When auto companies present new cars at exhibitions, aesthetics are crucial and especially high demands are placed on the lighting. Rental company and production house, Creative Technology, met the challenge at 2017’s LA Auto Show using Elation Professional’s new Fuze Wash 575 luminaire to highlight cars on the Kia and Volvo booths.
The company sought the benefits of an LED solution and turned to Elation Professional’s new cool-white Fuze Wash 575 LED PAR moving head luminaire with motorised beam control. Held 1-10 December at the LA Convention Centre, the LA Auto Show is one of the most influential auto shows in the world. Elation designed the Fuze Wash 575 to optimise the way a vehicle looks and assume the role as a new workhorse fixture of choice.
Featuring a high-output 350W Cool White / Daylight COB LED engine, the fixture gives designers what they need without the cost, weight and power needs of conventional 575W discharge daylight PAR lights. Ian Dobson, Project Manager Lighting Division at Creative Technology, worked with Elation Sales Director Eric Loader and National Sales Manager John Dunn to customise the Fuze Wash 575 in order to get the exact fixture they needed.
“We collaborated with Elation on the LED chip set to get the light output and colour temperature we liked,” Dobson said, noting that the optimal colour temperature decided upon was 6800K. And with a high CRI of 95, the Fuze Wash 575 excels at accurately reflecting an object’s true colour. Rigged on straight trusses at a trim height of 27 feet, some 190 Fuze Wash 575 fixtures were used on the Kia booth.
“It’s an upgrade from the Design Pars we’ve used on several previous auto shows and is a cost effective solution as well,” Dobson continued. “The zoom, pan and tilt positioning, electronic dimming and its remote-focus capabilities are all important.” With its low weight and energy efficiency, the Fuze Wash 575 was ideal for the LA Convention Centre with its building and earthquake zone restrictions.
“It’s always our biggest issue,” Dobson said. “At only 27 pounds, the Fuze Wash 575 gives us greater flexibility in design and allows us to have a greater concentration of fixtures in one area.” Dobson added: “No bulbs means big money savings. And with its lower wattage and the fact that you’re cutting down on the power requirements, it’s a benefit for the client while reducing our energy footprint. It is really the future of auto show lighting.”
Lightswitch were also tasked by the XD Agency to light the Kia press event prior to the exhibition and used the Fuze Wash 575 for the task. Lightswitch principal John Featherstone said: “We want to light each car so that it is worthy of a banner photo in the major news press.” He explained that, as specialists, Lightswitch are expected by their client to have the right tool for the right job. The Fuze was therefore perfect for the project.
Featherstone added: “The CRI is extremely high and the colour temperature is extremely accurate. It has a beautiful quality of light and is also screaming bright. The fixture is super clean, has the right finish and has no honeycomb look to it so aesthetically it’s nice to look at as well. In fact, this is hands down the best light I’ve ever seen for lighting automobiles. It has all the benefits of a discharge fixture but with none of the disadvantages.”
