REGGIO EMILIA, Italy – SGM’s new X-5 LED white strobe is debuting not the conventional way – on a concert tour – but rather with a stand-up comedian from Germany, Bulent Ceylan. Wanting to add visual punch to the punchlines, German LD ‘Tobi’ Deuring specified 12 of the X-5s. They add a dramatic “flame” to the arena tour visuals.
More details from SGM (http://www.sgm.it):
SGM’s X-5 LED Strobe Adds Drama in German Debut
German LD Tobias ‘Tobi’ Deuring has become one of the first LDs to specify multiples of SGM’s X-5 white strobe on an arena tour. But rather than design it into a conventional stage set for a touring band he is using it on a world tour for award-winning German stand-up comedian, Bulent Ceylan.
Having worked regularly with the artist since 2009, it was to prepare for the latest show, Wilde Kreaturken, which has been playing arenas up to 13,000 capacity (such as the Cologne Lanxess Stadium) that he needed to provide additional punch and creativity.
“It is particularly important when you are lighting a solo performer to create spaces to make the light visible,” states Deuring. “You have to create several layers to achieve depth, both in the eye of the camera and the beholder.”
When SGM first previewed the new X-5 LED strobe at Frankfurt Prolight+Sound last spring it caused waves among the global lighting community, with rental companies eagerly awaiting the first production runs.
The compact fixture delivers the same output as conventional high wattage strobes at a fifth of the power — and it is environmentally friendly. They consume 80 percent less than conventional strobe lights while producing similar light output — and contain a range of features in the LD’s toolbox of light effects that have never previously been seen. Thus, rental companies can save on two gensets of 150kW each by replacing 100 conventional strobes with the X-5s.
Thorsten Sattler, Key Account Manager, SGM Germany, demonstrated the product to Deuring’s technical director, Janis Respondek, who quickly notified the LD himself.
“When I first saw the X-5’s compact chassis I was able to hold it to my ear — like a mobile phone — and Janis joked that it looked as though Apple had been too busy building this to make the G5. But the quality of the X-5 housing is really great. The guys at SGM did a really great job — as this is not only well manufactured but also really robust.”
Deuring immediately made the decision to replace the conventional strobes on his lighting plot with the new X-5. “I’m delighted I did,” he says. “The X-5 has a good beam angle which deflects smoothly — that is the main difference between this and other strobes where you always notice the hotspots on the object. On top of that, the X-5 shines brightly.”
On tour, the 12 X-5s are behind the LED backdrop screen in a special construction mounted on dollies.
The set design itself consists of four layers: the artist, the dollies, the flame net and the backdrop, in a scalable production. The latter three elements are constructed modularly, making it possible to realize four different setup sizes. Deuring uses the X-5s to flash and blind the flame drop, which measures 22m x 8.5m.
As the touring LD he is also the show’s programmer/operator — which gives him the perfect position from which to assess the X-5’s controllability. “This strobe reacts faster and more directly than conventional strobes,” he notes. “The blind mode is fascinating because the lighting lasts quite long and you can conjure great innovative effects by modifying the amplitude.”
After the first 10 tour dates of the new show, Deuring reports that the X-5s have been working perfectly. “I am always happy to discover new possibilities, particularly the Blind FX.”
