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    CHAUVET Professional Shines at Prolight + Sound 2012

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    At this year’s Prolight+Sound event, we showcased our versatile and easy to configure MVP modular video panels built in three resolutions and our innovative pixel-mapping moving yoke wash light Legend 412. MVP 12, MVP 18 and MVP 37.5 modular video panels are lightweight, bright and capable of endless configurations for stage displays or events. Also, new models were added to our popular COLORado series of powerful wash fixtures and to the Q-Series of brilliant moving yoke wash and spot lights. Furthermore, CHAUVET Professional introduced to the European market the Iluminarc brand of LED-fitted fixtures created for the architainment industry.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    First Day at Prolight + Sound 2012

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    CHAUVET Professional welcomes visitors during the first day at Prolight + Sound 2012 in Frankfurt. Showcased are the MVP Series of modular video panels, Legend 412 pixel-mapping moving yokes, and more, in Hall 11.0, Stand B31, in the Messe Frankfurt complex. All are LED-fitted fixtures with multiple applications for multiple settings.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Colombia Trip: Medellin

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    CHAUVET Business Development Manager for Latin America Paula Ortiz traveled to Colombia to visit and train local CHAUVET distributors. Her first stop was distributor Luces Para Discoteca (Disco Lights), in Medellin, which carries a variety of CHAUVET  lights.



    Paula Ortiz at the amazingly beautiful Tequempita Watefall

    Zen and the Art of Entertainment Lighting, Part 2

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    Mike Graham looking pensive in front of MVP panels.

    Written by Mike Graham, product manager for CHAUVET Professional

    Question: How many grains of sand are in the desert?
    Answer: Not one more than there has to be.

    When you are working on your design of your light plot, it is important to not throw every single light you have at the stage…unless it absolutely calls for it. Once the set design is finished, your job is to make it look amazing. The key here is not to go over the top. Too often designers make the error of throwing the kitchen sink at a rig just to have more. This is not the way of Zen. Zen dictates that the design does not have to be stark, but the choices have to make sense.

    Plot with Care, Grasshopper.
    It is really easy to stray away from the plan during the plotting stage. Firstly, using software like WISYWIG, MSD, or Vector Works makes dropping in lights really easy. So easy in fact, that the temptation to go overboard is strong. For anyone who doubts this, check out the CHAUVET LDI 2009, 2010, and 2011 rigs. If there is an open square foot of truss, I am dropping a light in. For a trade show, this is important as the point of the rig is to show what the lights do and how they work together. That is the story line for a trade show, however, this is rarely the case in everyday life.

    Consider the Performance.
    When you are working on the plot, consider the act. Are you working with a smoky blues singer, or are you working on a Fortune 500 gala event. If you are working the blues singer, then having a few down lights, a little front light, and some back light are really effective and will look really cool. If you are working the gala event, then a much bigger rig may or may not be called for. It really depends on the event. Even if you are working on a straight play (a play with no music), there must be a balance. Classic front, side, and back lighting will work perfectly. Cover your acting areas evenly is the key. There is no need for any kind of excessive lighting in these situations.

    Get Practical.
    So let’s say I am plotting a show that will have a few practicals. A practical is a light on a set that would be seen in day-to-day life, like a table lamp or a wall sconce. It can either be controlled by an actor (bad idea) or by the lighting operator (good idea). Let’s say I have four wall sconces and two table lamps, I also have to light around them with theatrical light. This means that I have to take into account what kind of light the practical will put out in relation to what the design intent is when I place my theatrical lights.

    For example, in your house, a table lamp gives off enough light to read by, but not enough to light the whole room. A wall sconce will give off enough light to fill in the places that the table lamp does not. I would use my theatrical lights called specials.

    Stay Special.
    Specials are names for fixtures that are used to accent a specific thing. In this case, the special is used to give the impression that the practical is brighter than it is. A special is a functional light source, not an area light source. As I select my specials, I would choose soft, diffused edges and try to get the color temperature to come in around 3400 K so that it is a little cooler than the practicals will be. This will allow the practicals to be seen and function, but will allow the theatrical lights to give off enough output to let the action be seen. Combined with the basics of front, side, back, and down light, this will give the action the correct amount of light and will not overpower the light itself.

    The plot is set…Let’s start programming.

    Read Zen and the Art of Entertainment Lighting, Part 3
    Read Zen and the Art of Entertainment Lighting, Part 1

    LD Profile: Walter Aleman

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    Six questions with Walter Aleman, lighting designer for Off the Hookah chain of Mediterranean-style restaurant/lounges in South Florida.

    1. How did you get into this field?
    I was introduced to lighting by visiting one of my best friends Mike Littlefield (DJ SWERVE r.i.p.) that was DJing the grand opening of the new Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., about eight years ago. Since I was always good with computers in college, he suggested that I play with the lighting computer and see if I could control them. Mike Corby, who currently works with CHAUVET, helped me learn all the functions and all the technical aspects of how lighting works and how to run the programming. From there I went on and did my own research and found that lighting was my new niche. I learned more and more from some of the top lighting engineers in South Florida, and I am very thankful for having Mr. Corby, Jorge Lobo, Rolando Aspuro, JP Sanchez and Luis Goenaga by my side when it comes to lighting.

    2. What do you think is the next big thing in the lighting industry?
    LEDs have come so far – there will always be a need for lighting no matter where you are on this planet. There’s going to be a time real soon that we will no longer need light bulbs – from large casinos, hotels and high-rises to nightclubs and special events. Sorry Mr. Edison, there is always going to be a need for beautiful lighting!

    3. Do you have a favorite fixture (and why)?
    My favorite fixture is definitely Q-Spot 260-LED. This fixture has a 60-watt white LED, which is the equivalent of a 250-watt light bulb that will last about 50,000 hours. That’s pretty much saying I can leave it on and running for five years without it going out on me. It moves quickly, smoothly and is very silent. Q-Spot 260-LED has what you need for endless color and great texture combinations, as well.

    4. What has been your favorite design/project?
    So far Off the Hookah in Bayside Miami has been my favorite project. Because of its design and interior lighting, the whole location was a great experience for me. [Click here for Off the Hookah story]

    5. What was the biggest unforeseen obstacle that you’ve faced in one of your designs, and how did you overcome it?
    One of the biggest unforeseen problems I had was when we had a big show to do, and it started to rain and the water began leaking through the roof of this venue and unfortunately damaged one of my CHAUVET COLORstrip linear wash light and the DMX signal throughout all my lights. Luckily I went one-by-one until I found out where the problem was; took out both DMX cables from the broken fixture and made a new line by soldering them. I regained my signal and show – thank God.

    6. Complete this thought: A show without light is like…
    …the Earth without the Sun. Dark, dull and boring! Plus no vitamin D.


    CHAUVET Professional at PLASA Focus: Austin 2012

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    CHAUVET Professional showcased INfectious products at this year’s PLASA Focus: Austin 2012. Visitors of booth 206 had the opportunity to experience our MVP 12 modular video panel, Legend 412 moving yoke, COLORado 2 Zoom Tour and COLORado Zoom Tour static wash lights, as well as Q-Wash 560Z-LED moving head. Also featured was the practical wireless event LED luminaire WELL, and PowerStream 4, an INgenious splitter for powerCON connections. The versatile and bright COLORado 2 Zoom Tour and Legend 412, capable of amazing pixel-mapping effects, both received special attention from attendees.

    Dwight Slamp holding MVP 12 video panel for guests.

    Legend 412 pixel-mapping moving yoke.

    COLORado 2 Zoom Tour wash light.



    WELL fixture wirelessly uplights banner on the right as well as in images below.

    Tech Talk: Right Fixture in Your Design

    Written by David on . Posted in Uncategorized.

    Mike Graham looking pensive in front of MVP panels.

    Written by Mike Graham, product manager for CHAUVET Professional

    So here we are, LEDs are everywhere: RGB, RGBW, RGBWA, tri-colored, quad-colored, color temperature control. And what do we do with it all? Is there a standard for all of these colors and lensing combinations across the industry? Absolutely!….not. So, how is a designer or specifier supposed to know what to use with this vast sea of gear that is out there? Is there a shining beacon of hope, and if there is indeed, how many LEDs are in it and what wattage are they? A common question that I get is, “How do I get the incandescent crowd to understand and use LED fixtures?” That, my friends, is a really hard question to answer. I usually start with another question: “What is their design goal?” The suggestions below come after years of experience, so read them carefully:

    COLORado 1-Quad Tour is a compact, solid wash light equipped with 7 10-watt RGBW quad-colored LEDs.

    1. Tricks for front lighting. If I am looking to do front light, then I need to be able to blend colors easily.  For this, I am going to use tri-colored LEDs from a shorter throw distance. COLORado 1-Tri Tour is a great light for the first electric. The 25-degree beam angle lends itself nicely to about a 20-foot throw—distance from the light source to the object being lit—and will create a perfectly homogenized color blend. For a longer throw, I would look towards the COLORado 1-Quad Tour. Featuring RGBW LEDs, and an 11-degree beam angle, it is good for the house electric and can easily have a throw distance of 35 to 40 feet.

    COLORado 2 Zoom Tour impresses with its brightness, wide range zoom and flexibility.

    2. Know how to maintain flexibility. If I need something that is more flexible, I am going to switch up to the COLORado Zoom fixtures. COLORado Zoom Tour is great for distances of about 30 feet or less. Having the ability to adjust the beam angle by DMX, it allows the designer to use this as a utility fixture. Because of the zooming feature, the pool of light is really even, so it can be used as anything—from a side light, to front light, to downlight. With the zooming feature, you can even use it as an effect light from behind, to fake an iris effect. If you are shooting from a longer distance, then grab the COLORado 2 Zoom Tour. Same DMX layouts and field characteristics as the COLORado Zoom Tour, but a lot more output.

    COLORado Batten 72 Tour linear wash fixture includes 72 1-watt LEDs with RGBWA color mixing.

    3. Cyc lighting is easy! If you are trying to light a cyc or your have to replace border lights, then take a look at the COLORado Batten 72 Tour and COLORado Batten 144 Tour linear wash lights. COLORado Batten 72 Tour makes a great downlight, as well as a foot light. Having the standard 30-degree beam and RGBWA LEDs, it can mix to any hue or saturation that a designer may wish to create. If you need to have a combined power of 15- and 30-degree lensing, the COLORado Batten 144 Tour will fit the bill. This guy came from a customer suggestion to double the power of the COLORado Batten 72 Tour, thus able to do higher cycs of 40 or more feet evenly. In this case, mission accomplished.

    COLORado Zoom CW Tour has 37 3-watt cool and warm white LEDs for powerful output.

    4. Ideas for studio lighting. For the studio crowd, we have just unleashed the latest COLORado fixtures. COLORado Zoom CW Tour and COLORado Zoom WW Tour are just what the director of photography needs. These lights are designed with the limitations of binning in mind, giving off the perfect blend of color temperatures for both daylight and tungsten applications. Depending on what your environment is, we have you covered. Because of the zooming functionality, both of these fixtures are hands-down winners for the studio scene. Combining the zoom and the ability to get a higher output of either warm or cool color temperatures offers the most flexibility possible to lower the amount of fixtures needed to light a set. Perfect for indoor or outdoor applications, these lights are well worth taking a look at.

    So, next time a designer asks you why they should take a look at LED lighting, you have a solid answer: “I can show you any color you like! Oh, and what beam angle where you looking for?”