excellent vendor for us.”

    Thanks to teamwork, Jones and Eventique, along with WorldStage and CHAUVET Professional, pulled off a magical evening — one that undoubtedly would have made Lewis Carroll smile.

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    For more information on Eventique visit: www.eventique.com

    For more information on WorldStage visit: www.worldstage.com

    Bill Kreutzmann of the Grateful Dead is Rocking the ROGUES!

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    Unbelievably awesome!!!  Bill Kreutzmann of the Grateful Dead is out on tour with LD Manny Newman — Billy and the Kids is rocking and rolling with the ROGUE R1 Spot from CHAUVET Professional!  Check it out!

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    WASHINGTON DC – Legendary drummer, Bill Kreutzmann knows a thing or two about helping friends. A founding member of the Grateful Dead along with Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir and Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Kreutzmann made rock history when he invited fellow percussionist Mickey Hart to join the band. This made the Dead one of the first and only rock groups to have two drummers. The amazing synchronicity between this pair of percussionists helped forge a new sound and earned them the nickname “the Rhythm Devils.”

    Given his penchant for friendship, Kreutzmann (who played in all 2,300 Grateful Dead performances during the group’s lifespan) could undoubtedly appreciate the bond between lighting designer Manny Newman and his friend Ronny RedRocks. This is especially true since that friendship resulted in a collection of Rogue R1 Spot fixtures from CHAUVET Professional adding an eye-popping visual element to his performance with his new band, Billy and the Kids.

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    Manny Newman was the lighting designer for Billy and the Kids’ performance at the iconic 9:30 Club in Washington DC. He called on the Rogue R1 Spots to add a critical element to his design after his friend RedRocks made arrangements for eight of the units to be shipped to the famous venue for the Billy and the Kids show.

    “My friend Ronny RedRocks, who is the lighting designer for Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, got me these fixtures – and he was my lighting tech for Billy and The Kids at the 9:30 Club,” said Manny, an up-and-coming New York LD who’s designed for Electron and Conspirator.

    Once Manny had the Rogues in his rig for Kreutzmann, he certainly knew how to utilize them to stunning effect. “The super-fast iris on the Rogues allowed me to do some cool FX and wipes,” he said. “What was also cool was that some of the R1 gobos helped me achieve some matching looks with the moving fixtures already on the venue’s rig.”

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    The LD mounted six of the Rogues on the bottom of the upstage crank truss. He then positioned the two remaining Rogues on top of the truss, along with four Intimidator Spot LED 350 moving fixtures from CHAUVET Professional’s sister company CHAUVET DJ. The intense output of the Intimidator fixtures and crisp gobos worked with the Rogues to create unique audience-engaging looks.

    Another CHAUVET DJ product used was the Intimidator Spot LED 250 moving head. Manny, who controlled his rig using a grandMA2 on PC console, positioned six of these Intimidators on top of upstage cases to sidelight the performers and cover a large area of the audience. Also colorizing the stage were 14 SlimPAR 56 RGB units from CHAUVET DJ. The LD used eight of these par-style fixtures mounted on stands as side washes, and positioned six more on crank truss to serve as back washes. For audience blinders, he used the CHAUVET DJ Mega Strobe FX12 LED strobe lights.

    “We were all extremely happy with how this show turned out,” said Manny. “I have always used Chauvet – the fixtures are very reliable. They’re very affordable, but at the same time their brightness and quality stands up to big house light rigs. The experience of working with the Rogue R1 Spots was something special; it really gave me a lot of great options as a designer. I owe my friend Ronny RedRocks one for getting me in touch with these lights.”

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    For more information on Manny Newman contact www.mannynewman.com

     

    Susan Rose Adding Punch to Dolly Parton!

    Written by David on . Posted in Uncategorized.

    Lighting Designer Susan Rose talks Dolly Parton, rocking and rolling, and using CHAUVET Professional to bring some punch to an already stellar show!  Check it out!

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    PIGEON FORGE, TN – Country legend Dolly Parton may have become one of the world’s most widely recognized superstars, but through it all the Locust Ridge, Tennessee native has remained steadfastly true to her Smokey Mountain roots. Parton’s down home devotion was on full display at her recently concluded My People musical, which celebrates her brother Randy, sister Cassie and other family members who inspired her celebrated career.

    As deeply rooted in family tradition as she is, however, Parton is a consummate entertainer who understands that even an old-time country show needs to make a bold theatrical statement to reach today’s audiences. This is why the director of My People called on lighting designer Susan Rose to add an extra visual dimension to the show’s stage. Rose drew on the power of two stalwart LED moving fixtures from Chauvet to accomplish this task despite the challenges presented by a small stage at Parton’s namesake Dollywood Theme Park.

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    “The director wanted to punch up the stage lighting for this show and give it a more theatrical touring kind of look that was less soft than what you normally see at this venue,” she said. “I was excited to do this with a lot of aerials and beams, but space was a factor given the size of the stage. I turned to Chauvet for LED fixtures that could give me this excitement without taking up a lot of space or drawing a lot of power.”

    Rose chose the Q-Spot 560-LED moving yoke wash from CHAUVET Professional and the Intimidator Beam LED 350 from CHAUVET DJ to accomplish this goal. She flew four of the Q-Spot fixtures on overhead truss and arranged four Intimidator Beam effects on the floor, two on each side of the stage.

    With their razor focus, 3-facet prism and richly saturated colors, the Q-Spot LED-560s helped Rose achieve what she calls “a big look on a small stage.” The fast-moving Intimidator Beam LED 350 complemented the overhead wash fixtures by shooting brilliant and intense beams up from the floor, thanks to its high output LED engine, advanced optics and sharp 4° beam angle.

    “Shooting the stage beams in the air really worked very well to give the show a more dynamic look,” said Rose. “Everyone was very pleased with the production value of the lighting.”

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    Also adding to the production value was Rose’s well-known skill on a lighting console. Designing and programming on a Hog 3, she created about 180 cues for the show, all of which had to be precisely done to coordinate the lighting with the appearance of Dolly Parton on the video screen.

    “Dolly interacted with the live cast through the video,” said Rose. “This meant the cueing had to be right on target. It was a fun show to do and a fun show to watch — and the dynamic excitement we got from our relatively small lighting rig played a big part in making this all happen.”

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    COLORado 2 Quad Zoom Tours at HOME at Centerpoint Church!

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    Centerpoint Church in Arvada, Colorado recently went CHAUVET Professional!  COLORado 2 Quad Zoom Tours are now giving the Arvada-based congregation new color, new light, and a new atmosphere!  Check it out!

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    ARVADA, CO – Stroll down Grant Place or Webster Street in Old Towne Arvada and you might find it hard to believe that you’re less than a half hour away from Denver. Although this picturesque village, which traces its roots back to the 1850 Colorado gold rush, has grown into a sizable commuting suburb, it’s managed to retain much of its old-fashioned hometown feeling. This is evident in Arvada’s many homegrown festivals; and it’s also plain to see in the warm attitude that prevails at the city’s Centerpoint Community Church, which welcomes visitors with refreshments before services every Sunday morning.

    As deeply rooted as it is in tradition, however, Centerpoint is also committed to creating an engaging worship environment for modern sensibilities. With this in mind, church leaders contacted Roland Dutzmann of AcousTech (Franktown, CO) to give their 500-seat house of worship a major remodel that includes new backdrops and scenic elements, an updated audio and video system, HD cameras and a largely LED lighting rig that features nine COLORado 2-Quad Zoom Tour par-style powerhouse fixtures from CHAUVET Professional.

    “The church basically jumped ahead 30 years with the remodeling, and the new LED lighting system was a big part of this leap,” said Dutzmann. “Prior to the remodel, the church just blasted the stage with light. There was no backlighting, no subtle side lighting. There was a realization within the church that to reach people today, they would need to create an environment that was visually more engaging.”

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    Essential to creating this type of environment was the ability to introduce more color to the church’s stage during services. This made the COLORado 2-Quad Zoom Tour fixtures an easy choice for the remodeling project. With fourteen 15-watt Quad-Color RGBW LEDs, a zoom range of 11°-43° and nine dimming curves, the COLORado fixture is capable of creating an endless variety of color combinations and patterns to accent church services.
    Dutzmann positioned five of the fixtures on overhead truss in the mid-stage area. The light from these fixtures is used to colorize the wall behind the stage, as well as the corner of the baptistery and the space around the video screens.

    The four other COLORado 2-Quad Zoom Tour units at Centerpoint are truss mounted for downlighting the stage. “The Chauvet fixtures have tremendous output on all colors,” said Dutzmann. “The light gives you a very solid color wash with very little spill. Directing four of them onto the stage, we’re able to cover the area with some rich evocative colors that enhance the services without blinding the people in the pews.”

    Dutzmann also praised the versatility of the COLORado 2-Quad Zoom Tour. “Beyond the color rendering capability of this light, the zoom feature is a very nice addition,” he said. “You can use that feature to get very creative with the patterns and give the stage different looks to highlight different points in the service.

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    “I also think it’s very good that the fixture’s field angle isn’t that much bigger than the beam angle,” continued Dutzmann. “This feature really makes the COLORado ideal for the kind of short beam projections you need in a church of this size.”

    In addition to the nine COLORado units, the Centerpointe lighting system includes a collection of LED moving head and par fixtures as well as incandescent ellipsoidal units. Run by the church’s volunteer staff, the lighting system has been well received by worshippers who appreciate that Centerpoint has been able to create a new look while remaining true to its traditional values.
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    For more information on AcousTech visit: www.acoustech.com