Lighting designer Jonathan Lipsy of the Integrated Solutions Group recently created a
free-standing video production studio for EMC, the world’s largest provider of data
storage, using a collection of fixtures from Chauvet Professional.
EMC wanted its video production facility built in a 20,000-square foot-warehouse
with a 35-foot ceiling. “Due to the way the space is used in this facility, they needed
to build a 45-foot by 30-foot free-standing production studio in the centre,
unattached to any of the walls or ceiling,’ recalled Lipsy. “This in itself caused a
few challenges – structural integrity, power distribution, lighting design flexibility
and production flexibility, to name a few.’
To attain the rigidity it required in order to handle the rigorous lighting changes
which EMC would be doing in the studio on a regular basis, Lipsy mounted a Sch-40
aluminum pipe to the top of the structure in a 3-foot by 3-foot pattern.
Power draw was the next challenge and so he elected to limit the studio rig to LED
and fluorescent fixtures. “Looking for a LED fixture that was powerful, less
expensive and had proper quality of light, I chose the Chauvet Ovation line of LED
fixtures,’ said Lipsy. “The Ovation line offered me the F-95WW Fresnel, the F-
165WW Fresnel and the E-190WW ellipsoidal. So, I was able to find powerful cost-effective luminaires from a single manufacturer that produce a beautiful light.’
Lipsy’s EMC lighting package includes 14 Ovation F-165WW Fresnel fixtures, 16
compact Ovation F-95WW Fresnel fixtures and four Ovation E-190WW ellipsoidal
fixtures. In addition to the Ovation fixtures, Lipsy’s EMC rig has nine COLORado
Batten 144 Tour LED batten-style wash fixtures that are positioned along the back of
the set for colour changing. Another non-Ovation fixture is the SlimPAR QUAD 6
IRC, a low-profile par-style fixture that serves as a truss warmer.
“We used 16 SlimPARs as truss warmers to make our free-standing structure look
visibly appealing to anyone who sees it from a distance,’ said Lipsy. “These fixtures
create a glowing effect and allow my client to change the colour of the truss
structure for different events that take place inside the building that houses the
free-standing studio. They can change the colour to match their corporate logo or
to match a specific theme.’
