LOS ANGELES (For Immediate Release) – Running on a mere 189 watts of electricity, Elation Professional's new Platinum Beam 5R DMX ACL beam effect isn't an obvious choice for lighting up large outdoor concert venues. But this little dynamo moving head, powered by the ground-breaking Philips MSD Platinum 5R lamp, recently proved it had the beam brawn to illuminate, not one, but two shows in big open-air spaces: the L.A. Rising concert at the Los Angeles Coliseum, headlined by Rage Against the Machine; and Coldplay's performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which was staged in a tennis stadium and shot from overhead by a blimp.
Todd Roberts of Visions Lighting, LLC (Brea, CA) saved the day at L.A. Rising by substituting the Platinum Beam 5R, after the festival's original lighting proposal turned out to be too costly to execute. “I had a proposal for the L.A. Rising show that called for a lot of larger, higher-powered fixtures. But a week out, the client got the cost estimates for the union to install and the power to run all the lights, and it became cost prohibitive. The production manager came back to me and asked if I had any ideas about something that would be less expensive and still give them a bang for the buck, and I knew (the Platinum Beam 5Rs) would be perfect,” said Roberts, who had been impressed with a demo of the fixture.
Measuring just 14.1”L x 13.2”W x 18.5”H and weighing 34.2 lbs., the petite 189-watt Platinum Beam 5R produces a concentrated searchlight-type beam that's comparable to much larger, higher-wattage fixtures in brightness. The secret is its new, advanced Philips MSD Platinum 5R lamp, which allows manufacturers to design fixtures that are substantially more compact and energy-efficient than their output would indicate. The Platinum Beam 5R is also much more versatile than a traditional ACL-type beam effect. It has a Frost Filter, which can be used to diffuse its hard-edge 2.5°-angle beam so that it can function as a hybrid spot/wash effect. For added measure, it's got 12 dichroic colors, 8 rotating/indexing gobos, and a 3-facet prism effect with an optional 8-facet prism available.
Thanks to their small size and low power draw, the Platinum Beam 5Rs effectively helped hold down labor and energy costs at the L.A. Rising concert, reported Roberts. “The stagehands could literally carry them up the steps, one in each hand. Each side of the Coliseum was powered off three 20-amp circuits, which made it one 5-pole cable run.”
Twenty Platinum Beam 5R units greeted attendees at the outset of the L.A. Rising festival, sweeping across the crowd like searchlights, as sirens heralded the introduction of the show. After the intro, their bright, tight beams served as a “ceiling of light” around the top of the stadium.
Still, Roberts noted, the tiny Platinum Beam 5Rs drew more than a little skepticism when they were first brought into the L.A. Coliseum. “People were questioning what a little light like that was going to do at the top of the Coliseum,” said Roberts. “But once it got dark and they saw them on, every single (production) person commented on how bright they were and everyone was blown away. There were several lighting designers, as well as other lighting companies, at L.A. Rising, and everyone had great things to say about the Platinum Beams.”
So a short time later, when he was approached to handle lighting for an appearance by Coldplay on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Roberts was quick to suggest the Platinum Beam 5R . “The Kimmel show brought in Stan Crocker to handle the TV side of the project. He came to me and specified (a larger fixture), and I explained how I had just used the Platinum Beams at L.A. Rising and they were awesome. So they were up to trying them out.”
The big challenge for the Coldplay performance was to produce beams that would appear bright enough for a televised overhead shot of the stadium taken from a blimp. “The idea was to get maximum beamage for the blimp shot,” said Roberts. Here again, 20 Platinum Bea 5R units were used, positioned on top of the roof structure and around the perimeter of the tennis stadium.
The feedback from Jimmy Kimmel Live!'s production staff was identical to that at L.A. Rising. “They were blown away!” said Roberts. Not only did the Platinum Beam 5s offer comparable brightness and features to the originally-specified larger fixtures, he added, they also sell for a much lower price. “The big difference is the fact that you can purchase three of the Platinums for the price of one (of the other fixture).”
For more information, contact Elation Professional toll-free at 866-245-6726 or visit www.elationlighting.com
Visions Lighting, LLC can be reached at 714-674-0148 or visit www.visionslighting.com