The judging panel of freelance lighting designer Simon Swift, sound system consultant Richard Northwood of Coms UK, Live Business International’s technical director Roland Hemming, freelance AV consultantPhil Pike, system designer Glyn Hughes of Sysco, project manager Andy Hayles from Theatre Projects Consultants, technical consultant Mark Jones of the Royal Albert Hall and Jason Tang, general manager of Bandit Lites (UK), deliberated over three days to decide the winning products in each category.
In the Lighting category, Clay Paky’s Stage Profile Plus SV received a Highly Commended in the design excellence category, for what was felt to be the best design of automated shutters among the moving profiles nominated. In the category for Innovation, a highly commended went to Martin Professional for its moving barndoors on the MAC2000 wash, which the judges felt was a notable step forward in the automated light industry. The MAC2000 Performance also drew the same accolade for being the first moving light to incorporate gobo animation effects, in association with DHA. However, the Award For Design Excellence went to a brand new company - Bright Lighting - which has further embraced the recent boom in LED lighting technology with its Colour Stream system and presented it in a way that the judges felt would make serious in-roads into the architectural lighting market. The judges also felt that the product had been well thought out, both in terms of overall effect, usability and ease of installation, and that its cost would probably see it being widely adopted.
The judges also felt that other innovations were worthy of special mention: Artistic Licence’s development of innovative new control methods for LED technology; the design work in sophisticated lighting control systems as represented in Flying Pig Systems’ Whole Hog III, Martin Professional’s Maxxyz, ETC’s Emphasis and Avolites’ Diamond 4 and the practical applications of Rosco’s Image Pro.
The Lighting Award for Technical Innovation went to Le Mark’s Gel-Tak. Designed to allow the user to stick gel, black wrap or other such material to windows, frames, lights or any other surface cleanly without leaving a residue on either surface, and capable of operating at the higher temperatures associated with lighting, the product really found favour with the judges who experimented with its ability to cope even after liberal applications of mineral water!
There were some good products nominated in the Stage Engineering category including Slick’s Catwalk system, which the judges felt would be a good contender when the design is revised for the touring industry.However, the Award for Design Excellence went to PCM for its Pilewind system, which the judges felt was well thought out, easy to maintain and easy to operate.
The Audio-Visual category had some notable entries this year. Stardraw entered its software, Stardraw.net - the first lighting software to be completely on-line and thus benefiting from regular updating. Barco was also considered for its Events Controller, allowing flexible show control options. The judges decided that Martin Professional’s Virostation should be highly commended for Design Exellence. The Award for Technical Innovation, however, went to Pani for its e-Slide system. By using an LCD screen and developing a method of keeping it cool, it opens up the options for large-scale live video projection using existing projectors.
Owing to the level of entries in the Sound category, the judges had their work cut out. There were many products which received close scrutiny, including Ibex’s Sonix MP3, CIE Group’s i-Ceiling, Behringer’s Da
