The Rady Shell Invests in A.C. Lighting's Follow-Me Located in the heart of San Diego, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park is an architectural wonder on the edge of San Diego bay. Opening in the summer of 2021, The Rady Shell, operated by the San Diego Symphony, was looking for a reliable follow-spot system they could use during the symphony, concerts, and events held at The Rady Shell. Jason Rothberg, technical director, and lighting designer at The Rady Shell understood the unique challenges that his venue faced. Being an outdoor venue, Rothberg knew that a traditional follow-spot would not be an option. While the original design centered around a brand-specific moving light and tracking system, the venue, sitting on the San Diego Bay wanted a system that would meet IP65 standards for outdoor use. The team at The Rady Shell worked closely with Jason Reberski, CEO of Chicago-based JRLX, and identified A.C. Lighting's Follow-Me as the perfect solution that would allow them to use any IP65 rated moving light to meet their unique challenges. Reberski says, "The "open-source" nature of the Follow-Me system -- coupled with its years of successful use on the market is ultimately what led me to recommend it for this application. As we supplied a vast automated lighting rig for The Rady Shell project, I knew that almost any fixture in the plot could function as a follow-spot or tracking back-light." In addition to the IP65 challenge, all of the lighting positions at The Shell are angled. With each fixture mounted on an angle and curving catwalks at different trim heights, Follow-Me SIX 3D auto-calculates the unique XYZ values for each fixture and makes set-up and calibration a snap. The Follow-Me system utilizes a camera, providing each Follow-Me operator with a clear view to easily see the entire complex stage at The Rady Shell, the company says. "Follow-Me turned out to be an incredible solution for us," explains Reberski. "The software can work with any moving light allowing us to utilize any IP65 rated fixture. We have Follow-Me working with twenty-three Proteus Maximus fixtures by Elation." The Follow-Me works in unison with the grandMA3 console and network allowing Follow-Me to control an unlimited number of fixtures, eliminating the need to dedicate moving lights as follow-spots. Fixtures can be selected on a cue-by-cue basis. "We can switch between fixtures throughout the show depending on who we need to follow. A single operator can control a front and backlight on one target. Our follow-spot operators now sit backstage, and we can use as many fixtures in the system as we want," remarks Rothberg. The Shell's system includes four Follow-Me fader consoles and four Follow-Me mouse consoles, in a portable rack. With four control systems connecting to one rack, the crew can operate Follow-Me from anywhere in the facility. For more info, visit: marketing.aclighting.com/TheRadyShell_pr or call 416.255.9494 marketing.aclighting.com/TheRadyShell_jrlx 
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