The Event Production department at Liberty University’s Lynchburg, Virginia campus provides audio, video and lighting support for any event on campus, including concerts, conferences and speaking events.
The main event venue hosts this wide array of entertainment programs and gatherings and needed an LED option that would bring more drama and flexibility to the space.
“We were looking to replace the venue’s spots with an LED option,” recalls Amy Caun, Lighting Director/Production Technician with Event Production. “We didn’t want to worry about lamp life, power and heat, and we needed a fixture that was flexible enough for all of the events held in the event space.
“One of our technicians had seen the Ayrton MISTRAL at a trade show,” Caun continues. “Doug Mekanik, our rep at ACT Lighting, also recommended them to us and provided a demo unit for us to try out,” she says. “MISTRAL was the right size, and it was bright and flexible. We were impressed by its zoom, color mixing, the saturated color you can get without losing brightness, and the effects capabilities.”
Event Production purchased the fixtures from Barbizon and has been pleased with how “they really enhance the concerts and events we support,” including concerts by Red, Tedashii, Jenny & Tyler, and Peabod, she says. “They’re a great addition to the event space, and for smaller events they add texture on the walls and floor and color around the room. We like the cool sparkle effects and the morphing capabilities between effects wheels.”
When Caun and her team demo’d MISTRAL, they also looked at Ayrton’s GHIBLI LED spot luminaire with factory-equipped framing shutters. They now taken delivery of GHIBLIs for the auditorium in Liberty’s new School of Business, which is an installed venue still under construction and will function as both a lecture hall for classes and a venue for televised debates. “We need a front light option for the new auditorium, a space where the lights are not easily accessible,” Caun explains.
“We wanted an LED spot, with framing shutters, good CRI and light output if we want to broadcast from that venue,” she continues. “We also needed a fixture that we could aim remotely. GHIBLI checked all those boxes. The GHIBLIs were purchased from 4Wall.
Event Production’s inventory also features an array of grandMA2 consoles for lighting and video control. “We have full-size, light, ultra-light, and command wings,” Caun reports. “We use a command wing in the event space and the other units are installed at venues across the campus.”
