The red carpet moments at the MTV EMA Awards have grown into an occasion in their own right, demanding the kind of production values usually discovered once inside the show itself. This year’s event at Glasgow took the red carpet celebrations to yet another level.
Lighting specialists for the film, television and entertainment sectors, Panalux, chose to invest in the brand new MagicBlade™-R fixtures from Ayrton especially for this event. Panalux gaffer for the MTV event was Mark Gardiner who explains why: “I was first made aware of the MagicBlade-R when I was sent a web-link to a stunningly programmed video clip of them in action on the Ayrton web site…the effects were fantastic, very original and really unique. I then saw them a few days later exhibited at PLASA London and wasn’t disappointed, so we placed an order.”

For lighting designer, Stuart Pring, this was his first encounter with the MagicBlade-R fixtures. He opted to use thirty-six units, increasing the original order of twenty-five units from Ayrton’s new UK distributor, Ambersphere Solutions. Such was the urgency for the fixtures thatPanalux GB’s Managing Director, Ed Pagett,personally drove the van over to pick them up.

Once rigged at the Glasgow venue, it was up to Pring to put them through their paces. “I was really excited about using the MagicBlade units for the first time. I had been so impressed with them at PLASA; to my mind they were the most exciting product at the entire show. When it came to using them at an actual event, they surpassed my most optimistic expectations. They are just so bright and versatile; the continuous rotation facility means the pan and tilt have no limits; the effects they produce are truly original and dynamic; for me, they represent the next step in LED development – what many an LD has been waiting for.

“The MTV EMA red carpet area offered me an opportunity to really see them in action and I’m extremely grateful to Panalux and Ambersphere for pulling out the stops to get thirty-six units up to the venue for me. However, even in this setting, I don’t really feel that I have seen everything they have to offer. I am looking forward to using them again on another show where I can really explore their potential fully. They are simply the most exciting light on the market right now.”

Gardiner puts it a little more succinctly: “MagicBlades – I just love ‘em!”

For information on all Ayrton products visit www.ayrton.eu