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for both the show’s male vocal group Human Nature and Cohen they did; but since the group wanted to come up with a whole
new look for their show, the designer had to choose his fixtures carefully to compensate for the limitations of the room and
budget, as well as the existing lighting infrastructure. So he selected six
impression Wash One, 12 impression Spot One and 16 impression X4 from GLP’s
award-winning portfolio to help create the dynamic.
The
designer found himself challenged with the technical infrastructure of The Venetian Sands Showroom, which takes its name from
the legendary showroom of the ‘rat pack’ era, and has a capacity of 750 seats. With a low trim height (18ft),
thrust stage but no side lights and “a roof populated by 40 older moving heads in various states of repair, with stock
gobos and lenses only suited for a much higher trim”, Cohen knew he needed some unique fixtures to fulfil his creative
intentions. And GLP came to the rescue. Within a matter
of weeks Cohen was integrating his design into a complex set, including a rolling video wall and a huge lit ‘Motown’
logo, and with the house system on a slim budget, he knew, “It was going to be a challenging gig the whole way.”
With the inherent realities as they were, Cohen also knew he could still provide this show with the unique creative looks
which are the hallmarks of all Steven Cohen Productions’ work.
And
so, working with Creative Director Rudder, the direct involvement of Human Nature and Cohen’s team of video expert,
Curtis Cox and lighting programmer Mark Foffano, he set out on his quest to deliver a high end design to complement the music
and story this Motown show delivers. “Once I realized
it would take some unique instruments to make this environment really work for the show, I approached [GLP Inc president]
Mark Ravenhill to see if the new Impression X4 was in full production,
as I knew I wanted those, as well as the Wash One and Spot Ones, which
I had a chance to test in a real world situation, having never used either type previously. “One of the added benefits of these fixtures was that I was able to install the Impressions right on
the set as part of the design look, and utilize the wash and spots as ‘shin buster’
floor lights and under-scenery lights which gave the metallic and LED screens set design real dimension. This, plus the ‘in
your face’ looks from the set gave the show some real lighting dynamics that you could never have achieved from any
house hung system. These GLP’s really make this show work!”
The show production
itself has Human Nature, Australia’s #1 pop vocal group, reimagining the sounds of Motown. In a show presented by Smokey
Robinson, the acclaimed quartet and its seven-piece band, The Funk Foundation, offers a contemporary yet timeless take on
classic Motown hits, featuring songs by The Four Tops, The Supremes, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and more. Steve Cohen is certainly no stranger to earlier generation
impression LED moving heads, having used them on the last Blake Shelton tour as well as Billy Joel / Elton John, Sugarland, and Star Wars In Concert where he was production designer, working
alongside LD, Seth Jackson.
In fact, Steve Cohen is a real advocate
of the new wave of LED fixtures, describing his decision to specify the impressions as a “slam dunk”. “Finally,
there is real color,” he says categorically. “The Impressions have the best color I have seen out of a moving
head in many years. They are fast and interesting to look at, light weight, and have low power requirements — which
is the case with most LED lights — but the difference is that these have the qualities of ‘real’ light.”
“I had been reluctant to spec them as anything but special effect fixtures, but
now I think you can expand their application into areas where a standard moving fixture would normally be the weapon of choice.” And of course the ratio of weight and footprint to output and efficiency add further
benefits — both for designer and the production accountant! “Anytime you can fit more s**t in smaller space, your
design has a bigger impact simply by the numbers of heads. So if you can put a lot of lamps in a truss, or have 50 floor fixtures
where before you could only fit 25, the impact to the show is obvious and the design can be driven by those increased numbers.” The consequence, for Smokey Robinson presents Human Nature: The Motown
Show, is a set that is “clean, saturated and uncomplicated” and with a lighting design which efficiently
communicates the entertainment experience the show is striving for. Described as an “evangelical Christian megachurch”
Saddleback Church in Southern California embraces high production values to reinforce its services. Looking to remain at the cutting edge via an architectural makeover late last year, they took delivery of a quantity
of Spot One and Wash One LED moving head fixtures from GLP — commissioned by the then Lighting Director, Jon Griffin. GLP Inc President, Mark Ravenhill, recalls, “Jon contacted us about the fixtures
when they were planning a lighting upgrade to their main stage — replacing the existing discharge lights they had been
running for many years. He had heard about the Spot One and could instantly see the potential of it for Saddleback.” The main sanctuary at their 3,000-seat Worship Centre in Lake Forest has long glass
walls down each side and by conducting the demo at the peak of the day in high brightness conditions it allowed Griffin to
see how the fixtures would perform when confronted with vast amounts of light streaming in. Aside from the impressive output and performance, other issues — such as the 5-year warranty on the light engine,
the internal workings, maintenance and ease of use — were also factored into the evaluation as was the critical silent
performance. Griffin inspected the construction quality, the sealed front chamber and saw the ease with which he could change
gobos and other items to customize the fixtures for particular events. “By the end of the demo, he was able to see that both the Spot One and the Wash One could not only perform in
Saddleback, but would also save a large amount of money over the product’s life cycle,” stated Ravenhill. Noting
that there was no cost premium, despite the LED engine, Jon Griffin specified six Spot One and four Wash One fixtures in a
white housing (which is offered as standard), placing the order with GLP dealer, Cal Stage & Lighting of Santa Ana. Jon Griffin’s first impressions couldn’t have been more positive. “They
are fantastic used architecturally, and I expect the church to order more GLP units when the scenic designs are finalized.
I've received so many favorable comments as they pop the color and provide more texture than our 700W [discharge] fixtures
ever did. I can't say how happy we are.” But shortly afterwards
Jon Griffin left his position, and his role was taken by the church’s Technical Director, Greg Baker, who has been with
Saddleback for six years, and who had simultaneously been upgrading the video. He was equally complimentary about the impact
the new washes made to the walls. “We chose these fixtures originally for the complete package of features and these certainly give us the color
and contrast to cut through a very bright environment,” he concludes. With eight locations in its Lake Forest property — and seven other regional campuses — on a typical weekend
Saddleback expects to host around 25,000-30,000 worshippers, all watching the sermon preached from the main Worship Center
… which is some weekly audience for the GLP moving heads!
The LD admits to having been a fan
of the GLP impression since the first impression 90 and later the 120RZ zoom. But he says that by embracing new technology, the X4 provides a higher
level of functionality entirely. Incorporating 19 quad color RGBW LED’s,
each rated at 15 Watts, in a breakthrough design, the X4 offers a single homogenized color output from its unique looking
front lens across a wide color spectrum and with high output. Janowitz could immediately see how he could put this feature
set, with its impressive 7:1 (7°-50°) zoom ratio, to good use. Given a free hand with the band’s lighting he admits, “There is a tremendous amount of mutual trust —
but I have a pretty good sense of the type of visual landscape they are comfortable performing within.” In fact he had originally been planning to put the 120RZ into
the new MMJ design until coming across GLP’s latest solution by accident … and in the nick of time. “By
chance, my associate, Ben Price, was prepping another one of our shows [also serviced by VER of Glendale] when [GLP Inc president]
Mark Ravenhill stopped by to show him the X4 back in May. I was in Europe and Ben called me in the middle of the night to
tell me about the fixture — he was so excited that he forgot about the time difference.” The timing was perfect as Marc Janowitz was in the process of finalizing the set
design with the MMJ crew. “We managed to get the new fixture into the discussions just in time for everything to fall
into place.” On returning from Europe Marc
got to review the fixture at close quarters. “I could see right away what the potential was and didn’t need to
compare the X4 with other washlights. I needed to see that they were at least as bright and feature packed as previous impression
fixtures and no bigger or heavier. “Seeing
the addition of the white LED and how it created an even better option for high transmission pastel colors — plus the
overall homogenized output sold me immediately. No more looking at red/green pixels when mixing ambers and oranges!”
Marc describes the
new X4’s as “bright, lightweight, diverse” and the zoom as “remarkable.” He qualifies this by
saying, “It enables me to use these fixtures for an overhead beamy washlight plus a groundrow cyc light … the
zoom is outstanding.” One particular feature
that is working well within the MMJ design is the macro effects channel. “I utilize the center cluster only and point
all the fixtures out to the audience. Since the architectural structure of the design was meant to emulate strings of festoon
lights, I was able to create the look of bare bulbs hanging over the stage with the X4. I would go to this look during the
set break and then stay in it for the first few songs out of the encore (typically ballads or solo acoustic songs).” Speaking of the impression footprint in general Marc relates,
“Since many of my clients require designs that will tour well in restricted logistical situations, such as bus trailers,
and rock clubs, the combination of minimum size, weight and power consumption is perfect. But they also pack an excellent
punch. “These are not just club fixtures — they hold their own just as well at 30ft trim as they do at 12ft.” The lighting designer has already underpinned his commitment
to the new fixture by promptly deploying a further 28 X4’s in a different context on the Autumn tour with Trey Anastasio
Band. “I imagine I’ll be logging quite a few ‘lamp-hours’ on this line and its offshoots in the coming
months … so it’s a good thing they are LED!” he smiles.
Jackson Browne’s lighting director/production designer for four years, Steve Comer, is one who admits, “I
had been looking for an LED hard edge light for a long time, and when the Spot One came along it was just the fixture I’d
been waiting for.” This latest tour expanded organically from its origins as a solo acoustic tour to an ensemble,
with more and more musician friends set to join him onstage. And this called for a more theatrically lit show where stage
positions and musicians could disappear into darkness, according to Steve. Faced with carrying lighting on tour for
the first time in 18 months the lightweight/small form factor of the impression Spot One was a logical choice. “About
four years ago Jackson decided to shrink his footprint on the environment when he was touring and so we turned to LEDs for
our lighting rig. While we dramatically decreased our energy consumption I still had to to use standard ARC or tungsten sources
to get any sort of hard edges. So I had been waiting for the Spot One technology to arrive so that we could create a 100%
LED rig.” The Spot One was the first fixture of its kind to be released to the global market. By harnessing the
raw power of numerous LED sources and running it through an advanced optical system GLP has created an even beam for RGB color
mixing at the same time achieving a focusable area for gobo projections. The result is a true hard edge LED profile fixture
with a packed graphics engine that includes two fully indexable gobo wheels. First introduced to this innovative technology
by Bandit Lites’ Dizzy Gosnell he is using six of the fixtures with Jackson Browne — two on a mid-stage pipe and the other four
on an upstage pipe. Despite using a relatively small package to reduce truck space it has given Comer the opportunity
to deliver a consistent show with a layered look, drawing on the house lights for all his front/key light. And with an audience
driven set list which changes nightly (drawn from a repertoire of around 200 songs), it definitely keeps the LD on his toes. “The
Spot Ones have all the functions that I need for my show,” he assesses. “They have a nice Gobo selection on two
wheels, a great zoom and a great color selection, with the white LED channel. But the big advantage I have noticed in the
LED optics is the lack of a hotspot as well as crisp hard edges.” Steve Comer has been embracing GLP’s LED
solutions since the original impression 90 and RZ120 Zoom — when the decision was first taken by Jackson Browne to go
green. “I have always been thrilled with them,” he says. And he values the relationship he has both with
the rental company and GLP themselves. “Bandit often go above and beyond to get the job done, and Jackson also has a
very long-term relationship with them. They are always there to support the Spot Ones as are GLP — and they’ve
not let me down.” Expect to see the impression Spot One play an increasing role in Steve’s future productions.
“Since I have been pushing to get our tour 100% LED for four years and there has not been a hard edge option
previously, these have definitely filled a gap. They work really well in an indoor theatre environment, and the maintenance
on the road has been non-existent — they have run entirely problem free.” “The show itself has become a social network event and
a focal point of fashion — and so it was a fabulous place to show off this stylish new light,” remarked Kenny.
“It’s always a policy of mine to try out new technology and styles of lighting on the VMA’s and every year
we have a stand alone product that catches the eye. This year I needed a sleek white fixture to complement Florian’s
concept, and I knew the white finish of the X4s would fit the part perfectly.” The 50 or so fixtures were supplied
by Video Equipment Rentals (VER) of Glendale, CA and it was their lighting manager, Susan Tesh who first introduced the LD
to the new washlights. VER have been Ton Kenny’s regular vendors for West Coast shows and he says he is fortunate that
the company has a policy of investment in new products. The X4 itself features 19 of the new Osram Quad Optic 15W RGBW
LED’s (single LED’s each containing four colours), in a slimline body with no base unit. The impression X4 houses
a 7° to 50° zoom range, to provide a good beam spread and matrix effects, full color mixing including CTC and customizable
pixel patterns across its front face. On top of that it weighs just 17.5 lbs (7.75kg). At the VMA’s, the X4’s
were hidden in the set and positioned behind the main ’string art’ onstage — “as well as anywhere
that we wanted some clever eye candy.” Tom Kenny was able to make full use of the wide color palette, from soft
pastels to deep saturates. “The X4s not only gave me the modern out of this world look but when [lighting programmer]
Mike Appel zoomed them they gave an amazing beam that stunned us all. They delivered a great glow and beam to the area, and
the reds and oranges, in particular, were stunning.” He said that having successfully test driven the impression
X4’s he will now specify them on all future projects. “Every year I try out new products and every year there
is one stand alone fixture that gets the artists talking. And this year two of the biggest pop stars in the world remarked
on how gorgeous the X4’s looked!” Incorporating 19 quad color
RGBW LED’s, each rated at 15 Watts, the impression X4 offers a single homogenized color output from its unique looking
front lens across a wide color spectrum and with high output. By using quad color LED’s, the impression X4 features
a color range from the deep saturates through to soft pastel shades by incorporating more of the white LED element,
which has a native color temperature of 5600K, and is complimented by a variable color temperature correction channel. A
unique feature to the im Adding flexibility is a key, and the impression X4 turns things up considerably from previous fixtures
with an expansive 7:1 zoom ratio that ranges from 7 to 50 degrees. At its narrowest, the impression X4 features both a hard
and soft edged beam, allowing for aerial effects along with powerful color washes that can cut through cleanly on todays’
stages and studio floors. As users have come to expect from GLP the impression X4 gives even and consistent color across
its beam at all angles. GLP’s tight selection process for its LED’s ensures this color quality not just within
any fixture, but also across different fixtures, now and into the future. The cooling system for the impression X4 is
designed around a large back-shell which collects heat from the fixture and dissipates it using convection only for silent
operation. If you really want to pump up the heat, the impression X4 does have an onboard fan to ensure that it stays cool
enough to keep operating with maximum output. With onboard electronic dimming, the impression X4 offers smooth full
range dimming across its entire output spectrum, and as it’s all electronic the impression X4 also offers a variable
strobe rate from 1-10 flashes per second, random strobe effect macros & pre-programmed intensity pulsing effects. The
electronic shutter also allows for absolutely instant intensity changes, or snaps to black. The impression X4 features
16 bit pan and tilt movement with coverage of 660 degrees of pan and 260 degrees of tilt, with automatic feedback should the
fixture be knocked out of position. The look of the impression X4 continues on from earlier GLP fixtures and features
a baseless design to keep the fixture as low profile and lightweight as possible. A floor stand is included with every fixture,
and for rigging the impression X4 can take a standard half coupler directly into its base, or use an optional omega bracket
attachment ensuring it can be operated in any orientation. For ease of use anywhere in the world, the impression X4
comes with a fully auto sensing power supply which operates anywhere from 100-240V at 50/60Hz. The impression X4 is
available in 4 way and 6 way flight cases as standard, or in single box packaging.
However, this
was his first year with responsibility for lighting a complete stage; working for suppliers Midnight Lighting, he produced
the lighting plot for the Outpost tent, using large quantities of fast moving GLP LED heads to create the wow factor among the more conventional luminaires. Promoted by Pipeline Productions, and held
in the picturesque Mulberry Mountain, the festival featured five stages in all — including Outpost, a medium-sized tent
with a self-climbing grid. Suspended from the raked overhead trusses, JC Campbell used eight GLP impression Spot Ones and 12 GLP Volkslicht Zooms; four of the Spot Ones were evenly spaced on each section of US truss, while the Volkslicht Zooms were set in pods of three
on the ends of both DS trusses. As with all festivals, the lighting dynamic needs to maintain its impact in daylight
conditions, through dusk and into night — but working in a tent all weekend the LD was fortunate in having to deal only
with bounce instead of direct sunlight. “We ran lights for every act starting at 1pm,” he stated. “During
the day, the Spot Ones still yielded a sharp beam in the haze and had enough output to overcome any daylight bounce, while
still providing color on the roof of the tent. But one of the greatest daytime benefits was being able to reduce the temperature
on stage by not using the par cans — since the Volkslichts provided an excellent wash.” He also noted that
the Volkslicht Zooms yielded “a beautiful amber and a stunning white”, while the reds of the Spot Ones were “unbelievable”. In fact the generous color palettes of the GLP FX enabled him to provide sympathetic
lighting for the whole genre of acts — from Bluegrass (Del McCoury) right through to Dubstep (Mimosa), while other notable
acts appearing on the stage included EOTO, Keller Williams, Balkan Beat Box, Papadosio and Paper Diamond. He highlighted
EOTO as being one of the performances where the Spot Ones really tied the room together. “I ran this as a minimalist
show, as there was a large, video-mapped lotus flower onstage with some incredible custom content rolling. The accuracy of
the Spot Ones allowed me to accent a video heavy production with beams and images without washing out the visual on the 14ft
x 24ft set piece.” It was JC himself who had originally introduced Midnight Lighting to GLP’s technology
and started using their fixtures on tour four years ago. “I am continually pleased with the performance of our
GLP gear,” he says. “The versatility of the Volkslicht Zooms is amazing — they provide a smooth even wash
for the bands and turn around and provide high speed aerials for the DJs. “I had multiple touring LDs and PMs
who had nothing but good things to say about the Spot Ones. Their images are sharp and even, their feature set is complete
and efficient, their colors are rich and bright, their movement is fast and smooth — and this is before you consider
the maintenance cycle being virtually non-existent and how little power they draw.” At Wakarusa JC Campbell was
assisted by a crew that included Tony Martucci and Cameron Beasley as Tech/LDs and Samantha Hamilton as Production Assistant.
Summarizing the impact of the festival rig, he stated, “It really exceeded my expectations with its versatility to light
a proper performance space day and night — in the middle of a field at the top of the Ozark Mountains.”
Located in the Central Hall at stand C8345, this will
be the first time that both companies have exhibited at Infocomm together and surprises lay
in store for the visitor. For GLP, the attention focus will be firmly on the latest addition to the
award winning Impression range of LED fixtures, the impression X4. Incorporating 19 quad color LED chips creating a high output
unit, the X4 features a 7:1 zoom ratio from 7 to 50 degrees with consistent color mixing at all beam angles as users have
come to expect from the impression range of fixtures. The Scenex Lighting brand of scenic lighting solutions,
distributed by GLP, will also be on display and feature their latest products with battery and wireless DMX fixtures amongst
others. The Scenex Lighting brand of products has been built up to offer practical and competitive solutions to the lighting
of today’s scenic areas, and now offers a full range of solutions, for both indoor and outdoor applications. Cosmic
Truss, which is distributed throughout the Americas by GLP Inc., will show a range of its products, including lectern, stand
and display solutions which have been developed for the professional AV industry.
Located on the site of the historic Village Gate in New York’s Greenwich Village, when the new owners took
over the interior was completely redrawn, and John Storyk (of Walters-Storyk Design Group), the designer behind Jimi Hendrix’s
Electric Ladyland Studios, helped design the room sonically. The venue has since undergone various technical upgrades,
including remotely controlled HD cameras, culminating in this latest investment, with the acquisition of 12 automated Spot
One LED fixtures from 4Wall Entertainment Lighting, who have been providing LPR with high-level service for the past three
years. Said the club’s Director of Lighting, Jonathan Talley, “I had heard talk about about the new impression
Spot One from colleagues and designers coming through LPR and contacted Mark Ravenhill and Rick Fallon at GLP; from the very
beginning I was really impressed by their communication and service. “I had been looking, and waiting, for this
type of fixture for some time. Powering movers is never cheap and we always want to be more eco-friendly as well as cost efficient.
Finding a fixture that can live up to and surpass moving heads allows us to do that, and as a replacement for our conventional
discharge spots they provide added flexibility.” The onsite demo confirmed all the expectations. “Having
a true hard edge LED profile fixture with two fully indexable gobo wheels as well as great color mixing was impressive,”
continued Talley. “I also loved having the choice of either snap LED color changes or smooth dimming and color mixing.
When I saw how solidly and intelligently they were constructed I knew we needed them in our rig.” With its ‘in
the round’ stage, the room allows for multiple setups. For instance in traditional stage setups eight Spot Ones are
placed on the back grid and four over the audience. “We love using these as front specials or to throw gobo projections
over the back wall of the stage,” he declares. He
also notes the Spot Ones’ ease of maintenance, since the cooling fans are set up so that haze and dust don’t get
sucked through the optics and mechanics inside. “This makes keeping them going strong much more efficient and so I never
have that nagging fear that a fixture is going to break down at the last minute.” As for visiting LD’s,
he says, the color mixing and sheer power of the fixture is what has been impressing them. With NPR producing live videocasts
of select shows and VH1 also recently shooting a performance with the artist K’naan, the lighting director says that
GLP has helped them raise the bar and maintain production values at top level. In fact the Spot One is providing equally
popular with artistes and patrons alike. “It is great to have a light with truly saturated colors bright enough to be
seen with ease by the audience — both on stage and on camera,” states Tally. “We have had promoters rave
to us about how much of a difference it makes, while artistes love performing under them because they don’t generate
as much heat as traditional moving heads. For us they are simply a lot of fun!” Around the same time LPR also
acquired the impressive G-LEC Solaris fully flexible, cable based video curtain. “Everyone notices and loves it,”
says the venue’s lighting director. “We use it for as many shows as possible because of its wow factor.”
“Whether we are running visualizations, or a guest video artist is using it through his media server, the Solaris
system gets attention. I personally love the aesthetic because it doesn’t look like just another LED video wall, but
like a design element.”, Jonathan concluded. Anyone who considers
Mayday to be just a big party, is entirely on the wrong track — the audience is highly critical, placing huge demands
on technology. In particular, the lighting design must be unique and impressive and the sound experience equally massive. This
year, Wiesbaden-based company Schokopro took over the technology part in “the arena”, the largest of the three
venues of each Mayday. For one night, the dome of Westfalenhalle 1 was converted, under the direction of lighting and set
designer Thomas Gerdon of Gerdon MEDIADESIGN, into the “mother of all raves.” Thomas Gerdon and his production
manager Bernd Goergen know the requirements of organizers I-Motion and the wishes of the crowd, as the team has already been
responsible for Nature One, Germany’s biggest outdoor Rave. On the main floor Gerdon and his staff knew exactly what
was needed: “Moving trusses, stunning looks, just something big,” he says, describing what he and his crew have
put together over four assembly days. In Gerdon’s stage set, the designer relied on new technology from GLP,
using their latest generation Wash One and Spot One automated fixtures, both of which have powerful LED engines and convinced the designer with their fantastic rich colors. “As
both fixtures manage without the classic base, the design possibilities are of course enormous; there is nothing clumsy, it
just looks good,” he says. In addition, both the Spot One and Wash One are incredibly fast and agile, which is vital
in this genre. “In a nutshell, the two lamps are compact, powerful and extremely flexible — and thus are made
for such a job.” A further advantage is that thanks to the LED engine in the Spot One and Wash One, the amount
of heat generated was minimized over the 15 hours of continuous operation, whereas some fixtures in the past had suffered
with thermal problems. Besides using the two new GLP fixtures, Thomas Gerdon also used a large number of GLP impression
90’s set up over the main stage, “which rounded off the stage and completed the whole picture”, the LD concluded. In
addition to the main arena GLP occupied, almost exclusively, the smallest venue at Mayday. In the ‘Casino’, where
there is traditionally more emphasis on sound and decorative elements than on solid lighting, eight GLP Impression 90’s,
from the portfolio of Gahrens & Battermann from Refrath, were enough to put the barrel-shaped decorative elements from
Giant Optix of Hamburg into the right light. Between the beginning
of last December and end of January, the striking circus Big Top, colored in yellow and black was raised for more than 60
shows, with over 1,400 people attending each day. Jens Berthold, CEO of Germany’s J&S Music, and Christian
Griebel, Technical Director for the show, set the specifications. “We needed highly reliable fixtures. Due to temperatures
dropping far below zero at night and going up to around 25°C during the shows, condensation was only one of the challenges
we needed to face. Furthermore, dust, heavy use of fog machines and constantly changing temperatures and humidity created
a highly demanding environment — not only for the fixtures, but for all the equipment used inside and around the tent.”
But in the brand new GLP Spot One, Berthold and Griebel had one significant advantage. “The whole LED and effect engine inside the Spot One is completely
sealed and thus resistant to such influences,” they noted. “In fact, we had not one single failure due to moisture,
dirt or low temperature during the two months.” A total of 16 Spot Ones were used by LD Dennis Dellweg, alongside additional fixtures including 16 GLP impression 90, 12 GLP YPOC 700 CMY and 18 Scenex Lighting Fusion LED battens. “For a show like Flic Flac, there are no fixed plans or schedules,
it´s much more a steadily growing, organic piece of art. There is no set choreography — we start with an idea
and begin developing this during rehearsals — that´s how we realize the lighting design. Sometimes, the artists
come up with ideas or certain pictures they want us to integrate in our lighting design. Sometimes, it´s much more laissez-faire
and the artists let us do whatever we think best to complement their show. That is a very open minded process and highly creative
way of generating the appropriate lighting design.” Within only one week for rehearsals and programming, Christian
Griebel and the staff at Flic Flac really crafted a living, organic piece of art – “this is because we do not
stop at the première, but constantly change scenes and setups to make it perfect. It´s pretty amazing to work
that way when you have such highly creative tools as the GLP Spot One at your side.” AHM already owned
32 of the German company’s impression 120RZ, reporting nothing but good experiences within the first year, with zero failures. The fixtures have not only enjoyed a heavy
duty cycle within Hong Kong but also several events at the Venetian in Macau — urging AHM to consider further increasing
their stock of impression 120RZ’s. Introduced to the Spot One late last year by GLP Asia General Manager, Michael Münz, AHM were so impressed that they immediately placed an order for 62 of the new fixtures. The
first 28 pieces were delivered in less than two weeks from order to meet the Leon Lai show deadline. Michael Münz remembers,
“They literally came out of the airplane and went directly to the venue where they were installed out of the box and
onto the rig.” Having only seen the Spot One in their warehouse previously all production crew involved were stunned
with the brightness and power of the beam — even in such a large venue as the Hong Kong Coliseum where the fixtures
were used all around a central stage, both as floor FX and on the outer edges of the trussing. The reaction was scarcely
surprising since the Spot One is the first fixture of its kind to be released to the global market. Harnessing the output
of enough LED sources and being able to run it through the optical system of a spot fixture to create an even beam for RGB
color mixing (and focusable area for gobo projections) has provided LD’s with a new dimension to their creative palette. Fired
by their initial success, AHM Engineering then provided a further 38 Spot Ones for another Cantopop exponent, Aaron Kwok,
when his De Showy Masquerade World Tour Live Concert arrived at the same venue. Kwok is famous for his dancing performance
and extravagant stage design and AHM were happy to increase the presence of the Spot Ones to provide extra drama (in fact
the artist holds a Guinness Book of World Records entry for the largest revolving stage, measuring 10m x 9.44m). The
crisp colors of the Spot One, coupled with the fast movement, provided the perfect match for this action packed performance. The
Spots performed at a total of 21 shows in their first month of delivery, with no lamp adjustment necessary prior to their
first use on stage. Mazon Chan, owner and founder of AHM, who had wanted to move his company further towards greener
and more cost-efficient products, is more than happy with their latest investment since it will enable them to reduce running
costs. And Paul Leung, Sales Director of AHM, adds that the five-year light engine warranty eases the burden on their budget
since they no longer need to calculate bulb replacement costs. Pacific Lighting’s Singapore operation has recently been appointed as exclusive distributor for GLP — in both the Singapore and Malaysian territories. Pacific Lighting director Hugh Chinnick says he is delighted
at the future prospects this partnership offers to both companies. “GLP is a growing company, with a track record for
innovation and quality. We have been very cautious in entering the moving LED fixture market, but are confident that GLP will
successfully fit into our existing bespoke product range.” Fauzan Fadil, General Manager of Pacific Lighting (Singapore)
Pte Ltd, is equally excited at the prospects of dealing with another quality brand. Michael Münz, General Manager
GLP Asia, added: “I am very happy to have Pacific Lighting on board with us. They are a very experienced and well known
player throughout Asia and the perfect match for GLP. Together with them we are looking forward to maintaining our rapid growing
in Asia.” Since the opening of GLP’s Asian Office little under two years ago, sales in the region have increased
dramatically. “Recently GLP fixtures such as the impression Spot One has started to appear on an increasing number of
riders from famous local artists such as Leon Lai and Aaron Kwok,” he stated. Pacific Lighting, whose HQ is in
Hong Kong, is well known throughout the region, with strong contacts not only in the rental/concert industry but also theatre
and architectural markets. “These markets are particularly relevant to our latest product ranges due to the very low
noise level, and long lifetime and low maintenance characteristics of the impression series,” concluded Mr. Münz.
Founded in 1977, Unisson Structures remains
a family-run business today, with a clientele that has been consistently built upon its reputation for creative commitment
to their customers every step of the way and for their delivery of high quality and innovative solutions. The addition of Cosmic
Truss to their product offering within Canada will allow Unisson to offer a more comprehensive solution range of trussing
and rigging products to their client base and the market as a whole. Speaking of the appointment, Olivier Jobin, VP
of Business Development at Unisson said “Having Cosmic Truss as a line for Unisson Structures is a big advantage. We
can now offer a broader range of products. Clients will benefit from our service and know-how while, as always, obtaining
the best quality product at the best price. Business Director for Cosmic Truss, David Park, added “Having Unisson Structures
represent Cosmic Truss in Canada is a great move forward for us all. A company with the depth of knowledge, experience and
commitment that Unisson has will be a massive win for all of our Canadian customers.” Unisson Structures is based
in St-Roch-De-L’Achigan, Quebec and can be contacted by phone at (450) 588-7477, or via their website at www.unissonstructures.com Pictured is Olivier Jobin of Unisson Structures. Dillon Production Services, based in Norcross, Georgia have added GLP’s impression Spot One fixture to their inventory allowing them to offer their customers a full energy efficient LED lighting system. Cosmic Truss has added a range of stylish and practical truss covers to its' products. The range of standard designs comprises contemporary graphics, along with soft
natural looking images to suit a variety of moods or events, and standard plain finishes. For custom occasions, standard
plain covers can also be screen printed with specific logos or branding for corporate events or product launches. For more information,
contact Cosmic Truss on +1 818 767 8899
Lighting designer, Lawrence Upton recently extended his long relationship
with Smashing Pumpkins when the band took first to the American tour circuit, and then Europe, in support of their ninth album,
Oceania. However, it was the first time he had used GLP’s impression platform, building 20 of the compact, lightweight Volkslicht Zoom LED heads into the set. And it certainly paid dividends. The tour itself was picked up across the Atlantic by Neg
Earth, who maintained continuity with the GLP heads — ensuring that they performed as flawlessly in Europe and the UK
as they had in the States. The LD is equally at home working
on both continents. For having grown up in the north of England he later moved to America specifically to work with the bands
coming out of the States, and is today based in Chicago (where the Pumpkins formed back in 1988). For the Autumn tour, he worked alongside lighting programmer, Brad Schiller, with whom he has collaborated for a
number of years. “This was the first time I had used any of GLP’s fixtures, and I must say I after being recommended
them I was most surprised and impressed when I saw them,” says the LD. The Volkslicht Zoom combines the best technology features with the footprint and weight of a small and unobtrusive
fixture. The fixture has a motorized zoom, changing its beam size from 10 to 26 degrees, whilst maintaining a strong output.
Using 60 Luxeon Rebel LED’s in an RGB configuration to give a broad mixing palette of colours, because of its size and
weight, Volkslichts also have incredible pan and tilt speed. In
this context they were used to replace the traditional discharge wash light on a scalable set — designed to enable sections
to be removed, depending on venue size, without sacrificing the dynamic. Providing the basic color for every scene, the Volkslicht
Zooms had the desired effect of creating a good solid wash that could change color and position very quickly, and operate
problem free throughout the two legs. “Although there was no particular
requirement to use low-energy fixtures, this was certainly an added bonus, which allowed me to use more Volkslichts on the
rig.” Overall, he said, he was delighted with the performance
of the fixtures. “They certainly exceeded my expectations and I definitely see a role for these on shows in the future,”
he summarized. In an unprecedented move, GLP have announced that the LED light engine used in their impression Spot One and impression Wash One fixtures now carries a full 5 year warranty. The replaceable LED engine gives the highest
light output from a single RGB source in a Spot or Wash based fixture on the market today – and to ensure that
customers are confident in this latest technology, GLP have issued this new warranty. Being built on a ‘plug and play‘
integration level, the light engine itself is easy enough to replace, should it ever be required. GLP’s Business Director, Kasper Gissel, commented “This 5 year warranty is something we are very proud to
share with our customers. We know the reliablility of our fixture range and the component parts, and we also know from our
customers that they are fed up with the wild and wacky claims we have seen from manufacturers in recent years regarding their
LED sources, so it was time to get serious with a simple, straightforward warranty“. The 5 year warranty
covers the LED engines used in all fixtures within GLP’s impression Spot One andimpression Wash One fixtures.
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t of 100 ANSI Lumens, the Impression V offers a beam angle of 15 degrees. DMX control has been added for the red, green and
blue channels of the DLP system giving full color adjustment of any image or movie that's being played. There's also DMX focus
control to ensure that you get a sharp image, no matter the throw distance. The small size of the Impression V makes it great
for point of sale applications, sponsorship and corporate work. The playback files themselves are stored on an SD Card which
conveniently sits in the front of the fixture. Adding or changing the files on board is a simple process just requires an
SD Card writer - like most computers have these days - with no special equipment required. The SD Card contains 32 folders,
with each folder containing 32 still images and 32 video files - for a total of 1,024 of each. DMX control allows you to easily
select the specific file and folder that you want to play back.
ized beam are crucial elements of its success.
"We needed a small moving LED fixture that was fast and had a zoom," commented Vicken Hekimian, Scene Change Sydney
Director. "The GLP Volkslicht zoom was bright, fast and compact plus it was provided by Show Technology who supply great
after sales support and have always been very supportive of Scene Change. Having Show Technology as the supplier gives us
a lot of confidence in the product."
Ruisheng has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu and with nearly 70 employees has set course for becoming
the most prominent supplier of international professional lighting and audio systems in China. The innovative product range
from GLP, which includes the Impression Spot One and Wash One and the new Impression X4 add to their rich, quality oriented
portfolio.
MacDonald’s search for the Spot One was stimulated by his desire to have an all LED arena lighting rig. “This
is becoming the norm these days … less power and lighter fixtures are always a huge plus, especially when playing smaller
venues with limited power,” he said. “I was looking for an LED profile moving fixture that could be as good as,
or better than a standard moving light fixture.”
The Volkslicht Zooms are used primarily for their high intensity saturated color. For music events with exposed lighting rigs,
they can be used as blinders or beam lights, and as back light in a concert setting, while the combination of RGB color mixing,
zoom, and repositionability make for a very flexible system, note the two designers.
The creative element is designed around a festoon-like hanging system, fabricated out of a modified truss ladder, which forms
the architectural centerpiece. These consist of ten soft, swooped hanging positions suspended between the trusses in the overhead
grid, with five of the X4’s on each. These festoons travel pre-rigged and cabled, and once the grid is hung, are fully
deployed in about 10 minutes.
pression X4 lies behind its ‘bug eyes’, with the ability to activate a series of pre-defined patterns across the
front lens. Using just a single channel, 250 pattern options are available which instantly turn the fixture into a great effect
for work into a camera lens, or audience gags. But, limiting designers to pre-programmed effects can be totally frustrating,
so GLP have added the ability for users to create their own effects, patterns and chases on the fly and record them into their
show. It’s all incorporated into a DMX profile that uses just 20 channels, so great features don’t come at a cost
of many channels. 
The feedback from Jonathan Talley’s crew has been equally positive. “At any given time at least one or two of
our staff is on a national tour and they all love designing with the Impression Spot One’s,” he confirms.
Dellweg was impressed not only with the reliability, but the creativity offered by these fixtures. “When it comes to
GLP’s Spot One, there are really no restrictions. Brilliant colors, sharp and focused projections and the high output
beam really stand out,” he commented. 
