Canada's Markham Museum Event Supercharged with Chauvet Professional

	Markham Museum's historic Transportation Hall

In the comics and movies Clark Kent changes into his Superman attire in a phone booth. Now that cell phones have dispatched those booths to the dustbin of history, real life superheroes have had to come up with more inventive wardrobe changes. Such was the case recently at Canada's historic Markham Museum, where the man of steel surprised everyone by leaving the room in a tuxedo, before quickly reappearing with his cape escorting his beautiful bride on his arm.

Adding to the impact of the grand entrance was a dramatic color change, as the entire room was suddenly bathed in the iconic Superman red and blue. This transformation wasn't the result of some super human power, however; it was made courtesy of 20 LED WELL Series uplighting fixtures from Chauvet Professional.

Matthew Beauchamp of Mobile Productions of Toronto, created the memorable moment at this Canadian wedding after receiving a request from the groom. "The man was a huge Comic Con fan and was obsessed with Superman," Beauchamp said. "He came up with the costume idea and the Chauvet fixtures gave us the perfect lighting accompaniment. The smile on his face as the room changed colors was priceless. As the couple made their way to the middle of the dance floor after their introductions, I slowly transitioned the uplighting back to the original medium hue of purple for a beautiful backdrop."

Beauchamp positioned 20 WELL 2.0 fixtures around the museum's Historic Transportation Hall also known as the Speight Wagon Company/Port Arthur Wagon Company Factory. An acclaimed attraction throughout Ontario, the exhibit features an elaborate three-dimensional façade of a wagon stop house with a wraparound porch, display cabinets and artifacts from the early 19th century.

Featuring a "building within a building," the museum is one of the more unique venues in which to hold an event. However it does present special challenges from a lighting standpoint. The historic building facade immediately attracts the attention of everyone who enters the room, so not illuminating it can make a lighting design seem incomplete. Yet, it is often overlooked by designers for practical reasons.

"This venue does not commonly accent this wall with lighting, even though it's a main focal point of the room, because of the challenges presented by the venue's layout and power restraints," said Beauchamp. "However thanks to the WELL fixtures and their 12-hour battery-powered technology, this issue quickly was resolved. We didn't have to worry about power supply. Plus the mirror finish of the fixtures took on the aesthetics of the room wall and blended into the décor."

Beauchamp also praised the color rendering capabilities of the WELL fixtures. "From the beginning of my site inspections and consultations with my clients, I knew that the WELL fixtures were the perfect fit for this event," he said. "The color blending capability of the fixtures gave me the opportunity to really create the 'wow factor' that my clients were seeking."

"I was able to match their color scheme with a medium hue of purple using RGB color mixing and color temperature presets," continued Beauchamp. "I took it a step further by providing the wedding party with a surprise for their introductions. By utilizing the WELL's built-in wireless DMX receivers and my lighting software program, I developed a lighting sequence that would mimic multiple flashes similar to a paparazzi camera flash, so when they were introduced into the room the entire venue would simultaneously flash to build the atmosphere."

Beauchamp's work with the WELLs not only wowed his clients; it also made quite an impression on the marketing team at the Markham Museum. The popular attraction, which draws over 50,000 visitors a year, requested permission to use photos of the lighting design in its advertising material.

See Chauvet Professional at PLASA Focus: Kansas City, May 20 - 21.