Behind the scenes, production supervisor Dan Leroux has at his disposal an arsenal of creative tools to bring to life the myriad of performances. So when he was looking to bring in a new lighting instrument that would take his rig to the next level, he could have his choice of any automated luminaire he wanted. What he chose was the high-powered and full featured Philips Vari-Lite VL3015LT Spot luminaire supplied by PRG.
"I first saw the VL3015LT Spot via an online demo and once I saw it in person, there was no other light I was interested in," began Leroux. "Early on in the process we allowed manufacturers to bring their lights in for demos, but there was nothing comparable to the VL3015LT Spot. We had a competing high-powered spot luminaire here for a couple of shows and their raw power really made them standout, but when you went to colors and gobos you lost the light. I needed an automated luminaire that was extremely bright but also gave me the most tools for creativity. The VL3015LT Spot gives me everything; power plus full performance capabilities with no loss of light."
In the midst of a production schedule that encompasses everything from concert to theatre and comedy shows, Leroux and his production team must be able to create a number of varying looks and designs to highlight the energy and essence of each performance. To do this, he relies heavily upon the morphing capabilities of his lighting rig plus the complete range of capabilities from each of his lighting fixtures.
He explains further, "In my rig I have 22 moving trusses so we can make it look totally different from one show to the next. We have a lot of changeover from show to show and since some the acts don't carry lighting directors anymore, I get to design and create the shows giving me a lot of opportunity to get the most out of our rig. When we start a design, I like to choose full configurations.
"For example, if it's a comedy show it might be a more corporate configuration where we bring the stage size down with drapes and put a center screen up with the Caesars corporate branding. When it's a rock show, we start by talking to the designer or the production manager and try to design the rig 2-3 days prior to the show on WYSIWYG, then shoot them the file where they can make changes if they wish and we go from there."
Having first used the VL3015LT Spots for The Tenors, Leroux has now had the opportunity to use them on a number of shows. And each time, no matter what the production calls for, or what a visiting designer might like to see, the VL3015LT Spots have not only met each challenge, they have exceeded all expectations.
Leroux concluded, "When I heard about and then saw the VL3015LT Spot with its lumen intensity, I knew it was the exact light we were looking for, but the way they move is absolutely amazing. You can put them at any speed and run them right-to-left, up-and-down, and they are as smooth as a 20-pound fixture.
"There is no hesitation in the light at all and it's incredible how they move. We've had visiting lighting designers and technicians come through who were also blown away saying they had never seen anything like the VL3015LT Spot. Everyone loves the brightness of the lamp because you can put it in any color and it saturates, and you can put it with any gobo and it stays sharp. You simply can't do that with any other light."
(Jim Evans)
