Stage Directions: This fall is the ETC Source Four ellipsoidal fixture’s 20th birthday. We all know it’s a successful lighting fixture—but just HOW successful is driven home by the latest press release from ETC. According to ETC’s records, they have now shipped 3 million fixtures in the Source Four brand, including the original ellipsoidal, Source Four PAR washlight, a Source Four Fresnel, a Source Four Zoom, a Source Four Revolution moving light, a Source Four PARNel, a Source Four jr spotlight, a long-life Source Four HID spotlight, a Source Four MultiPar striplight and a Source Four XT outdoor spotlight.
3 comments:
It is amazing that with little modification a single fixture could dominate the market for so long without much competition. With the introduction of the LED version I don't see the source four brand being brought down until static instrumentation is a thing of the past. I have worked with brand new source fours and some first generation ones and they are just so user friendly and can take a beating. With all the accessories and the different lens trains the source four is an amazing brand and easily the standard that has been set for the past twenty years and hopefully it will remain the standard for another 20 years.
3 million fixtures. At first I was underwhelmed when I read this article... Every venue I have ever been to has some sort of sourcefour fixture. To think that they just got to 3 million in 20 years wasnt impressive. THEN in Mind the Gap we have spent two class periods digesting the task of what we would do with 1 million paper clips. suddenly the idea of 3 times that many lighting fixtures seems a bit monumental. Congrats to ETC for creating a fixture that has not only become the industry standard, but has stood the test of time and is still relevant and useful in every aspect of theatre today.
It is a bit funny to see a lighting fixture have its 20th birthday before I do! But seriously, it is outstanding that a company can create an industry standard when it comes to lighting that designers really rely on. I know that if I am an ALD or electrician and there are no Source Four fixtures available to use on a show, I see the faces of my designers' drop. Also, when I start a light plot I usually start with Source Four lekos.
I would love to be able to work with their newer LEDs as well which I am sure will also have very long and prolific lives of their own. These seem to be the ultimate lighting instruments, convenience wise because it takes the style of the Source Four and the flexibility and pros of LEDs (such as the color and the small amount of power needed).
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