Vari-Lite's VL2600 Profile is a Trusty Silent Partner for BBC Proms

	Television LD Bernie Davis chose Vari-Lite's LED-based VL2600 Profile as a quiet, high quality keylight instrument for the prestigious, televised festival of classical music. Photo: CBeebies Prom

Television lighting director Bernie Davis successfully trialed the new VL2600 Profile LED luminaire from Vari-Lite, a Signify entertainment lighting brand, on the prestigious BBC Proms classical music festival this summer.

Staged through August and September at London's Royal Albert Hall, the BBC Proms has an intense schedule, with concerts broadcast daily on BBC Radio and many performances recorded or broadcast live on BBC Television. With such time pressures, it's essential for lighting fixtures to be reliable and versatile, but also quiet in operation and great-looking on camera.

"I was looking for a good, programmable profile spot that would be quiet enough for use on the Proms, yet flexible enough to provide a high-quality light source with good zoom range, good shuttering on a flat field, and color suitable for camera," says Davis.

Having seen a demo of VL2600 Profile, Davis decided to trial them on the Proms. He positioned them on an advance truss, quite high over the front of the stage. "They seemed to meet all those needs comfortably," he says. "They were very successful in keying items all around the hall, particularly during the children's 'CBeebies' Prom, which had action everywhere, even a rocket that 'launched' from the area lift!"

Overall, the VL2600 Profiles delivered a pleasing performance, says Davis. "The very flat field and good shutter performance makes them very usable. Their color performance on camera is very good, and the wide zoom range is an essential for me, as they can answer so many demands during the season."