The technically ambitious show presented Belgium-based lighting designer Luc Peumans with a worthy challenge as he negotiated 'lighting light' on the production's projection based set.
"It's a completely different approach to lighting design, because the projection dictates the colour and mood as well as the angles of the key light," explains Peumans. "In addition, everything is meticulously timed. I specified the Clay Paky Alpha Profile 1500s as the rig's workhorses because of the sheer power of the beam and their quick dynamic response function, which worked perfectly with the fast-moving animation."
Directed by Luc Petit and produced by Belgium based production company Music Hall, the ambitious show tells the story of a young boy who never wants to grow up. The heart-warming tale is told through hit pop-songs, dance numbers and dynamic video mapped scenes.
"For such a large show the rig is very basic with very few 'flavours of light'," explains Peumans. "Due to the amount of flying on the show, the production's minimum hang is 14 metres so I needed a fixture that could provide a solid long throw from such a height."
The Alpha Profile 1500's 1500W discharge lamp as well its patented framing system allowed Peumans to keep the lighting long and structured: "It was important that the beam was tight and sharp to avoid dulling the video," he says. "The Alpha Profile 1500's 'stay sharp' zoom function was great for avoiding spill. The shutter system means I can frame the beam into any shape. We also really utilised the fixtures' comprehensive effects system using their large array of standard gobos as well as a few of our own."
The Alpha Profile 1500 continues to be a popular choice for arena shows and outside events. Its high output beam and rapid response dynamics combine to provide designers with a versatile, compact and powerful fixture great for aerial effects or for key light on a video-heavy or large stage.
For a full production report on Peter Pan see the January 2014 issue of LSi.
(Jim Evans)
