Scientists claim that light can bend, although typically we can’t see it. And if we do, it’s an illusion. At Strictly FX of Chicago, illusions have become a reality.
More details from Strictly FX (www.strictlyfx.com):
The Laser Vortex ™ (patent pending), available exclusively through Strictly FX, is a flown laser that creates a circular beam of light that does appear to make the illusion a reality: it bends light. “It’s so unique and with our laser designers and programmers, the effects coming out of it are unlimited. We can create looks you have never seen before,” explains Mark Grega, Partner at Strictly FX, and one of the developers of the Vortex, along with Christian Marx at Arctos Lasertechnik.
“The Vortex is based on a rough prototype, and from that, we res-designed every single piece of it- we went all the way from the shackle down and looked at every bolt and every connection both inside and outside of the Vortex,” notes Grega. It is, in fact, an absolutely new creation in the laser industry. “We worked on this for several years with Arctos and are incredibly please with the results,” Grega adds.
Along with bending light, the Vortex can create another unique effect. “It can make a perfect cone; you can’t do that with any other laser system, and you can’t really do that with a light. You can visually encompass something, the cone can go larger or smaller and you can even control the direction of the lines within the beam,” explains Strictly FX lead laser programmer David Kennedy.
Designers have unlimited creative options with the Vortex. It can be used with 15 watt, 30 watt and 36 watt Arctos lasers; it can also be specified as an RGB or RGBY unit. “We can create really interesting patterns of colors that really enhance the bending aspects of the laser,” comments Kennedy. There can be bands of color, as well as single colors; the only limitations are the imaginations of those using the unit. Grega notes, “We’ve only had one in the air at a time, but when you start to think about it, what would two in the air at a 45 degree angle look like? What would three, four or five Vortexes at different angles do?”
Making the Vortex road worthy was one of Grega’s main tasks. A veteran of almost three decades of concert touring, he’s well aware of the challenges that equipment-and crews- face every day. “The engineers are looking at from laboratory or textbook situation, and that is not the road,” he states simply. On the road, the Vortex is quite simple to set up and take down; it can be flown straight from the road case via a cradle system attached to the top, and load straight into the road case.
The world premiere of the Vortex was during The Brit awards last month; it was used by Paul Normandale, the Creative Designer for the band Royal Blood. “It’s a truly unique effect, which is a rare, rare thing,” says Normandale.
The Vortex is currently in production; it will be available for rental in late summer or early fall of 2015. “When you’re an audience in front of it, it’s captivating- we’re always in search of the newest, most unique effects, and this is it. The Vortex is something that is incredibly unique that audiences have never seen before,” concludes Grega.
For more information, contact Ted Maccabee at Strictly FX at 630-694-2394.
