Friday, April 22, 2016
A Complete Overview of the PRG GroundControl™ Followspot System
YouTube: Learn about the many features and benefits of the system that is revolutionizing the entertainment industry —the PRG GroundControl Followspot System. This innovative new solution allows a technician to operate a PRG Bad Boy Spot or Best Boy Spot luminaire as a followspot but with the operator working safely from the ground up to 2000 feet away.
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7 comments:
Wowza!! How awesome! I was initially going to write this off because I thought it would be similar to all of the technology that tries to follow an actor live. But this is not that at all, it’s live but also controlled by a human! If the response time in real life is anything like the response time in this video this will be a definite game changer. Not only that but they have got such a wide variety of types of light. You can get all of those controls and still keep the soft look of a conventional fixture! This is wild, and will totally change the game of lighting by allowing overhead spots without having to stick a spot p in a cage over the stage, if you even have that! This will also allow for a ton of specials, because if you use the infrared functionality before actually running data for it to open its lenses you can pre focus everything like a normal moving light, but be even more precise! Lighting designers working in devised theatre will love this!
This is one of the innovations in lighting that I have been waiting for since I entered the field. I believe that spot tracking is one of the hardest things to do for any technician, and no matter what innovations there have been, none of them seem quite so intuitive. I don't see very many theatrical functions for this device, but this is a huge boon for concert designers who want to spot things that they previously couldn't due to rough truss positions. The hardest thing about this is probably the price point, as getting both the control and the fixture would be a steep expense. I agree with Jasmine that the latency is what will make or break this device, as with any other spotlight it is 1:1 since you're just moving the body. There will be some latency with cable regardless, so whoever is operating this device will require at least some training to get used to the time it takes for the light to move. I also agree that the implications for devised pieces are far reaching, as you will be able to pick up things and change looks on the fly with the controls on the device should an actor try something new in that night's performance. All in all, a cool piece of tech that will be interesting to try out once it hits the mainstream.
This is super cool – it seems like a much better idea than trying to track someone manually with a mover with conventional control methods, or those movers that track someone wearing a transmitter (which you seem to hear about but never see in use… there’s probably a reason why). This seems like a product that could have a lot of situations where it would be a great fit, especially those where safety is concerned. At the same time, however, I’m guessing that the product’s price point will limit these applications. Some of the instances I’m thinking of are those where large-enough truss to support a spot op position and the necessary ladders / etc for an operator to climb up there are just not available or in the budget. If that isn’t in the budget, is this product more feasible? Maybe as a rental. I’m not sure. I think the video makes a good case for why this product is a good option for companies with the budget and stock for conventional follow-spots. I’m also glad that this high-tech product won’t be putting spot-operators out of work! I definitely like the idea and hope to see people putting it to use and finding new creative ways to use it.
I was wondering when PRG was going to come out with a follow spot that can be controlled from an auxiliary unit. It seems like they have done a great job with making this product look and feel like a traditional follow spot. Judging from the video it looks as thought you have more control over the fixture. It helps that you can control it from almost anywhere in the space. I have to agree with Jacob on this one-- pricing this product is going to be tough because although PRG is one of the only companies to have product like this on the market I just don’t see many theatre companies spending their budgets on something that is essentially a toy. Latencies is also going to be an issue that many people will be concerned about. It is hard enough as it is to follow someone on a stage with a traditional follow spot but to now do it from a 12X6 screen is going to add complication to the process. I will be interested to see how much hype this product gets.
This product was one of the cooler things to come out of LDI last year. The ability to put a followspot anywhere in a truss rig without worrying about an operator is a huge benefit to the concert industry. This is a logical successor to PRG’s manual Bad Boy Followspot Controller. Chris and Jacob mentioned the latency being an issue, but I disagree. The latency between this device and the moving fixture will be no more than a traditional lighting console. There’s a wired DMX connection between the operator and the fixture. The only point at which latency could arise is in the software of the control unit. Judging from the demo video, the spot tracked the operator’s movement very well and in virtually real-time. I’ve also seen a few videos of these being used in actual concerts (sorry I couldn’t find them to link here), and they worked really well. Adding even 1000 feet of cable won’t impart any noticeable latency into the system, since data travels through copper extraordinarily quickly. I agree with Jasmine in that this product could have uses for theatre as well as concerts. The only bad thing about this product is that it’s proprietary. There’s PRG for you.
This seems revolutionary and groundbreaking, but I’m not so sure that it is. Essentially, it is just a really fancy remote control for a light. The impressive part of this is the response to the movement from the operator. In a lot of systems that involve some kind of mechanical remote, the response is terrible. This seems like it works incredibly well. This also seems like it could be a great tool in training people on how to run a followspot. I can see this technology being used a lot in arenas. Though I’ve never done it, I’ve heard stories of followspot operators being placed in tall scaffolding or even in boom lifts for a concert. This could eliminate the need for an operator to be in a less than ideal location while operating the light. I think this is something that the School of Drama should try to get a hold of to test.
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