Lighting rails....

[bigclive]

Here's a short video of a ride along the new rail system on one of our jobs. Since we were getting a new arena we decided to add some useful features including this rail system that lets a single person move heavy lights with ease. In the video, one of the crew suspended his camera under the rail and walked from one end of the gantry to the other. The object he snags up on early on is a followspot.

Lighting rail ride.

[AndyJones]

Has the gig got enough VL3k's ?!

[Richard CSL]

it's the armed forces, so no spending restrictions I guess, and who would argue with the Scottish???

[Ynot]

That looks remarkably like the old style travelling ladder track used in BT excahanges.

The dolly on which the upper end of the (angled) ladders was a simple 4-wheel affair, and there was a mechanical handle which when pulled down released a brake and allowed movement.

I have some sections we use occasionally for small set pieces at our theatre.

 

 

[timmeh2]

Has the gig got enough VL3k's ?!

 

Every other one is a spare unit

[brainwave-generator]

it's the armed forces, so no spending restrictions

 

Have you watched the news at all in the last 2 years?

[bigclive]

A simple braking system is being planned for next year, since the gantry is on an incline.

Yes we use a lot of 3000's and also quite a lot of 3500's in the castle itself for general wash purposes.

That was just the South Gantry, there were at least the same number again on the North gantry.

The performance area is large so it needs a lot of lights to cover it.

I made a short video on the South gantry myself....

 

 

So now you've seen the gantries. How long do you reckon it took to strip them and get all the lights back in their flightcases and parked on the ground ready for loading into the truck?

[lxdad]

2 hours?

[bigclive]

Spot on. Each gantry was stripped out in just two hours.

 

Incidentally, the Tattoo is not funded by armed forces money. It is a self sustaining entity associated with the military. The systematic yearly sell-out of all seats and the BBC broadcast to over 100 million viewers worldwide helps ensure it runs at a profit.

 

It's going out in High Definition for the first time this year.

[Seano]

When I first saw your OP I was thinking of something eye-wateringly expensive like a tv studio pantograph system (they're probably not the future).

 

A simple braking system is being planned for next year, since the gantry is on an incline.

..

I made a short video on the South gantry myself....

 

In the meantime I hope you have good buffers on the downhill end. ;)

Nice vid, do you also moonlight as a tour guide?

 

What's the 'trolley' like? Any photos of that to go with the nice videos of the rail?

[Jamtastic3]

I was sitting in Row 12. I really like the new stands compared to the 'portakabin' style ones previously. The lighting was great this year too! ;)

 

How long will it take to pull the stand down once they've done the post-Tattoo gigs up on the esplanade?

[bigclive]

The old stands were designed for smaller people in those days. The new ones accommodate the same number, but with increased seat size and better disabled access. You'll have noticed the new toilet units too, which are quite positively luxurious compared to the minimalist amount of overflowing Portaloo's that we had before. (There was a reason for the lack of facilities before.)

 

This is the first time the stands have been built and stripped, so it may take a bit longer than normal the first time. We're aiming at about four weeks I think.

 

I didn't take a picture of the trolley on the rail. It's simple though. Just a short trolley with four wheels that ride inside the rail, and a short drop to a section of lighting bar so that the lights can be hooked and secured onto it with their existing hooks.

[Judge]

I was actually up there a few weeks ago working on a Fringe show and had a mooch around up there. Didn't get to see any shows but its definately one of the most bonkers temporary structures I have ever seen.

[bigclive]

It is indeed a completely bonkers temporary structure. If you knew the wind levels that we get up there you'd realise why it looks so permanent. There's a lot of heavy steelwork involved.

 

We had a lot of tourists coming up to us and asking if it was really temporary. They must have been getting a spiel about it in their guided tours.

 

Another notable thing this year was the significant use of LED for the first time to light the cannon portals. Next year may see a significant LED advancement onto the esplanade area.

[Jamtastic3]

I really liked the cannon portals Clive. It really put another dimension onto the whole look of the castle.

 

What are the projectors used that project onto the castle?