Lightmoves Goes to the Movies
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Having never been an organisation to do things in half measures, Hoyts Cinemas have recently opened two brand new, world-class Cinema complexes - one at Melbourne Central and the other at Sydney’s Blacktown - that intend to demonstrate to the rest of the market just how it is done. Both of these Cinemas are being promoted as ‘Australia’s premier entertainment destination.’ A big statement yes, but one that Hoyts has every intention of proving accurate.
As part of their push for premium quality, Hoyts decided that both first impressions and perception meant everything. They wanted their foyer areas to be unique, colourful and most of all dynamic. They turned to Michael Trudgeon and David Poulton of Crowd Productions, the chief architects of Hoyts public spaces, to design an environment that reflected the ever-changing nature of the cinema world. Their idea was to install colour changing panels and lighting right through out the foyer and surrounding entrance areas. Michael and David approached Lightmoves and sought their technical and creative expertise to transform this complex idea into a genuine reality. Being the specialists in customised lighting solutions, Lightmoves happily accepted the challenge and worked in conjunction with Crowd Productions on this project for 12 months. The brief was to create horizontal colour-changing lines of light behind glass panels throughout the Ticket Box and Bar areas.
After
extensive research and experimentation by Lightmoves’ Joe Casamento, Osram’s
Linearlight Flex LED strips were not only chosen due to their compact and modular
nature, but more importantly because of the fact that they offer a very even
colour wash and work directly off Dynalite LED dimmers. Dynalite’s DDLEDC401
LED controllers were used to control all LEDs on the project and were programmed
offsite using visualising software and later downloaded onto an Enttec DMX Streamer
controller on site. The Streamer’s 26 different programs can be triggered
by Hoyts’ own computers using simple RS232 commands. The simplicity of
this setup allows Hoyts to operate the system manually if desired or run automatically
to timed events. The foyers and bar area now display eye catching displays of
colour and excitement that change during various times of the day, ranging from
subtle pastel colour shifts during the day to bright celebratory party colours
at night. “I like to push boundaries and experiment,” states Michael
when asked about his designs, “but in order to do this; you need a supply
partner who is committed and ready to push the boundaries with you. In Lightmoves
and Joe, I have to say that I found exactly that.” However, Crowd Production’s
and Lightmoves teamwork was not restricted just to the foyer. Hoyts’ new
first-class cinemas, known as the Directors Suite, also received a touch of
LED magic; but this time it wasn’t just for show, it was also practical.
Each of the cinema seats in the Directors Suite is accompanied by a food and
drink table. Of the many proposals created by Michael and David, one of the
more innovative and simple ideas was to attach a white, fully dimmable LED strip
around the edge of each table. Whilst starting rather bright before the commencement
of the film, these strips dim down to 1% by the time the movie begins. This
allows the patrons to still see their food and drinks, without distracting themselves
or others around them. Watching Lightmoves bring this design to life was one
of Michael’s favourite aspects of the whole project. “The brief
from Hoyts was to give the Directors Suite the most luxurious and prestigious
feel possible. Having previously spent many years in the advertising industry,
I know that the use of up-lighting on food and drink, particularly alcohol,
can create this desired effect.” This original and colourful project proved
once again that well designed and implemented lighting can have extensive creative
and practical benefits for both business and the consumer.
For more information on LED and colour-changing lighting, contact Joe Casamento at Lightmoves (03) 9701 2500.
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