Winners of 2018 PLASA Awards for Innovation revealed
- Details
This year saw 47 entries vying for the respected Awards, with the judges selecting eight winners and one Gold Award winner.
The winners, along with the judges comments, are:
TMB for ProPlex IQ Tester
“The ProPlex is a data tool-kit that every technician should have, supported by a clear roadmap for future development and a really good price.”
Bose for EdgeMax
“The EdgeMax is a product which edges out the competition to flood the room with sound. The HF waveguide was particularly innovative, and the product will have a significant impact on the design of audio systems in buildings.”
ETC for Relevé Spot
“The Relevé is a moving LED light with some professional features at an attractive price. It was commended for its fast calibration and resetting as well as the modular nature of the electronics making it easy for non-technical people to maintain the fixture.”
Robert Juliat for SPOTME
“The approach Robert Juliat have taken to followspot tracking using an open protocol to provide position data to not just lighting but also audio or video systems. Being a bolt-on unit rather than a replacement device was also notable.”
Artistic Licence for matisse dmx
“The matisse was noted for being a well-thought out product that fills a gap in the market at an affordable price.”
Avolites for Synergy
“Synergy does what it says on the tin. The integration between video server and lighting console has opened up the creative opportunities for visual effects on stage as well as providing time-saving opportunities in production workflow.”
Production Resource Group (PRG) for Spaceframe
“A lot of thought had gone into the process of LED screen rigging and customary practices will be revolutionised with this novel frame. The weight saving features enable considerable money to be saved on touring and the nature of the design enables quicker, safer rigging with increased wind-load tolerance.”
Holoplot for Orion
“Holoplot steers the way for a wide range of creative and practical audio installations across the industry from PAVA to AV installations. The Judges were impressed by the clarity and precision of the system.”
GOLD AWARD
Astera for Titan Tube
“The Titan Tube is a simple, cost-effective, bright and versatile linear light tube with a 10-hour battery lifetime per charge. The judges were very impressed with the feature-rich units that will find an application in all sectors of the industry, including film, TV, events and theatre. The thought that has gone into the design of the package, battery replacement and included supplied accessories meant that the Judges felt it should be awarded a Gold Award.”
Special commendations
With the standard of entries so high, the judges also commended L-Acoustics’ L-ISA and d&b audiotechnik’s Soundscape for enabling immersive audio to be brought to productions in a manner that is easy to deploy in today’s time-sensitive production schedules. Also commended were Epson’s EB-L1755U projector & ELPLX02 ultra-short-throw lens for its notable flexibility, and NAPIT for the EICR Codebreakers.
LSi magazine would like to thank the team of judges who gave their time and expertise to assess this year’s product nominations. The team this year, chaired by electrical systems consultant James Eade, were: production director Ben van Grutten; lighting specialist Keith Duncan; Vic Pyne, head of lighting at Glyndebourne Productions; Robin Barton, director of Lamp and Pencil; Stuart Graham, head of technical operations for Ambassador Theatre Group; consultant Richard Northwood; Gerry Francke, key account manager for Creative Technology; sound designer Gareth Owen; Matt Drury, head of lighting for the National Theatre; television lighting director Bernie Davis; lighting designer Mark Jonathan; rigging and height consultant Chris Higgs; and Nic Forsdike, managing director of Gofer Limited.
The Awards presentation culminated with the announcement of the prestigious Gottelier Award, which was won by Alan Jacobi of Unusual Rigging for his work to make rigging an established profession via his contributions to the NRC accreditation scheme.
