DeWilde used Clay Paky Alpha Spots, Sharpys and Sharpy Washes from PRG to give a high-end Las Vegas nightclub look to the Orange Ballroom at the Orlando Hilton for Michelle Damon's celebrity-filled birthday party. With all the lights ground supported by truss towers he needed lightweight fixtures with a small footprint and high output - all attributes of the Clay Paky products.
DeWilde used eight Alpha Spot HPE 300 and eight Alpha Spot HPE 700 spotlights to provide aerial rotational effects and texture around the room. "In any club you want to layer the lighting, and the Alpha Spots gave me both room texture and tight beam effects," he says.
Six Sharpy and six more Sharpy Washes delivered high-intensity, coloured beam effects and illumination to alternating DJ sets and dance numbers on the room's performance stage. "These were club-style dance numbers," says DeWilde. "The lights had to move quickly, cut through the general wash and enhance the overall production value of the performances."
A very different project involved refreshing the exterior effects lighting for a permanent attraction at a well-known California theme park. DeWilde, who served as technical director on the job, was tasked with replacing the existing 1800w standard flash bulb arc units with a more eco-friendly choice.
"The existing strobes required a lot of energy and didn't provide a lot of output," he says. "They were barely perceptible in daylight. The new strobes had to meet the company's eco requirements for low energy, high output and a long duty cycle since they would be running day and night."
DeWilde had seen Clay Paky STORMY strobes, which deliver the charm of a classic strobe with the latest LED technology, at A.C.T Lighting. He decided they more than exceeded everyone's expectations for the theme park and specified a dozen units, which are triggered by the attraction's show control system. The fixtures are mounted in set pieces in multiple locations where they deliver realistic lightning and electric short-circuit effects.
"The new Stormys are highly visible in daylight," he reports. "Their output is astounding - several times that of the previous strobes. Their output represents an incredible milestone in LED technology."
Francesco Romagnoli, Clay Paky area manager for North and Latin America, added, "Stefan is an excellent designer and has been a great partner. It's rewarding to see him using our gear on such high profile projects as these."
(Jim Evans)
