Opus will accommodate up to 1,200 people across four floors, which contain four rooms, with two restaurants and five bars. But it was the multipurpose Live Room that provided Eclipse director John Fearon with his biggest challenge. "We had to build a versatile lighting rig that would accommodate comedy acts, live bands, corporate nights and a full-on nightclub - as well as general ambience," he said.
While this would require some generic stage lighting he knew he could depend on the recommendation of DiFuzion's Graham Barron for all his automated requirements.
"I have known Graham for 20 years and I tend to make decisions on what he recommends. I know he wouldn't back anything he didn't believe in." Fearon says that the service offered by Barron, and the lighting division of Fuzion plc, provided the additional reassurance.
In this case, fixtures from the catalogue of Futurelight, exclusively distributed in the UK by DiFuzion, were able to meet all the requirements for scanning and moving head effects. Suspended from the custom rig are eight PSX-575 scanners, with rotating gobos, rotating prism, frost-filter, DMX and strobe, supplemented by four each of the versatile PHS-250 moving head spots, and smaller PHS-220 heads.
The real 'wow' effect, believes Fearon, is created by the versatility of the 575 scans. It provides the nightclub atmosphere, creates static ambient lighting and also illuminates the comedy stage (along with the stage cans). "What the Futurelight scans do is enhance each of these presentations and crossfade seamlessly between each," he says. This includes projecting the custom 'Live Room' gobo.
Elsewhere Eclipse Lighting have provided a full technology package (including plasma screens, along with projection screens in both the Live Room and ground floor area). The other spaces include the intimate and luxurious Opus Chill room; the restaurant Ink Brasserie, with a separate private dining space; the Opus Bar, which is open throughout the day and offers a more informal dining experience (as well as live percussion and lounge DJ's most evenings) and finally Opus Corporate, which offers four rooms over four floors - with capacities ranging from 12-450 - catering for conferences, product launches and corporate gala dinners.
Operations director of Opus is Robin Evans.
(Lee Baldock)
