LONDON – 2010's Britain's Got Talent took from the airwaves to the country's local stages in a tightly-scheduled tour taking in 17 city venues in a month. Dave Farmer of THC Design specified PixelRange, supplied by Port Talbot-based Sonalyst Ltd. "The touring schedule was very tight so fixtures needed to be reliable, have numerous functions, offer the maximum creative options and work as we expect, as time to redesign the fixture layout or replace defective units simply wasn't available," Farmer said. "Small footprint was essential for the applications involved and we needed power and saturation too."
Farmer's deputy LD, Niall Hannell, agreed. "PixelRange is just so reliable, they've been around for a while, they're proven, they work, and they always work – I've never seen one go wrong, I've never had a problem with them ever!"
The Britain's Got Talent Tour showcased a variety of acts, from singers and groups of all ages and styles to a dancing dog act and impressionists, to the TV show's finalist, gymnastic troupe Spelbound. PixelRange LED lighting helped create different looks for each act.
The rig included PixelLine 1044 high intensity LED units – positioned above and below the video banners flanking the main screen for floor to ceiling color – and the new generation PixelPars. "The PixelLines and PixelPars have made the show very simple," Farmer said. "They're so fast to respond we've included lots of blackouts to VT as it's an effective look.
"We've been able to create a lot of different looks with the overlapping effects on the PixelLine because the effects overlay what the lights are outputting anyway," Farmer added. "It was great for acts like Twist and Pulse. You can have set colors – like the Loony Tunes theme – and just add in the effects, generating a dynamic stage with added movement."
The PixelPars stood out on Keiran Gaffney's set, adding the extra punch necessary for the 13-year-old's drum riser. "We had limited space both above and below the riser. Plus, the set-piece moves on and off stage during the brief changeover period. Using the PixelPar LEDs reduced the cable management issues considerably," Farmer added, "and there were no further safety issues relating to the heat generated by fixtures when we added pyrotechnics to the drum riser."
Sonalyst's Rory Madden has supplied the equipment for Britain's Got Talent from the show's inception. "PixelRange is well-spec'd for the Britain's Got Talent tour: the lighting units are good quality workhorses, both effective and reliable."
For more information, please visit www.pixelrange.com.
