LONDON — LD Al Gurdon used 24 i-Pix BB4 LED 4-lite units on the 2009 BRIT Awards show at Earls Court. Special brackets allowed for two BB4s to be rigged together, and six of these “8-lite” units were positioned on the front truss, pointing into the audience. Another two on each side were hung on the two satellite trusses on stage left and right, above the front line of the stage.
The fixtures were used for classic Molefey-style effects, providing strong bursts of color and illumination across the large live audience and highlighting the interior of Earls Court.
“They are absolutely super bright,” said Richard Gorrod, crew chief for lighting supplier PRG — brighter than a conventional 8-lite. The tech time involved with BB4s, he added, is considerably less than with Molefeys and scrollers.
The BB4s consume 120 watts and draw just half an amp on full, at 240 volts, which would have made it possible, in theory, to run all 12 BB4 “8-lites” off one 16-amp feed.
The BB4s’ color mixing and homogenized lightsource effectively eliminated the risk of LED point sources, and the units also provided the kind of flat field of light that might be expected from a tungsten source.
Ross Williams, lighting programmer and operator for this year’s Brits, used a Roadhog Full Boar console.
Rich Gorrod first used i-Pix products on the Live Earth London show in 2007. PRG also recently supplied BB7s for LD Mark Cuniffe’s design to light the portico and columns of the main entrance to St. Paul’s Cathedral for London’s recent City Salute event.
For more information, please visit www.i-pix.uk.com.
