Lighting in Design

GLP lights up Hollywood for Star Wars World Premiere

GLP’s new X4 Atom, X4 Bar 20 and X4 Bar 10 passed their biggest test ever when they

were pressed into service by LA-based NYX Design at one of Hollywood’s most glit-

tering events: the world premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Reported to have

been the biggest film premiere ever staged, with the red carpet stretching for half a

mile, the film was shown in three cinemas simultaneously.

Formed in 2002 (with Abigail Rosen Holmes as the third partner), NYX Design light-

ing designers Manny Treeson and Brian Gale were contracted by Walt Disney Studios

Special Events, with whom they have enjoyed a long association.

The main section of Hollywood Blvd was closed off to the public to allow a 365.75 m

long tent to run through the middle, and provide the heart of the premiere. The movie

was screened simultaneously at The TCL Chinese Theatre, The Dolby Theatre, and The

El CapitanTheatre, and the tent connected the lobbies of all three theatres into a single

event. It also contained the Red Carpet press line – and after the movie had concluded

it converted to an after-party venue for the invited guests.

There were two specific spaces the designers wanted to illuminate with the X4

Bars – the most important being the kinetic light saber sculpture. Located in the ‘foyer’

section of the tent was an array of automated sabers, lights and lasers that were

choreographed into a performance piece. “In designing this element I was thinking

of a fountain show except instead of water we were working with volumetric light,”

Treeson explains. “The sabers were delimited by their physical length (about 1 m) so

we wanted a volumetric lighting element that could play against the sabers and have

physical presence in the space.

“The X4 Bar was perfect for this as we could manipulate the knife edges of light

through the stage as a counter punch to the sabers clashing against each other. It formed

a central call and response of the whole sculpture and this very different quality helped

to create contrast and different notes to the design.”

X4 Bars were also placed under a customDodgeViper that was painted in celebration

of the movie. Here the individual cells of the Bars were used to create an animation of

light emanating from underneath.The tiny X4 Atomwas used to highlight other elements

in the space. “We loved the coherent colour and size,” continued Treeson. “They are

so small that they were great to tuck into [tight] places and the colour was fantastic.”

Treeson is no stranger to GLP’s popular X4 range. “With the X4 Bar and X4 Atom,

GLP has taken a real step forward. These fixtures step away from the form that so

many LED fixtures take which is a large array of emitters. Both are coherent lights first

where the engine that produces the beam is secondary to the function of the light itself.

“I choose a light for its qualities and how it can help craft an image. If the source

itself is too forward it can become distracting to the viewer. With the Atom we have

a lovely little package that produces a flat field of light. If you don’t look down the lens

you won’t know it is an LED fixture.”

The designers divided their responsibilities, with Treeson overseeing the tent and

Gale the ‘Curtain’ show at El Capitan Theatre, where he used 20 of the X4 Bar 20s in

horizontal rows as ‘force fields’ on moving trusses.

This was Gale’s first experience with the X4 fixtures. “The programming is stunning;

the crisp, tight beams and curtains of light produced by the X4 Bars are unlike anything

I have seen before – coupled with the ability to flood out to a traditional striplight wash

– very impressive.”

According to Treeson, the X4 Bars are a natural evolution of a light curtain – one in

which colour is now integral. “In other words, it flows out of the light rather than being

filtered on the front of it.With the additional functions of cell level control of intensity and

the ability to zoom the light we can manipulate the quality of the curtain in diverse ways.”

Programming was under the control of Matt McAdam, Jason Badger and Mat Stovall,

while Toy Robot created most of the media for all the projects. Supplier of the lighting

inventory was Illumination Dynamics.

GLP German Light Products GmbH:

www.glp.de

Photo credit: Gary Krueger

LiD

FEB/MAR 2016