World - The Sharpy X Frame hybrid fixture – housed in a lightweight, compact design – features a powerful 550W arc lamp for extreme brightness and vivid, uniform colours.
Giovanni Zucchinali, Claypaky project support, says: “Hybrid floodlights were, and still are, a kind of fixture where LED light sources have not yet matched the performance of arc lamps. When we decided to develop this model, we chose to enhance an arc lamp-powered fixture with all the most advanced technologies our industry could offer in terms of optical features, effects, colour production and beam shaping.”
Alberico D'Amato, Claypaky's commercial director, says: "The Sharpy X Frame combines the features of a spotlight with a powerful, uniform beam, a beam moving light with an ultra-focused penetrating beam, a versatile, precise beam shaper and, when needed, a wash light. It is a hybrid fixture that performs each of these functions without compromise. Its extensive effects, colour production system, lightweight design, compact size and excellent value for money quickly made it one of the most innovative, sought-after lights by professionals in our industry.”
The Sharpy X Frame began making headlines as early as May 2022, shortly after its market debut, when 120 units were deployed by lighting designer Mario Catapano as key lighting in the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, as part of a larger rig with over 400 Claypaky fixtures.
The show went down so well that, the following year, lighting designer Tim Routledge used as many as 194 Claypaky Sharpy X Frames at the Liverpool Arena. He explained: "The X Frames were used in the main architectural look of the show – the huge scenic arms that extended out into the audience as a ‘hug’ to the world.”
In December that year, Sharpy X Frames were widely used by lighting designer Durham Marenghi during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Opening Ceremony. Marenghi remarked that the "Sharpy X Frame is the most versatile, compact hybrid fixture on the market addressing the needs for a bright spot, aerial effects unit, framing fixture and everything in between in an affordable, compact package.”
Due to the light's versatility and success, Claypaky decided to expand the range with the Sharpy X Frame FD, designed specifically for broadcasting. This version features gobos equipped with a lighter, camera-friendly magenta filter and a light frost filter for soft-edge effects, together with a framing system, making it a favourite among television lighting designers.
Since then, the Sharpy X Frame has been chosen across all market sectors and in numerous countries. Noteworthy uses include the Bollywood film industry for the production of several music videos, the performance of Kiss at Hellfest in France, popular rapper SDM's show at the Olympia Hall in Paris, the Catedral Music Festival in Romania, the Star Academy Show in France, Post Malone's show in Mumbai, and the theatrical production Raffa in The Sky at the Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo.
In 2024, Sharpy X Frames were used at Ed Sheeran’s concert in India and for the performance of popular local artist Vishal Mishra, as well as on the world tour of four-time Grammy Award winner Gary Clark Jr, the Extra Ordinary Celebration in Singapore, the Australian singer-songwriter Missy Higgins’ tour, and various national editions of the Eurovision Song Contest, most conspicuously in Luxembourg, where 205 Claypaky hybrid models were installed.
