Alford Media’s lighting department has added some serious punch to their arsenal with the addition of two new types of lighting fixtures. These were used at a show in Boston, MA with over 14,000 attendants.
Tomm Gillies, our Lighting Designer, recounts his experience with the first addition, the Robe Robin 1000 LEDBeams.
“I had originally spec’ed the Robe 600s to light the audience around the stage, but when Alford told me they would receive the Robin 1000 LEDBeams in time for the show, I swapped fixtures immediately. The ability to go from a super tight 4° beam to the full 63° wash allowed me to use the light for more than just one purpose. And, since the channel mapping is the same for the 300s, 600s, 1000s, and the 1200s, (ALL of which I had on the show), exchanging one for the other meant my Master Electrician, Aaron Harris, didn’t have to redo any paperwork. But the real beauty of the 1000s is that I was able to create a pool of light for each audience section that surrounded the stage, which looked beautiful in the Jib shots – a bright stage thrust surrounded by pools of people watching intently. That’s a look I wouldn’t have gotten if I had used Scoops or Molefays like we use for Audience washes. The second thing that impressed me about the 1000s was their speed. It’s almost twice as big as a Robe 600 LEDWash, but moves faster and has more versatility.”
Blake Taylor, our Manager of Lighting Services, walks us through the features, “Keeping within the family of Alford’s popular Robe LED 600 and 300 wash fixtures, we are pleased to announce the addition of the new Robe Robin 1000 LEDBeam.The Robe 1000 features CMY/RGBW colour mixing, improved smooth dimming, tungsten lamp emulation, variable CTO and powerful strobe effects. The 1000 utilize an array of powerful 15W RGBW LED multi chips that deliver very powerful, feature packed LED luminaire.”
The second fixtures utilized were the Robe BMFL Blades. Gillies explains how we used them and how they really came in handy at this event. “These were added to the show to light a three-dimensional version of the event’s logo (38’L x 6’H, x 18”D) used as a Scenic element upstage. The challenge of lighting this sign came from the fact that it was almost directly under the Center Screen and it was close to the Upstage Cyc. In addition, there were several moments during the show where Presenters would be only a few feet downstage of the sign. So, I had to figure out a way to light it without casting shadows on the Cyc or shining scenic lighting on Talent. Two BMFL Blades did the trick. With the punch of the 1700 watt lamp and the 55° beam spread, I was able to highlight the sign in such a way that it worked as a great background element throughout the show. For Walk-Ins, I was able to add a gobo texture to the sign that really brought attention to it while simultaneously backlighting it with the wash from the Cyc. I look forward to having more of them on future shows.”
The features of the Robe BMFL Blades include a high output of 1700w, which is an industry leader, and the 11:1 zoom is sharp. These have four fast shutter blades that provide smooth and precise movement. They are individually angled and positioned within a frame and can rotate through 90 degrees giving the ability to provide either a sharp or soft frame for the projected image. Taylor tells us, “Our programmers have already been impressed with the Robe EMS (Electronic Motion Stabiliser) technology, enabling the BMFL to both move and stop faster and more precisely than any other fixture in its class – all this housed in a compact body profile weighing just 83 lbs. Our Lighting Designers found that there was no other fixture currently available with the Blade’s amount of features, brightness or the versatility.”
We’re very excited with the new additions and the opportunity to grow our lighting inventory!
