Once again it was time for the semi-annual Fashion Week in New York, and Scharff Weisberg was out in force supplying lighting and video packages for an array of fall fashion events at venues around town.
“We did about 10 shows during the week—it was a very hectic schedule,” reports senior rental manager Terry Jackson. “With such a massive logistical operation required for Fashion Week, everyone at Scharff Weisberg from the office to the crews, ramped up.”
For the lobby of Seventh on Sixth, the event’s welcome tent in midtown’s Bryant Park, Scharff Weisberg created a big plasma wall for Lipman NYC client Lord & Taylor. The wall, consisting of 12 LG plasma screens in a 3x4 configuration, played back a video loop showcasing the department store’s new fashion lines and displayed live feeds from various runway shows to all those passing through the tent’s “lobby.” Scharff Weisberg hung the screens on truss and aligned them to compose a wall 13 feet wide, 5 feet 9 inches tall, and 3.5 feet off the ground
The wall was powered by a Dataton Watchout system from Scharff Weisberg. “Patrick Denny programmed a running slide show for Lord & Taylor,” notes project manager Josh Perlman, “which he was able to modify on site as the screen configuration evolved."
Scharff Weisberg also furnished a user-friendly Medialon show control system. “At the touch of a button Medialon booted the computers, Watchout, the plasma screens and started the video loop,” Perlman explains. “During the day you could switch to live feeds from other events with another touch of a button.” The clients came to Scharff Weisberg's office to work on the initial Watchout and Medialon design.
Scharff Weisberg also provided lighting and video for Marc Jacobs’s two high-profile shows; the company has been supporting lighting designers jkld, inc. for Marc Jacobs since 2004.
For Jacobs’s sportswear runway show, Scharff Weisberg supplied a large conventional lighting compliment featuring approximately 400 ETC Source 4s and an ETC dimming package. The designer’s couture show four days later opted for all moving lights with the company furnishing Mac Performances and Vari-Lite 2500 washes. A grandMA console controlled lighting for both shows; Terry Jackson was senior rental manager for the project.
On the video side, Scharff Weisberg provided a 30’ x 40’ front projection screen and a pair of Christie Digital Roadster S+20K projectors with Turbo hard drive playback for Jacobs’ couture show. The big screen displayed prerecorded graphic content supplied by Sonic Youth, which performed live during the show. Walter Elzey was Scharff Weisberg’s senior account executive with Joe Volpe as project manager, Juan Mateo as projectionist and Mike Naylor as engineer.
Scharff Weisberg also supported jkld for avant-garde designer Yohji Yamamoto’s Y-3 sportswear runway show at Pier 40. Terry Jackson and his team furnished a complement of VARI*LITE 3500 spots and Martin 2K Performances plus a conventional ETC Source 4 package and a Whole Hog console for lighting control.
Later in the week the company provided lighting fixtures for the joint opening of the Yohji Yamamoto Boutique and the Y-3 sportswear store in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District (MePa). The dazzling outdoor event, produced by Natalie Johns and The Directors Bureau, created a buzz among the fashion glitterati who were illuminated by a combination of TV and theatrical lighting from Scharff Weisberg. The company supplied lighting designer Tyler Littman with helium-filled Airstar balloons from Available Light in Long Island City plus an inventory of ETC and Altman fixtures, and LEC and ETC dimming and power distribution and control. John Healy was Scharff Weisberg’s project manager with Gerard McCarthy gaffer.
Scharff Weisberg’s Fashion Week activities also included the Derek Lam runway show for lighting designers Design One. The company supplied about 200 conventional fixtures, largely ETC Source 4s, for the event at The Terminal Store building on 11th Avenue and 28th Street. An ETC sensor rack package and ETC Express 250 control rounded out the equipment roster. Terry Jackson was senior rental manager for the event.