Launched at the recent LDI show, the PRG GroundControl™ Followspot System is making people re-think how they use followspots in production. Awarded the LDI 2015 Best Debuting Product, the GroundControl is a huge step forward in not only safety in getting the truss followspot ops out of the truss and safely on the ground, but also in how designers use followspots. The LDI judges summed up their feelings on the GroundControl system, “The GroundControl advances the cause of staging and rigging in the concert industry by offering the possibility of removing spot operators from trusses forever, and continuing the efforts to make our industry safer.”
A Revolutionary System
Let’s face it, other than new light sources, followspot technology hasn’t changed in the last 30-40 years. The PRG GroundControl (GC) was designed for the way followspot operators are used to working. When operators who have years on spots or are novices walk up to this unit, it takes all of about five minutes to feel comfortable running the GC. Referred to as a game-changer by many on the LDI show floor, we want to take a deeper look at this revolutionary followspot system, which really does change more than relocating the spot operators and has applications beyond concert touring, including television, theatre, corporate, special events, and even tradeshows.
Let’s start with, it’s a system, not just a light. It’s not an automatic unit that will follow an actor or artist around the stage; it still needs an operator. Any use of the word remote in conjunction with GroundControl refers to the fact that the operator is at a remote location from the light itself. The PRG GroundControl system is one automated light; one GC controller; a truss box, and the cable run. The operator at the GC controller can be up to 2,000 feet away from the light itself, so the operator can be located just about anywhere that’s convenient for the production. When they found this out, some people even have jokingly suggested catering would be a fine location.
Remote Operation
The GroundControl Followspot system uses a PRG Bad Boy Spot luminaire that’s been modified with a high definition camera and has been optimized for followspot work. The HD camera is mounted on top of the lens of the luminaire and outputs HD-SDI 1080P video to the followspot operator on the ground. This allows the op to see the stage as if they were sitting right next to the light. The camera has an optical zoom, an easily selected targeting reticule, and a night vision mode for picking up a performer in the dark. The GC system also has a video out, which was designed for a remote video feed for the designer or programmer, but has another very intriguing application—I-Mag video feed or for creative video usage. Since it is a HD broadcast-quality video feed it could be sent to a media server as a POV I-Mag feed, or it could be sent to the television truck as another video source. This adds another creative tool to the designer’s toolbox.
To provide designers with the tools that they need in terms of color, especially for television, PRG has tweaked the color in the GC Bad Boy Spot. In addition to the standard CMY color mixing, the unit has two dedicated color correction wheels, full CTO and CTB wheels with full through eighth of each color correction, plus both color temperature wheels have minus green allowing a full range of color correction options.
Of course, brightness is not an issue with a Bad Boy luminaire, the light outputs an impressive 48,000 lumens and has been tested against a variety of truss spots. Its output well exceeds 2kW followspots and some 3kW units. The Bad Boy, which weighs in at 175 pounds and has a swing radius of 30 inches, makes it easy to put in a lot of places where a spot with an operator wouldn’t work. Now, users can add the GC spot to balcony rails or on a lineset in a theater; on a personnel lift or ground-supported truss in a low-ceilinged ballroom for events and general sessions; hung out over an LED wall or floor-mounted for covering aerial work above; or a backlight followspot position. The GroundControl isn’t on track to merely take the place of existing spot uses but it appears will potentially increase the use of followspots. At LDI and after the show, numerous designers are already coming up with a wide variety of places that they would use a followspot in places that it was never possible to in the past.
The GC Truss Box and Controller
The next part of the GroundControl Systems consists of a GC Truss Box. DMX, camera control, and video are fed to and from the fixture directly to a small truss box where all data is converted and sent down a robust Mil-Spec Neutrik opticalCON QUAD fiber optic cable to the controller on the ground. The GC Followspot Controller on the ground can be placed anywhere the production wants to put the controller—up to 2,000’ away from the fixture. The quad fiber reduces the likelihood of data corruption or signal interference from other power and data cables that are nearby.
The final part of the GroundControl system consists of the GC Followspot Controller (FC). It’s apparent that PRG’s development team really thought about the controller and how an operator controls a followspot. The controller is very intuitive and closely mimics the typical form factor of a traditional followspot, which makes it that much more familiar. I watched both novices as well as experienced operators walk up to the GroundControl and feel comfortable very quickly.
The GC FC consists of a monitor on a moving yoke whose movements are sent to and mimicked by the GC Spot in the air. The controller follows the pan and tilt of the light with minimal lag or any over-shoot. Any way you move the controller, the Remote Spot in the air will also move. There are also intuitive controls for Intensity, Iris, Zoom, Frost, and Edge that are easily reached by either hand as you guide the controller. What is interesting is that any of the potentiometers can be easily customized to go 0 to 100 or 100 to 0 as the operator sees fit. Speaking of customization, the board op can take over control of any attribute of the Bad Boy using Highest Takes Precedent (HTP) control. The board op can also take away or give control over any of the attributes to the followspot op.
When it comes to color and gobos, PRG has added eight preset buttons that can store color, gobo, and beam preset settings, etc. Also, since the camera is fully DMX-controllable, camera zooms can be saved for tight pickups. The GC Followspot Controller includes an on-board touchscreen for easy addressing, configuring, and diagnostics of the luminaire and followspot system.
To hold the GC controller, PRG has gone with a rugged tripod that has a lot of adjustments available to again really customize the feel and control of the GC controller. For connections at the controller, there are Neutrik powerCON in and through connectors for power, XLR 5pin In and Through for DMX, as well as a BNC connector that outputs HD-SDI video.
There are a number of shows that have been using the GroundControl Followspot System including U2’s iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour, Madonna’s Rebel Heart tour, and NBC’s The Best Time Ever variety show. When the Madonna crew swapped out four PRG Bad Boy truss spots for four GC units, they cut 12,000 pounds off the show and saved 10 feet of truck space. Cutting out the trusses, motors, chairs, operator weight, safety gear, specialty rigging equipment really adds up saving time and money in addition to keeping the followspot ops safely on the ground.
It is quite apparent that PRG has really listened to designers, production managers, and especially followspot operators in what they wanted to see in the GroundControl Followspot System. This system opens up the possibilities of where designers can put a followspot, which opens up the creative possibilities. In addition, spot ops are safely out of the truss and on the ground. I think that if you use followspots—either as a designer or as an operator—you really should take a long look at this system and take it for a test drive of your own.
PRG GroundControl Followspot System
System Components:
- GC Followspot Controller (Mimics a traditional followspot; used by operators at ground level)
- Remote Spot Luminaire (Bad Boy Spot)
- GC Truss Box (To process and transmit DMX, camera control and video data to the controller on the ground)
- Cable Run (Operators can be up to 2,000 feet away from the spots they are controlling)
Manufacturer: PRG
Price: Contact PRG directly for availability and pricing
More info: www.prg.com