Philips Selecon PL1s for Lady Gaga Exhibit, Madame Tussauds, London In December 2010, the wax figure of one of the world's most flamboyant and individual performers -- Lady Gaga -- simultaneously took to the stage at eight Madame Tussauds attractions around the world. Ensuring her London debut was a glittering affair, Simon Morris, Madame Tussauds' show services manager, augmented the press launch lighting with the latest Philips Selecon LED lighting fixture -- the PL1. Morris' brief was to achieve a high-energy live music atmosphere that would excite the media without compromising the press photographers' ability to capture clear shots of the Lady Gaga figure: "My brief for the main lighting state was to emulate a photographic studio shoot," explains Morris. "Our biggest challenge was achieving the same color temperature as studio flash lighting, while conveying a theatrical and suitably dramatic style. "The PL1 certainly delivered on its promise. It's fully tunable, high-output, LED light engine can support color temperatures from 3,000K to 5,600K, plus full RGB color mixing. We set the fixtures to 5,000K. After that it was simply a case of balancing the levels to achieve the desired effect." Morris used two PL1s for backlight, which illuminated the infamous telephone hat while creating a dramatic halo effect during the unveiling. The fixtures also gave real depth to the Lady Gaga figure's handmade outfit. Further PL1s provided side and top light, ensuring the figure was evenly lit from all angles. The result was that the impressively realistic wax figure looked three dimensional and almost alive in every photograph. Morris confirms the satisfaction of the Madame Tussauds team: "Their comments have been proof positive that we met and exceeded the brief, he reports. "We will definitely use the PL1s on all future figure launches. The fact that we can control the fixtures' color temperature and keep it consistent, even when dimmed, is a real advantage." Paul Rees, sales director for Architainment Lighting, the company that supplied the PL1 fixtures to Tussauds, says: "This marks the first ever UK sale of the PL1. They made perfect sense in this application. Simon chose the PL1s because they offer a fully tunable color LED source with a high-level output that can easily cut through the moving light output. What impressed him most about the PL1 is that it can maintain the same color-rendering characteristics, even at low light levels (less than 50 lux). The added bonus of a variable beam (14-50 degrees), plus beam-shaping barn doors, meant that Simon could keep the lighting tightly focused, sharp and professional looking." The Gaga wax figures are currently on display at Tussauds attractions in London, Amsterdam, Berlin, New York, Hollywood, Las Vegas, Shanghai and Hong Kong. 
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