Tasmanian-based Alive Technologies has purchased eight Clay Paky A.LEDA B-EYE K20 LED moving lights.
David Bell, managing director of Alive Technologies, had been looking for a cutting-edge technology fixture that would meet his unique requirements as well as create demand for hire.
“The B-EYE was the logical choice as it is so unique,” he remarked. “We have a limited market here in Tasmania so I wanted a versatile fixture that could be used in a diverse array of productions. The A.LEDA B-EYE K20 is ideal as it is, simultaneously, a state-of-the-art LED wash-light, an amazing “beam-light” and a projector for totally unseen, stunning graphic effects. So it can provide all of that in one show.”
Alive’s eight B-EYES had their major debut at Launceston’s Breath of Life concert featuring Public Enemy, Empire of the Sun and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, as well as countless other acts and DJs.
“Everyone at the concert was very impressed by the B-EYEs, even the sound crew, and they performed fantastically,” reported David. “The colours out of the B-EYEs are superb and the film guys we work with are very impressed by the natural tungsten colours they deliver.”
David Szoka, systems tech at Alive, has had a few weeks to familiarize himself with the B-EYEs and is loving everything about them! He is particularly impressed by the wide 6° to 60° beam aperture offered by the B-EYE and the fact that the zoom can be closed even further, down to as little as 4 degrees.
“I love the zoom on the B-EYEs, it’s absolutely amazing,” he declared. “Being a small company, it means we can take less lights to cover more area. The colour you get out of the B-EYEs is beautiful and very consistent.”
David has been delighted by B-EYE’s stunning effect abilities whereby the front lens is rotated in either direction and at variable speed creating many little beams that can be unfolded or closed like petals. When colours and dynamic patterns are added, B-EYE generates countless kaleidoscopic projections, as no other LED fixture has ever done.
“The shapes and effects are great even in the daylight – you don’t have to have darkness and smoke to see them,” said David. “The effects are really easy to control. In fact I realized at the show that there’s more control function that I realized. And there’s still more to learn. I love that the effects themselves have built in crossfade or snap function, so you don’t actually have to program a cross fade or a snap, you just change it in the effects. That saves a lot of time.
“I couldn’t believe how sharp and bright the beams were and I was surprised at the speed of their tilt and the pan. The features are really easy to use. You don’t have to have one control channel at 2% and the next one at 55%, it’s all just simple and easy to use.
David also mentions that the versatility of the profiles they have built into them make them great for all levels of lighting experience; basic, shapes, extended, and extreme extended if you want to get down to a pixel mapping experience.
“As David Bell said, when we go shopping we look for something we can use in multiple places,” he added. “We can use these as basic wash lights for corporate dinners, throw in shapes, effects and patterns in the air and people are amazed it’s the same light. Plus the B-EYEs are a relatively low-wattage fixture with no heat issues which is always good.”
The third David is Dave Taylor, lighting designer for Empire Of The Sun and also the main stage at the festival. Dave was overjoyed to discover that he would have Clay Paky A.LEDA B-EYE K20 to play with.
“I had been looking at the B-EYEs the week before and wondered when I’d get to see some,” he noted. “Tasmania was probably the last place I expected to see some! I was most impressed by the output of them and of course, the effects modes are great but just being able to do the nice, subtle stuff with them has been great too. Not having to have the intensity at full all the time was perfect as I could save them for the big moments. I would have loved to have had more of them!! We’ll definitely use them again and I’m sure over the coming months, as Empire Of The Sun so the US and European summer festivals, I’ll see them on many stages.”
