Litepanels’ Gemini 2×1 Soft RGBWW panels lit the way for Austria to claim a second championship in the 2019 World Cup of Pool, broadcast live from Morningside Arena, Leicester, U.K.
The Gemini 2×1 Soft LEDs represent a significant design shift for the tournament’s lighting director, P-R Event Production Ltd., which has relied on fluorescent lighting for past World Cup of Pool productions.
The 2019 World Cup of Pool brought together two-player teams from 32 countries competing in 9-ball pool for a $250,000 prize. For the 13th year in a row, P-R Event Production Ltd. provided the lighting for Matchroom Multi Sport, which is led by COO Emily Frazer.
“On previous pool productions, we’ve always relied on large florescent overhead panels to light the table — but they’re heavy, hard to rig, and throw off a lot of heat,” said the owner and lighting director, P-R Event Productions Ltd, Paul Toley.
“For this year’s World Cup of Pool, we wanted to use fixtures with greater flexibility and functionality. The Gemini has features that are really unheard of with florries; for instance, the dial-in colour mode and special effects like flash and strobe really added excitement during breaks in the action. We were pleased with how well the Litepanels LEDs helped us achieve our desired look.”
For the 2019 World Cup of Pool, Toley and his team rigged an array of 14 Gemini 2×1 Soft LED panels high above the pool table with five lights on each side and four more down the middle, making space to accommodate the overhead camera. The lighting team was able to achieve the required effect by dimming the Geminis to only 30 percent of their total output, which means they will able to achieve the same effect with fewer lights in upcoming pool events.
“Our lighting team was very pleased when our Gemini 2x1s came off another job. Compared to the florries, they weigh almost nothing, and the team was able to rig them in about half the time,” Toley said.
“The Geminis bring a fresh and modern look to the lighting setup, and the ability to dial in perfect colour correction is something that’s really unheard of for this type of live sports event. Plus, there was a noticeable temperature reduction in the arena from using the LEDs, something the players especially appreciated.”