Black Light, in association with Scaffolding Great Britain, was asked to supply and install almost 600 metres of truss, so that a saturation lighting rig could be used on the set, thus enabling lighting designers to light every aspect of the studio area easily and efficiently. After a great deal of analysis, the BBC decided that Prolyte X30V triangular truss was the ideal product for this application, because of its good loading characteristics and ease of use due to the CCS conical coupling system.
The order was finally placed on Black Light on the Thursday before Good Friday, with the first delivery being required on the following Wednesday. This schedule would have been a tall order over an ordinary weekend, let alone one with a public holiday on either side. "We were really up against it on this one," says Gavin Stewart, Black Light’s managing director: "But, because we carry a relatively large sales stock of Prolyte truss, and with some support from the manufacturer and other members of the UK distributor group, we were confident that we could make the deadline, tight as it was."
In the end it proved to be quite a stress-free time, the initial shipment was delivered on the Wednesday as required, and the riggers from SGB were able to start installation on time, with the second and final delivery a few days later. Gavin Stewart’s final comments were probably the most telling. "Black Light became Prolyte distributors in 2000 because it was an exceptionally good range of products manufactured by a technically proficient company. The fact that Prolyte was able to react so quickly to fill the gaps in our own stockholding and enable us to fulfil the requirements of a very important client proves this categorically. This was the largest amount of truss that we have supplied on a single order since we became part of Prolyte’s UK distribution network, but we have every confidence that this order is just the first in a very long line."
(Lee Baldock)
