PG Stage attended PLASA 2012 on its opening day at Earls Court (Sunday 9th September). PLASA is the lead international membership body for those who supply technologies and services to the event, entertainment and installation industries.
Over 300 exhibitor stands were ready for visitors to explore, representing every conceivable corner of the entertainment industry. For PG Stage, it was a chance for us to catch up with our suppliers and partners in the industry and keep abreast of any technological developments.
PG Stage were keen to see developments of LED Profile and Fresnel technology. LED technology in the stage lighting arena has come on leaps and bounds in recent years offering consumers an environmentally-friendly and cost-saving alternative to traditional tungsten luminaires, with the benefit of having the ability to change colour.
LED PAR cans, battons and moving head types have become a comparable product in performance and price to traditional tungsten theatre lights. However, in the marketplace, there has been a gap in the production of a comparable LED profile spot or fresnel lantern, particularly for professional theatres – (Profile spots give a hard-edged beam often described as ‘spot lights’ and fresnel lanterns give a soft-edged spot or pool of light.)
ETC, a global leader in the design and manufacture of stage lighting products, recently won a coveted ABTT 2012 Hook Clamp award for their ‘Source Four LED’ for Lighting Product of the Year. The new LED profile spotlight was praised by ABTT judges for its “good light output, flat beam, crisp imaging and the ability to change colour.” They also commented that “LED profiles have undergone a step change and this product is a good example of that.”
PG Stage attended demonstrations on the ETC stand proving how well the Source Four LED works alongside tungsten and heard of the success of the first examples of the Source Four LEDs being used by the National Theatre of Scotland at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Across the hall at Earls Court, PG Stage also caught up with world-renowned Philips Selecon and the launch of their Selecon PLFresnel-1 and PLProfile-1. General Manager for Selecon, Graham Eales, commented that, “A key benefit of the PLFresnel-1 and PLProfile-1 is that it’s no longer necessary to change lamps or colour filter. Both luminaires combine the superior control and light quality of a Philips Selecon Fresnel and profile with the ability to seamlessly fade between colours. Designers now have a new performance lighting tool at their fingertips. In addition less power consumption and no dimmer circuits make the PLFresnel-1 and the PLProfile-1 an obvious choice for a range of applications.”
The directors at PG Stage were impressed with the developments of these stage lighting products and the potential improvements they could bring to professional theatre in the UK. Within the environment of PLASA, both demonstrations of these brand new stage lighting products proved to be comparable to current tungsten products used in well-loved theatres across the UK. The next question, when these products are available across the wider market, is, “How much do they cost and will satisfactory benefits be reaped?”
PG Stage will keep you informed when these products go to market.
Paul Holt, director at PG Stage commented, “We are pleased to be in the process of completing our first two LED broadcast studios at John Moore’s University, Liverpool. Using the full range of ETC LED fixtures brings a range of benefits to the university including reducing their carbon footprint as well as increasing the creative ability of students attending the faculty.”