CAST Group releases BlackTrax BT-1
- Details
Unveiled at this year’s Prolight & Sound trade show, BT-1 opens a number of possibilities for small-scale productions to experience the same precision and control capabilities as the original BlackTrax system, but in a more compact, cost effective and portable solution.
Specifically designed for small to medium-sized projects in theatre, studios, corporate events, and houses of worship. BlackTrax’s impressive feature set, including easy setup and calibration, high accuracy, low latency, prediction algorithms, integrates with any application through a single integration output. Whether it’s automating a follow spot in a local theatre or enabling media interactivity for a show or interactive display, BT-1 is purpose-built to bring the impact of grand productions to a more accessible level.
“Smaller production companies are increasingly faced with delivering a wide variety of projects on a tight budget,” says Igor Silva, VP of marketing at CAST Group of Companies. “With BT-1, we have made it easier and more accessible than ever for organisations to leverage the power of real-time tracking and automation. From interactive displays to the most complex stadium shows, now everyone can take full advantage of BlackTrax.”
Thanks to its cross-compatible BlackTrax hardware, BT-1 is a scalable solution, it is customisable depending on production demands, it can also be upgraded to a standard BlackTrax solution for multiple integrations and larger spaces up to stadium sizes. BT-1 is already impacting the theatre experience with a debut in the production of Disney’s Moana Jr at The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati.
Dani Lobello, director of production at theatre, said: “The BT-1 System allowed us to enhance the production in so many ways. This production was primarily lit by blacklight, emitting light in the UV spectrum, and in collaboration with Frische Marionettes, all the characters, except Moana and Tomatoa were puppets that were designed and built to live in this blacklight world. The character of Moana was a human in the show; not painted in any blacklight, her costume was completely un-reactive, and she needed to be lit with traditional non-UV light.
“By using the BT-1 system, we were able to isolate the incandescent lighting to Moana and have all the puppets remain in the UV spectrum. Moana could move throughout the stage, and we never revealed the magic that was behind the puppets (the puppeteers). The process of working with BlackTrax was easy and smooth. The creation of the show file and the use of the system was efficient as we had very limited tech time in the venue.”
