Teatro Calderon upgrades with ETC lighting systems

19 Dec, 2019 | ETC

In a move to a more sustainable future, the Teatro Calderón has chosen to upgrade its lighting systems with ETC products, supplied by the company’s exclusive dealer in Spain, Stonex.

Based in Valladolid, the Teatro Calderón has long been recognised as one of the best theatres in the country. It was decided that over the next few years the theatre will renew its lighting equipment in order to allow both LED and conventional luminaires to work together as effectively as possible. In order to do this, the Calderón chose ETC’s power control and entertainment consoles.

ETC’s Sensor3 power control system and ThruPower modules were installed into the theatre, replacing a Smartrack model which was in place for the previous 20 years. The Teatro Calderón now has five Sensor3 ESR3AFN-48 power control racks, filled with ETR15AFR and ETR25AFR ThruPower modules, in addition to Net3 Conductor and Concert to manage the network, and report any faults.

Gio and Ion XE console desks were also selected to control the stage lighting in the theatre. The Eos family consoles offer powerful programming and endless options of color control in an intuitive and simple format. In addition to this, the theatre added an ETCpad which conveniently allows remote control of the luminaires and acts as an accessory for any ETC lighting system.

With the upgrade of ETC lighting equipment, the Teatro Calderón aims to become a more sustainable venue in favour of green technology, that will ultimately reduce its energy costs by up to 80%.

ETC’s dealer, Stonex worked on the project and supplied ETC’s products to the venue. Stonex has over 39 years of experience in providing professional lighting and stage engineering solutions.

National historic landmark gets upgrade with ETC gear

9 Dec, 2019 | ETC

Red Rocks Amphitheatre has attracted the attention of some of the greatest musical acts in the world since 1941. Everyone from The Beatles and the Rolling Stones to U2, James Taylor, and the Eagles has played Red Rocks.

Nestled just outside of Denver, Colorado in the tiny town of Morrison, where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains, two giant rocks jut out from the earth creating an open-air performance venue that is nearly acoustically perfect. These monoliths not only create the perfect natural sound stage, but also provide a mesmerizing background for some impressive lighting effects.

In the spring of 2019, Barbizon Light of the Rockies completed the installation and programming of an upgraded lighting package at Red Rocks Amphitheater. Until 2019, large 400 W mercury-vapor lights lit the historic rocks and eight outdoor PAR 64s lit the audience. 

“We had been working with Venue Director, Tad Bowman, of the city and county of Denver to look at LED products for the space for about three years,” says Pete Maurelli of Barbizon. “While we looked at a variety of fixtures from small to large, we recommended the ETC Desire D60X fixtures for two main reasons – the five-year warranty and ETC’s history of customer service.” 

Maurelli also notes that the smaller size of the ETC fixtures offers better control and coverage of the rocks without visually interrupting the view. This is incredibly important for a venue that has such a monumental focus on naturally created elements. If one ETC Desire fixture were to fail, it’s a minor issue because of the impressive wash coverage the D60s provide.

The main control of the system at Red Rocks includes a full ETC Mosaic system with astronomical time clock features and local control. “We partitioned the controls so that visiting artists can control the lights on the rocks, while only Red Rocks staff and stage hands can control the house lights,” says Maurelli.

A full back up generator system and life safety system are included in the upgrades as well. The houselights are now part of the backup generator system and the ETC system provides a means for them to switch automatically in the case of power loss.

The completed system developed and implemented by Barbizon Light of the Rockies includes ETC fixtures designed to withstand the weather of an outdoor concert facility. The equipment includes 49 Selador Desire D60X Lustr+ luminaires, 24 Selador Desire D60XT tungsten luminaires, one Mosaic Show Controller 2, various button stations, touchscreens, gateways, and an emergency bypass system.

Eos brings the Moulin Rouge to Broadway

3 Dec, 2019 | ETC

As one of this year’s most anticipated Broadway musicals, Moulin Rouge! The Musical has captured the hearts of critics and audiences alike. Its remarkable performances and production design combine to create a truly extravagant experience thanks to the talent on and off the stage—and, in part, to the power of Eos.

“ETC’s products are why we can make this show happen,” explains Lighting Designer Justin Townsend, “There is just so much data—nothing else could have driven the show.” Most people are familiar with the 2001 motion picture, a stylistic spectacle from the mind of Baz Luhrmann, so it was important to the musical’s creative team to make something that both honored the film and stood out for itself. “We didn’t want to just recreate the movie,” Townsend said, “but try to create a live Moulin Rouge experience.” The over-the-top scenery by set designer Derek McLane was matched by Townsend’s equally dazzling lighting design. “It needed to be bold, nimble, striking, rococo,” he explained, “And I’m tickled we were able to have such huge resources put into set electrics to make it happen. All around – we put the pedal down on all fronts in order to create something that could really sparkle and be unique.” With nearly 200 moving lights in the rig, LEDs, LED neon, actual neon, thousands of lightbulbs, and a huge amount of power in the footlights, the show required a control system that was up to the task. The answer was Eos.

“Any given show might have one really tricky element,” explains Lighting Programmer Brad Gray, “whether it’s pixel mapping, heavy on effects, or lots of discrete timing … this show was a combination of all the hard parts of every show I’ve done before.” As the flagship Eos family console from ETC, the Eos Ti provided enough versatility to program the complicated effects as well as the capacity to reliably control thousands and thousands of parameters in the rig.

One of the major advantages of the Eos software for Townsend and Gray was the ability to create a variety of Magic Sheets. Gray created 10 magic sheets that all interacted with each other—an enormous undertaking that included 6,000 channels. But once built, Townsend could then easily interact with the plots. “This was very exciting work we did. With the magic sheets and touchscreen monitors, it’s like we made our own app for the Moulin Rouge,” Townsend said. Gray adds, “One of the best parts about the Eos platform is that it’s so, so designer friendly. They can give direction and not worry about commands—it’s very conducive to how most designers work.”

The result is in the reviews—Moulin Rouge! The Musical opened on July 25, 2019 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on Broadway to overwhelmingly excellent reviews. ETC is proud to know that it continues to provide creative professionals the tools they need to translate their art to the stage without compromise. “I don’t see myself moving away from the Eos anytime soon,” Brad explained. Brad isn’t alone – Eos is currently the preferred platform for 27 Broadway productions.

ETC Dubai – The Studio opens with celebration

14 Nov, 2019 | ETC

ETC celebrated the opening of ETC Dubai – The Studio with a launch event at the new premises in Dubai Media City. The new site, which consists of a black box space for product demonstrations and an area for console training sessions, welcomed industry professionals from across the globe to the inaugural event.

Attendees met with product specialists from ETC and High End Systems and received demonstrations of the newest innovations including High End Systems’ new automated fixtures SolaWash 1000 and TurboRay.

The latest member of the Sola Series, the SolaWash 1000 features a full framing system and is available with either an Ultra-Bright or High CRI engine. Alongside this was TurboRay, the distinctive fixture creates dynamic effects from its animation and gobo wheels and can be used as a powerful hard edge beam or narrow-angle washlight.

Visitors to the opening were also shown Augment3d in the space’s black box area. The award-winning 3D programming environment which is part of the Eos v3.0 software is designed to increase programming speed and dramatically improves workflow.

In addition to providing a base for product demonstrations The Studio will host regular training sessions in the region. ETC’s Eos and High End Systems’ Hog 4 console sessions are currently available for registration (etcconnect.com/Training) with more courses planned in the new year.

“We are thrilled to have ETC Dubai up and running with a space that specifically offers specialist product demonstrations, training sessions and a black box area. It is the only space in the region to provide this and we are delighted to expand our offering and sales support in the Middle East territory,” comments Regional Sales Manager for the Middle East, Mark Larcombe.