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PRODUCTS USED:
Coemar Infinity Wash XL lights
DESCRIPTION:
Las Vegas (Date, 2008) - Coemar Infinity Wash XL lights will headline as Grammy award winning performer Cher graces Ceasars Palace for 110 performances starting this month. With a series of shows following that of Celine Dion, Cher will be complemented, yet not out-dazzled, by the premium lighting essentials that have become a stageshow industry standard.
With the aim of capturing a rock arena feel within the Vegas magic-land that is Ceasars, show lighting designer Baz Halpin had his hands full. Having teamed up with Peter Moss (lighting designer for Bette Midler's show), Halpin says both had decided to use the same stock (with Halpin bringing some extras for Cher). The team decided upon 98 Coemar Infinity Wash XL lights as part of a new system to be purchased as an upgrade for the theater (as lighting technology had advanced since the Celine Dion performances).
With concerns that the proscenium at 120 feet would be too constrictive, and the audience would be flush with the stage, the challenge was the trickiness of getting beams of light out in the house without flashing light in their faces all night long. "We wanted to keep it rock-y without blinding people," states Halpin. "We didn't want a bulky system and we also needed to light an LED wall. And, because there are three preeminent shows (Elton's being the third) all from the same stock, with a myriad of one-offs, the turnaround time to get from each show's rig to the next is minimal."
With what was to be a configuration of 500 moving lights total manned by a crew of 50 or more, Halpin looked at Moss's plot and, having drawn his own, worked with Greg Whittle, head electrician at Ceasars and decided upon Coemar's Infinity Wash XL lights to move on 54 feet high towers. Halpin built a 68 foot wide, 6 foot deep bridge, that moves up and down, into a truss. He got Tait Towers (Lititz, PA) to build the towers and hanging brackets for the lights.
"The Coemar (Infinity Wash XL) lights are multi-purpose," explains Halpin. "We positioned them in a variety of ways. At 90 feet high, they form the basis of the front wash. They also provide rock'n'roll mid-air beamage for dynamic hits of rock songs, as well as cross-lighting on floors and sides."
The Infinity Wash XL is a 1400w wash light that incorporates a CMY color mixing system, effects, 6-80 degree zoom, indexable beam shaping in 360 degrees, pan/tilt and full-range dimming.
"From a rock'n'roll point of view, they are one of the best wash lights out there," continues Halpin. "They're super-quick in terms of color bumping and chasing. The colors are great, and the new lens gives more of a linear zoom. For Cher, I've got 12 in front, 90 feet in the air, 70 feet from down stage edge. There are 12 of them lighting the back space that's 180 feet wide, competing with a very bright video wall - and I'm still dialing them back because they're too bright!"
Halpin notes that Coemar's Infinity Wash XL lights are "slightly smaller, lighter and quicker than other manufacturers lights. They're great. I love them!"
About Inner Circle Distribution
Located in Sunrise, Florida, Inner Circle Distribution (ICD) is a full-service distributor supplying and servicing professional lighting needs in the U.S. and the Caribbean. ICD stocks multiple types of lighting equipment, including moving lights, LED products, intelligent consoles and much more. For additional information, call Gary Mass at 954-578-8881.
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