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Martin MAC III Profile Passes Test on James Blunt
Martin Professional's new MAC III Profile is getting a thorough run through on one of this year's most popular and extensive world tours - and needless to say, stage fright has not been a problem.
"I'm impressed," commented James Blunt LD Paul Normandale, one of the first lighting professionals to get his hands on the new 1500 W profile spot. "The fixtures offer a significantly brighter tier of lighting, a great wide aperture source, a dramatic zoom, real strobing...and finally a real red!"
The James Blunt tour is one of a handful of field test outings for the new profile spot. The tour, which has been playing venues worldwide since early in the year, has embarked on a new leg (Europe and Canada) with a freshly designed lighting rig. The addition of the MAC III ProfilesTM along with an LED wall of Martin LC SeriesTM panels expands the show's visual impact for the larger venues that Blunt plays on the current leg.
Normandale, creative director and lighting, set and video designer on the English artist's prolonged 2008 tour, says he chose the MAC III because he was looking for a bright hard edge fixture for a high 48 ft trim and needed a powerful spot to complement a Martin LC Series LED screen. Capable of punching out over 33,000 lumens of power, Normandale says of the MAC III's: "Even at extreme zoom it has light to spare from a trim of nearly 50 ft across a video wall."
Located high in a circle truss arch, the MAC III's broad front lens projects a unique fat beam that looks great mid-air for a refreshing new look. "The high output is a nice feature and when you combine it with the broad beam it gives a much welcome, very different look," Normandale says.
The MAC III Profile is the first luminaire in Martin's third generation of MAC moving heads. It features an all new design both inside and out for greater performance and includes new 1500 watt lamp technology, a long list of innovative features and advances in control, handling, service and more.
Glen Johnson, who handles lighting direction and runs the lighting and video on the tour, commented, "So far there have been no failures in the rig, which for a new light is fantastic."
Normandale of Lite Alternative, the UK based lighting production company that serves as worldwide vendor for the tour (Upstaging & Lite Alternative in Canada), directs a rig of Martin MAC III Profiles, MAC 700 Profiles, MAC 250 Washes (changes to MAC 700 Washes in Canada), MAC TW1s, Stagebar 54L LED bars, and Atomic 3000 strobes with Atomic Colors scrollers.
A checkered wall of LC Series LED panels provides a stunning backdrop to the set. Twenty-two LC 2140 panels were chosen because of their 2 x 1 m configuration, Normandale says. "Moving trusses with the panels mounted on them reconfigure through the show, forming a true screen only once for one song. The interlock of the screens was critical and the modular speed of the LC made this possible." The LC panels use standard Prolyte CCS6 conical truss connectors, so linking the lightweight panels together is simple, and with no external power supplies or drivers, each unit comes with everything it needs built in, which reduces logistical costs and set-up time. Lighting control is from a Wholehog III console with Catalyst running the LC panels via fiber optic.
"Support has been great, as usual," concludes Glen Johnson, "with thanks to Mark Ravenhill, Matt Cowles and Simon Allan from Martin for allowing us to abuse their new light!"
Blunt's ‘All the Lost Souls' tour is truly a world tour having already played in the UK, US, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The current leg has him in Europe before hopping the pond for a string of Canadian dates beginning in mid-November.
Tour manager is Robert Hayden, stage manager Jonny Gallagher, lighting designer Paul Normandale, lighting director Glen Johnson and crew chief Mick Stowe.
photo: Allan Toft
6th November 2008
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