Sell-out lighting trail, Woodyfest, saw Signify deliver projections on the façade of Scottish stately home, Hopetoun House in South Queensferry.
These effects were augmented by the far-reaching aerial light effect of the Vari-Lite VL2600 PROFILE fixtures and the Vari-Lite VL10 BEAMWASH. Which reportedly attracted the local community’s attention some distance away.
Woodyfest, produced by Wondrous Woods, with creative design and technical production from 21CC Group, ran for the second year within the woods and grounds surrounding Hopetoun House. The trail goes along winding pathways, each of which led to dynamic installations, fairy grottos and water wall projections. The 2km walk culminated with the lit rear façade of Hopetoun House.
Lighting Designer, Neill Fleming of 21CC Group (the creative producers and technical solutions providers for Wondrous Woods) explained: “We chose the Vari-Lite VL10 BEAMWASH and the VL2600 PROFILE luminaires because we knew they would be exactly right for this project. Protected from the Scottish winter elements in waterproof housing, they gave plenty of light output for a relatively low power consumption. Both the VL10s and the VL2600s performed without issues, and we found them to be reliable and simple to set up and programme.”
Fleming said he chose the VL2600 PROFILE for its low power LED light engine, its versatility, speed and accuracy. “All the power for the event came from generators, so we have to balance desired output and impact with the lowest possible power consumption. The VL2600 PROFILE performs very favourably under such criteria,” said Fleming. “We used the VL2600s to create break up and shuttering effects across the back of the house. This was quite often layered with powerful moving projections and yet impressively, the VL2600s punched right through to give us the rich, multifaceted effects we were looking for.”
In addition, Fleming says he wanted to achieve more dramatic aerial beam effects than the previous year because that effect had been a real selling point in 2020. “The VL10 BEAMWASH is a phenomenal piece of kit. We positioned them each side of the house, on the ground, and at the centre, on the roof. People could see the beams from miles away and would try to find out where they were coming from. As soon as they knew they would book to see the show,” explained a delighted Fleming. “However, some people did report them on social media as visiting aliens!”
Geoff Crow, Director of 21CC Group, said: “We put a lot of thought into this year’s trail because we wanted to produce something that is fun and exciting, but that also pays tribute to the many events and festivals that were cancelled this year and last year, which is what led us to the celebratory theme of Woodyfest.”