Events solutions provider Encore collaborated with lighting designer Simon Grant in June to elevate a live-streamed corporate event for global pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Together, they specified 100 Vari-Lite VL5LED WASH luminaires from Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, to create on-brand colors and eye-catching effects that would look great on camera and on set.
The high CRI RGBALC Color System with SmartColor Control built-in to the VL5LED WASH was clear to see as a wide range of vivid color options were used for the corporate event, which was broadcast live to GSK employees and attended in-person by 800 team members at the company’s London HQ.
The video team used a six-camera set-up to capture the seminar with three large LED screens rigged in the space, which were provided by Creative Technology. In the room, the audience sat in the round, with an OB truck standing by to live stream the seminar, supplied by NEP. The event was produced for GSK by the Visual Response agency, with creative aspects delivered by Toucan.
LD Simon Grant’s brief was that the event was all about the broadcast and fully lit for camera, and he was also tasked with being master draftsman for all the Vectorworks drawings for production. Grant says that he immediately knew that the VL5LED WASH, a modern update to the legendary VL5, was the right tool to light the job, and he was able to source them from fixture supplier Niclen UK with the help of Encore project technician Alex Knowles.
“I have always loved Vari-Lite, so when I discovered that the VL5LED WASH was available I jumped at the chance to use them,” says Grant. “Having used some of the very first VL2600 in the UK I was very impressed with the LED engine. So I knew the VL5LED WASH would be amazing.”
The VL5LED WASH fixtures’ ability to provide a bold color palette and its sleek styling provided a strong visual element, and its overall reliability meant that the light sources would look great on camera, on the set and fabrics, and to the live audience. As Grant explains: “For me, fixtures have to physically look good as well as perform on stage. The colors really hit the mark. Even though this show was predominantly orange-themed, I took the chance to check out the color range. When I saw the mint green the VL5s could produce, my mind was blown. And they are very reliable, too.”
The VL5LED WASH was noted as offering high-output, Vari-Lite quality wash out of a compact LED fixture, with its wide range of vivid color options easy to program.
Photo: © Alex Knowles