Made of flexible, flame-retardant fabric (rated BS5867 Type B), The Lightsock is a reusable, environmentally-friendly cuff that fits easily around the lens tube of a lantern and any accessory attached to it, whether it be a simple top hat or a colour scroller with top hat. The Lightsock eliminates light spill without the use of conventional heat-resistant adhesive black tape.
"There is nothing worse than white light spilling out of the back of colour scrollers or the sides of colour runners into the auditorium and spoiling the audience's enjoyment of a production," says Lightsocks co-director, Peter Lambert. "We have carried out extensive research in collaboration with lighting technicians and production electricians to come up with a reuseable, user-friendly solution to sticky, disposable alternatives."
The Lightsock is quick to fit, having an elasticated skirt at one end that simply fits around the lens tube and a drawstring fastening at the front that secures The LightSock around the top hat or colour scroller, locking in any lightspill.
A mesh panel set into The Lightsock allows the scroller fan to function effectively, maintaining air circulation. This also acts as an additional dust guard helping reduce the amount of dirt entering the scroller. The elasticated rear-opening allows easy access to the colour runners.
The Lightsock also makes a useful touring companion. Unlike traditional black tape solutions, The Lightsock leaves no sticky residue, is re-useable and remains in situ during transit, dispensing with the need to strip and re-wrap each fixture at every new venue.
"This may seem like a small thing but multiply this by the number of fixtures in a production and it adds up to a lot of savings in time, labour costs and BlackTak," says senior production electrician and director of Working Light Limited, Fraser Hall. "We've used it on a number of tours now and it's been a real discovery, knocking significant amounts off our lighting budgets."
The Lightsock has been rigorously heat-tested and is suitable for use with ETC Source Four profiles, Source Four Par fixtures and good old-fashioned P64 cans. The Basic Lightsock, for use with a Top Hat only, is available in three sizes to fit standard Source Four profiles, Source Four Pars and equivalent Source Four lens tubes, and the P64. Two sizes are available for use with colour scrollers and are designed to fit Wybron Color Ram II (standard 4" / large 7") and Rainbow (6" Pro / 8" Pro) units.
To date, The Lightsock has been used on the West End productions of From Here to Eternity and The Lion King, and on the UK tours of Singing in the Rain, Cats, Wicked, The Lion King and Dirty Dancing. It is currently making its international debut with The Sound of Music world tour.
Manufactured in the UK, The Lightsock has been developed with the support of leading lighting supplier White Light, which has been enthusiastic about the product and supported it from the outset. "Demand for the Lightsock is spreading fast," says White Light's Dave Isherwood. "We have found that lighting designers approve of it for the aesthetic quality, the technicians love it for the labour saving and the producers love it for the cost savings."
(Jim Evans)
