Gaffer Derrick Kolus chose the grandMA light, and in addition he and his team run the free grandMA offline software on a laptop computer, which is networked to the main console via Ethernet. The laptop is used on their second stage, and eliminates the need to move the console back and forth when the company moves from one stage to the other.
"We run strictly conventionals - about 500 channels - and come from an Expression 3 programming background," explains Kolus. "But Mike Falconer and Joe Cabrera at A.C.T Lighting Inc have been wonderfully patient with us as we get to know this console. We've been amazed and delighted by its capabilities."
The grandMA light is on long-term rental from ELS, who have recently increased their grandMA inventory by two full-size grandMAs and a grandMA light. When asked why he chose the grandMA light, Kolus explained: "We have no plans to incorporate moving lights into the Without A Trace rig, but felt the power of a moving light console would allow us to do a better job with conventional dimmers. Of course, we're ready to handle moving lights should the need arise. As we've grown more comfortable with the MA light, we've started to wonder how we ever got along without it."
Kolus explains how the grandMA light has changed how he works. "Our main set has 36 six-light Maxibrutes rigged overhead, with each globe on its own channel. We've devised a system of rows and columns (like a spreadsheet) to refer to this matrix of 216 globes. Using the IF function of the board, I can request any number of globes across any range of fixtures and see the result within seconds. I don't have to remember channel numbers, nor does our board op . . . And I love how the board can assign different fade and delay times to different channels within the same cue."
It's not unusual for Without A Trace to take the console on location. Stylistically, the show uses a lot of flashbacks to tell its story, as witnesses and suspects recount their experiences to FBI agents. The transitions into and out of the flashbacks are all carefully choreographed, and lighting often plays a role in how these transitions work; during a recent nightclub scene, an after-hours look had to transition into a full-blown dance look, as the cameras rolled. The console has also been used to create fire effects during a show about an arsonist, and to simulate paparazzi cameras with a little help from 18 Martin Atomic 3000 strobes.
(Lee Baldock)
