For the 2017 edition of the Transmission Festival, Spirit of the Warrior, staged in Prague’s O2 Arena, the organisers delivered a visual and sonic experience from lighting designer Bas Kemper, Dutch VJ collective, Vision Impossible and Rudo Tucek, owner of Slovakian rental specialist, Ministry Rental Service.
Ministry took delivery of 24 new Robe MegaPointes in the weeks before the event and these multi-purpose fixtures took centre stage on the lighting plot, positioned prominently around the DJ booth at the suggestion of Tucek. “I was really keen to get MegaPointes right at the epicentre of the event,” he explained, “so deploying them around the DJ booth was an obvious place.”
There were 2 rows of 8 MegaPointes placed directly in front of the DJ mixer with another 8 on a truss directly above. From these vantage points, they made an impact around the massive arena space and were a key element in the mission to create a spectacular environment showcasing the line up of international trance gurus.
A typical Transmission stage design includes a large upstage screen, which this year comprised 260 sq metres of LED, with the central portion shaped like a shield in keeping with the Warrior theme developed by Vision Impossible. Behind this were some detailed cloth elements, designed by Bedrich ‘Ciggi’ Vlach.
For Kemper, with these ‘set’ pieces in place, the task was to get the right balance of lighting, video and lasers in the best places around the room, to complement and contrast, and with enough variety for 10 continuous hours of full-tilt trance. As part of this philosophy, the placement of the MegaPointes was critical for bringing the stage and set alive with their powerful, high quality beams.
It was the first time Kemper had used Robe’s newest moving light fixture – he jumped at the chance once it was confirmed that Ministry would have them available. “I needed an extra punchy light source centre-stage to emphasise the DJs, and the colours and output of the MegaPointe are ideal for a show like Transmission. They are great fixtures for lighting trance music in general”, he said.
Their positioning also reinforced the centrality of the DJ booth at the heart of the event. Kemper has used Pointes and BMFL WashBeams on previous Transmission Prague festivals over the years – there has always been some Robe products on the rig right from the start. He’s also been familiar with Robe since the brand was launched in 2002, in fact even before that, when the company was a leading OEM manufacturer. “It’s a very reliable brand with some great fixtures and is now a key market player,” he added.
Ministry Rental Services have also been working with Transmission Prague for a long time, and in addition to lighting, as a preferred supplier, they provide lasers and LED screen. “The kit is always well maintained and immaculately prepped, their crew are excellent and everything runs smoothly on site,” stated Kemper.
Running lights on the night were 2 experienced operators and regular collaborators with Kemepr – Martijn Deenen and Zis Ankone. The laser operators were Adam Chrenko and Rudo Tucek, and they were running 24 full colour laser systems and 18 red bar-lasers, all adding to the rich visual mix.
Tucek was delighted with his initial investment in MegaPointes, and the plans are to double Ministry Rental Services’ stock of this new fixture in the near future. “It’s a very interesting luminaire with great potential” he said. “It can do a lot of things that were previously only possible using large 1000W spots, AND MegaPointe can also produce an excellent beam. Until now, this type of fixture – with the short-arc lightmsource – could only do a good beam.
“So we have great quality spots and beams with a fantastic light output, consuming only half of the power of larger units! It’s also lighter and has the prisms plus so many other effects – it is an extremely well designed and thought-through fixture! MegaPointe fills a large gap in the market, because rental houses no longer need to purchase 2 types of light for beam and spot effects, just the one!”
