LOS ANGELES — More lighting designers and venues are using ETC’s Eos control system since it was launched in 2006, particularly in California, including the Los Angeles Opera (LAO), shown here. The Hollywood Bowl also upgraded to an Eos console last year to handle all the conventional lights and some of the moving lights on its rig. Since then, more than 100 shows have been lit by the board, including many tours where guest lighting designers used Eos to control the show. “Eos offers better flexibility and control on lights,” said Gil Samuelian, lighting designer at the Hollywood Bowl. “You can select colors quickly and easily using the color commands. It’s been a great addition to our system, and we’re looking forward to using it more in the future.”
Samuelian also used an Eos to program the lighting on the American Music Awards show, held in Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre in November. The rig included dozens of ETC Source Four fixtures, among other conventionals, and most of the programming was done on the fly. Lighting Designer Bob Dickinson would tell Samuelian which lights he wanted up and when, and Samuelian executed the cues on the Eos in real time. “The board is a great help during a high-pressure live show,” Samuelian said. “It makes everything easier. The shortcuts it offers are powerful and are what sets it apart from other consoles. And it continues to adapt to my style.”
The Los Angeles Opera has controlled the lighting for productions at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion since summer 2007, including Carmen, as well as a recent presentation of The Nutcracker by the Los Angeles Music Center. The lighting staff chose the board because of its versatility in programming and ability to keep up with their dynamic production schedule and large rigs of conventional and moving fixtures.
Board Operator Ryan Lebetsamer adds that the LAO staff was also impressed by ETC’s commitment to technical service for the console: “They have been great with adding features, listening to requests and fixing any problems as fast as they can. As a programmer, I am very pleased with Eos and the support we get from ETC.”
For more information, please visit www.etcconnect.com.
