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GDS Launch Innovation in Blue Working Lights
Problems associated with existing products used for performance blues are bound for the history books, with the launch of Global Design Solutions (GDS) innovative new BlueBeam and BlueDome systems.
The products are designed to replace existing working light sources such as fluorescents. Whereby many venues in the UK have a tatty lamp which is both breakable and high maintenance, the BlueBeam and BlueDome family provide an alternative LED working light offering reliability and functionality with zero maintenance. They’re entirely solid state, producing little heat and removing the need to ever change a lamp (or the gel in front of it!) again. Using an integral 0-10v dimming connection, onboard dimming allows easy adjustment of each fitting’s brightness to suit surroundings, with area light levels and true show blackouts easily managed. Both products secure straight to a standard electrical conduit box in plastic or metal, (or if you’re running a normal system without conduit you can mount it onto a conduit back-box) allowing easy integration into a building infrastructure.
The BlueDome provides an omni directional light source for anywhere requiring low level distribution. The BlueBeam is a directional fitting more suited to high level installations such as wing lighting from under fly floors, loading galleries, upstage cross overs and scene docks, coming in 5, 10 or 20 degree angles that make illumination from 3M to 15M and further possible.
“The BlueBeam and BlueDome are manufactured from UV stable polycarbonate, are compact, sleek, and extremely robust, and being sealed to IP67, installation is possible in most environments,” explained GDS Director Matt Lloyd. “These design factors produce an extremely reliable fitting that will give many years of trouble free operation, and make the products ideal for both venue installations and live touring.”
“The control level has also increased,” continued GDS Technical Director, Richard Cuthbert. “You can attach it to the desk so the stage manager can control it, or you can plot it into the show. If you have a very dim scene in an opera, you can dim the working light down to suit that scene and bring it back up afterwards. It’s highly flexible and cost saving. As the system is integrally dimmed this allows you to run them direct via the control system without having to allocate expensive dimmer ways, which are often another link in the chain that can go wrong.”
The Blue’s are also ideal for the live touring market. You can screw a Dome into a backstage area, attach them to the stairs or under a handrail like a runway leading up to the back of the stage, rather than someone walking up shining a torch and people nearly falling over, or for control towers. They can be dimmed, run on 12 volts and can be easily repackaged into mobile units that for touring purposes can be rolled out with the set, cabling etc wherever you need it. “You can tread on them, roll a flight case over them, they’re almost indestructible!” says Lloyd. “BlueBeams would be an ideal working light for the ends of your truss to light your wing spaces and runways on and off. They give you a solid corridor of light that’s reliable and clear.”
The products can also be used to provide emergency lighting, such as lighting stair ways, and are also excellent for controlling a themed club environment, available in a range of colours with minimum external systems required.
These are GDS’s first products to be launched, on target, as promised when the company formed in 2004.
GDS’s BlueBeam system has already proved its worth and surpassed expectation in its first installation, completed in one of the UK’s finest theatres in winter 2005. Having immediately identified the need for GDS’s product innovation, the venue is in no doubt as to the benefits.
“We had a brief to resolve the theatres problem of tungsten profile lamps then being used for blues performance lighting in the wing spaces blowing, and alleviate the continual maintenance required with crew having to replace lamps. They were looking for a maintenance free product that would allow no access required and produce an even distributed amount of light within the wing spaces, without spilling into the performance areas,” explained Cuthbert. “We installed 20 fittings, 10 stage left, 10 stage right, one singe distributor power supply and dimming control for the stage management team. The fittings are at a height of eight metres, 5 degree lenses, distributed approx two metres apart and produce a corridor of light from upstage to downstage.
Chief LX for the venue enthused: “A blue always goes just before or just after a curtain goes up - I don’t have to think about that now. I can go and have a sandwich at the half and not worry about it, walk on stage two minutes before - and know it works. And the Beam’s provide a uniform corridor of light, which is difficult to achieve with Tungsten light sources.”
GDS’s BlueBeam and BlueDome products are bound for a universal market. Since their first install GDS has received enquiries from around the world, including Australia, South Africa, Europe, and the UK, with interest also coming from diverse industry sectors such as industrial, transport and marine.
VBlue Beam and Blue Dome products are available now from GDS.
7th February 2006
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