On Wednesday, April 24, Lights, Camera, Action Ltd (LCA), Vari-Lite, and Lightfactor Sales co-hosted the STLD Greenford Triangle Open House. The event took place at the premises of the three participating companies and was attended by members of the Society of Television Lighting Directors (STLD), British Society of Cinematographers (BSC), Guild of British Camera Technicians (GBCT), Guild of Television Cameramen (GTC), and Association of Lighting Designers (ALD). Sky Trackers, supplied by Vari-Lite, led members to each company to take a look at the facilities and see demonstrations of new products.
Mike Le Fevre of the STLD explained the objectives of the event: "The whole idea of the Greenford Triangle was to engineer a multi-discipline event under the STLD banner, encompassing the other associations, to give all members a chance to see new products and exchange ideas and techniques. At the same time, it gave them all the opportunity to network with suppliers and industry colleagues in an informal atmosphere." Le Fevre also added "With automation playing such a large part in lighting in the disciplines of theatre, film and TV and with these fields converging, lighting directors are now finding themselves becoming more involved in a cross-section of projects that require knowledge of lighting across the board. This event is beneficial for them to see what is out there."
LCA had a full crew on hand to demonstrate its wide range of lighting products, along with representatives from the suppliers: Don Phillips from Mole-Richardson flew over from Hollywood to show off the Molebeam Projector, the new 2kW Spacelite and 200W and 400W PAR Digimoles; Ivan Myles and Bill Richards from Strand Lighting were on hand to demonstrate their 300 and 520 Series consoles; Kirsty Third and Gordon Smith showed the new ImagePro, Hazemaker, and 1700 Fog machine. Additionally, a number of Kino Flo and Dedolights were set up and presented by David Morphy from Cirrolite (Europe), including the new Kamio ring light, Dedolight 400 series, Parabeam, and Action Dome.
Ed Pagett, general manager of Vari-Lite, showed the new Vari-Lite VL1000™ ERS spot luminaire which affordably combines the functionality of the ellipsoidal reflector spotlight with the versatility of an automated luminaire. A display of the VL2202™ spot, VL2402™ wash, and VL2416™ wash luminaires along with the Virtuoso DX console were also shown. After the tours and refreshments, Members were given a tour of the Vari-Lite warehouse, its CAD/WYSIWYG suite and VARI*IMAGING™ gobo facilities, and other products.
The final corner of the triangle, Lightfactor Sales showed products from its main distribution lines: its own Lightprocessor dimmer racks, SGM and High End Systems automated luminaires, LDR conventional lighting fittings such as cycs, profiles, and fresnels, Apogee audio products, as well as a wide range of consumable products. The main attraction was the SGM Giotto 400W spot with its hot restrike lamp, zoom focus, and near-silent noise levels. Also of interest was Lightprocessor, for two reasons: the Paradime Tour Rack and the Q Commander control board. Attendees expressed their delight at seeing a UK-based manufacturer of technology--the Lightprocessor production lines, which are in the same building as Lightfactor.
Martin Kisner from the STLD commented, "The whole evening was an outstanding success and with the cooperation of Lightfactor, Vari-Lite, and LCA, I believe all our members found the event to be of great interest and extremely beneficial."