Long considered the standard 'de-facto' reference for those working in lighting for entertainment, packed with useful information yet still compact enough to nestle comfortably in a designer's bag, the last edition of the catalogue was published in 1999 yet it is still in demand, with the electronic PDF edition regularly downloaded from White Light's website.
"An update to our catalogue is long overdue," admits White Light's managing director, Bryan Raven, "but the last seven years have seen us move premises, enormously expand our stock and the areas of lighting we work in, and re-design our website. Somehow through all of that the it kept slipping down the to-do list, particularly since we did wonder whether the time for a paper reference had passed with the rise of the web. But many of our designers - who often work in theatres without internet connections - persuaded us otherwise. So now we're delighted to announce the release of a completely new, revised and updated edition in the form of a Reference Guide."
While remaining true to the design of earlier editions, with a compact, slim-line form that is easy to take anywhere, the new Reference Guide reflects how dramatically lighting technology has evolved in the last seven years, with the technical reference section expanded to include the latest conventional lights plus moving lights, LED fixtures and new control systems as well as reference information on the gobo collections of new manufacturers such as Goboland alongside longer-established practitioners such as DHA/Rosco. The Reference Guide also gathers together information designers and technicians often need - lighting-related (M16 beam angles, power distribution rack details), work related (contact details for West End and touring theatres), and non-lighting but just plain useful (world time zones, tube maps, useful travel contact numbers).
"The nature of the Industry has changed a lot since we last released a version. The new Reference Guide reflects changes in practice as much as it does technology," comments Raven. "It doesn't contain prices for one, as these days prices change daily, and as we have always approached each and every job individually with an eye to providing the best possible lighting for both the production and the budget, we'd rather work with the designer or production manager to fulfill the brief than simply regurgitate a price list."
The new White Light Reference Guide will be available from the first day of the 2006 PLASA Show, in its paper form. An electronic PDF format, will shortly be available for download from the White Light web site at www.WhiteLight.Ltd.uk; the website also features an on-line Knowledge Base complementing and expanding on the information in the catalogue.
(Chris Henry)
