Mission specific discharge and LED moving lights from Martin, a HARMAN
Professional brand, featured widely on a number of television shows in the lead-up
to the Christmas season. Many of these have been sourced from Nick Edwards’ new
TV lighting rental company, Version 2. One of the most experienced adopters has
been Stuart Pring, who recently lit Robbie Williams Radio 2 in Concert show and The
Brits Critics Choice Awards, for Brit TV.

“Nick’s support is second to none,’ Pring says. “He understands the budgetary
constraints we work to and is always helpful in offering rigging suggestions, plus his
equipment is always immaculately prepped.’ Pring’s first port of call is generally
the MAC Aura. He used another Martin “all-in-one’ fixture, the Axiom Hybrid, for the
Robbie Williams Radio 2 in Concert at Maida Vale’s MV3 studio.

“The small size of the studio was exacerbated by the large number of musicians,’
he said. “Therefore, I needed compact fixtures that could create beams to fill the
small stage from a short throw.’ To achieve his desired effect he requisitioned five
Martin Axioms to be flown in the rig, five Martin MH3 Beams on the floor with an
Aura XB as backlight.

For the Brits Critics Choice Awards, Pring benefitted from having prior experience of
working at Abbey Road Studios. His goal within the large space was to produce a
design that would work for three bands each playing two numbers, with diversity in
the lighting for each band.

Using lighting largely for projection he deployed Martin RUSH Par and MAC Viper on
the floor around the band, to project colour and animation gobos onto five Dedolight
PanAura octagonal soft lights.

On each PanAura from the same distance he placed a MAC Viper. Meanwhile, the
MAC Aura XB’s were rigged on double wind-up stands as backlights for each of the
band members. “These work great as backlights when they are zoomed right in,
and I have used them for this purpose on many occasions.’

The MAC Aura XB backlight was selected because the lighting director knew from
experience Robbie Williams’ mobility around the stage.

In setting up Version 2, Nick Edwards knew instinctively that Martin products would
offer both high utilisation and return on investment. In addition to investing in the
RUSH MH7, he has also been trialling the Axiom Hybrid with a view to purchasing in
2017. “The unit boasts an impressive output and would come into its own on some
of our larger studio productions.’ Another favourite has been the Aura range. “This
has long established itself as the wash light of choice for TV lighting directors and
the Aura XB, with its even brighter output, makes the HMI wash lights surplus to
requirements for most applications. And with no lamps to change Aura XB expedites
our return on investment.’ This, he hopes, will emulate what he describes as “the
standout fixture of recent years’ in the Martin Viper Performance.