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Avolites Integrates Lighting and Video on Coldplay
Coldplay’s lighting designer Nick Whitehouse and show designer Bryan Leitch specified a Diamond 4 Vision console to control all lighting, video and visual effects for the current Coldplay ‘Twisted Logic’ world tour which is now in full swing on its summer UK and European outdoor leg.
Lighting equipment for the tour is being supplied by rental company Siyan in partnership with Dutch company Flashlight. Siyan ordered the two brand new consoles for the occasion from Avolites.
Whitehouse, who is also out operating the tour, said: “The D4 is my console of choice now – I use it for all my work”. Whitehouse cut his lighting teeth on Avolites Pearls which he loves. He describes the D4 as “a massive step forward for integrated lighting and video control... But retaining all Avo’s trademark hands-on features.”
The D4 is fully loaded with eight universes of DMX, including large quantities of moving and generic lights. Assorted video sources are also being run through the desk triggered via the new Radical Lighting NG1 high definition digital media server.
Avolites worked closely with Whitehouse and Leach prior to the tour starting, and made some special software customisations specific to their show. They also supplied software developer Oliver Waits for the duration of the rehearsal period to ensure everything ran smoothly.
The bulk of the lighting rig is hung on 12 ‘randomly’ positioned 2-metre trusses, rigged all over the roof, each containing three SGM Giotto 400 CYM spots and an Atomic strobe. The four upstage from most of these are on a vertical plane and on vari-speed Cyberhoists that move them into several different positions to make fingers, fans and other patterns.
The rest of the flown rig includes 12 Vari*Lite 3000s on TV-style pantograph moving arms, supplied by DeSisti, DMX controlled and also running through the D4. On the front of each pantograph is a 2-lite Molefay unit.
Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin wanted a B-stage set up to make everything more intimate for the acoustic numbers. Leitch and Whitehouse decided to go for something a bit different here, and after much searching, discovered three antique Mole Richardson 10k Fresnels abandoned in the dark recesses of one of AC Lighting’s equipment stores. They had these reconditioned internally and brought back to life. Their classic exteriors give the stage a filmic feel, and they’re also mounted on pantographs, and are lowered in to light the forestage, emitting a fabulous, rich tungsten glow. There is a series of Mole Richardson 5k Fresnels on the floor to match the overhead fresnel look, used to produce all-enveloping low level colour washes. The front trusses contain another 18 V*L 3000 Spots and fifteen 4-lite Moles for audience lighting, and band key lighting with 8 V*L1000s. The rear truss is curved outwards and the front truss is also curved – again to evoke a touch of that epic ‘filmic’ feel.
The floor is a ‘forest’ of lights in its own right! Lighting the back cloth and the band are seven V*L3000 washes. A foot in front of them are another eight V*L3000 spots for beam looks from the floor, plus another seven Atomic strobes with colour changers utilised for strobing through the band. Eight B5/2 Syncrolites are used across the 50m wide stage for large beam looks into the stadium.
The floor lighting picture is completed with some individually dimmable disco-tastic Studio Due CS4s and some upstage Studio Due Dominators – a 6.6k Moonflower effect - retrofitted with 5k shutters allowing them to be dimmed. Between songs, the stage space is lit with seven James Thomas PixelLines in a dark wash. All of the eclectic collection above is controlled via the Diamond 4.
There are three Strong 1.2k Super Troupers truss spots and two Gladiators FOH.
Avolites also supplied Whitehouse with a Diamond 4 Tablet PC for the tour. This is a complete interactive D4 simulation on a touch screen PC which allows the full programming and control facilities of the real console. It works wirelessly via ArtNet, and he’s found it absolutely invaluable for daylight focuses.
In addition to running all the lighting, the D4 is triggering Radical Lighting’s new NG1 digital media server which stores and plays back all video sources via two projectors onto two onstage screens. The main screen is 17m x 9m and fills the entire back of the stage while a second ‘widescreen’ is 17m x 3.5m both move on custom curved tab tracks.
There are over 30 video clips – primarily abstracts so they don’t detract from the show - specially created by Whitehouse and Leitch. Additionally the NG1 allows eight live IMAG camera inputs to be made available to Whitehouse and output to the two onstage screens if he wishes. The main show IMAG goes to stage left and right side screens mixed and directed by Alan Yates and Andy Bramley.
“It’s absolutely essential in a show as tight as this to be able to control both lighting and video. It’s very much the way I prefer to work to create a fluid and streamlined visual experience. The D4 is the perfect tool to enable me to do this,” said Whitehouse.
All video hardware is co-ordinated by Pictureworks. The V-DOSC sound system is supplied by Tour Tech in conjunction with Wigwam. FOH engineer is Dan Green and monitors are run by Chris Wood.
8th July 2005
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