Claypaky Lights Up the Future at Prolight + Sound 2018

	Claypaky at Prolight + Sound

Claypaky experienced a stellar Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt last week with a new concept in theme booths, and innovative products for the present and future of quality stage lighting.

The Claypaky booth concept was based on three theme showrooms. Demos were performed in each one by alternating lighting techniques with highly evocative visual effects. The result was an absorbing multimedia mix, which fascinated the almost 3,000 spectators who visited the showrooms over the course of four days.

"We saw enormous interest," said CEO Pio Nahum and marketing manager Davide Barbetta. "The theme itinerary through the three showrooms worked in a continuous cycle, yet there were visitors waiting to enter at every time of day, and their numbers even increased on the last days. We think word got round of a highly detailed demo, put together by our technical team consisting of Claypaky's lighting designers, Marco Zucchinali and Giulia Sabeva, and visual design experts."

The Zac-Eye, which made its international debut at the show, aroused much attention. It is the first stand-alone follow-spot to use artificial intelligence: the movements of Claypaky lights are controlled automatically by a highly innovative device that connects to them via Ethernet. Its 3D optical sensor detects all the objects on stage, and a sophisticated algorithm distinguishes human shapes from the rest of the surroundings. In this way, it is possible to follow up to four actors on stage independently and automatically with any Claypaky light.

The AXCOR 300 family of ultra-compact LED moving heads was presented for the first time at Prolight + Sound. The Axcor Spot, Axcor Wash, and Axcor Beam, equipped with max. 180W white LEDs, aroused a great deal of interest among all the lighting professionals at the show owing to their high performance at an affordable price. The company says the "quality of their effects, their practical built-in features, and their high light output stem from the high-end products Claypaky is specialized in." The AXCOR 300 models bring new modes of creative expression to theatres, tours, events, TV studios, and fixed installations.

There was also great interest in the debut of the HEPIKOS, an innovative Claypaky beam-wash light, which houses all the most highly advanced optical, mechanical, and electronic technology available today in a compact body. It is built around a 440W Osram discharge lamp, and is the perfect complement to Mythos / Mythos 2 units on stage. It features a color system able to produce very rich and varied colors, and a 5- to 40-degree zoom, which gives a bright wash effect at maximum beam angle. Thanks to its 7.25" (185mm) diameter plano-convex front lens and its narrow 5-degree angle, it is also able to produce a sharp, full-bodied beam effect, which can be used for charming aerial effects with saturated colors.

The AXCOR PROFILE 900 is a beam-shaping spotlight which uses a white LED engine with very high light output. It has a total power consumption of almost 900W and luminous flux of 46,000 lumens. Thanks to its considerable light output, the Axcor Profile 900 goes straight in at the top of its category and expresses the best in modern technology in every parameter, including the characteristics of the white and colored light it emits, its ability to produce perfectly sharp projections, and the precision micro-mechanics in its exclusive shaping system.

The K-EYE HCR is a LED wash light which gives the user total control over all forms of white and colored light. The new HCR technology used in the K-EYE is an exclusive electronic platform developed by Claypaky in conjunction with Osram. The heart of the K-EYE HCR wash light is an LED light source consisting of a six-color module: in addition to the three basic "classic" colors (red, green, and blue), Claypaky has added amber, cyan, and lime. This exclusive Claypaky device produces a very wide range of colors with excellent color spectrum coverage and an extraordinary CRI of over 97, right up to 99.

K-EYE static versions are also available, which may be manually adjusted over 210-degrees. They are designed specifically for wash lighting backdrops, and have the same optical, electronic, and lighting features as the mobile versions, including a 6- to 50-degree motorized linear zoom.

During the annual Claypaky distributor meeting, the usual Ambassador of Light Awards were held. They were presented to the Claypaky distributors who stood out during 2017.

Here are the award winning companies:

Distributor of the Year -- Interlite -- Sweden

Most Progressive Distributor -- Claypaky Italia - Italy

Best Performance -- ACT Lighting -- USA

Most Loyal Distributor -- ACE -- China

Amazing Determination -- Marbo Trade -- Romania

Best Open Day -- Dimatec -- France

Alberico D'Amato, Claypaky sales director, said: "We are happy to have outstanding partners we can count on all over the world. With these awards, Claypaky aims to acknowledge not only the most efficient partners in terms of sales, but also those who have distinguished themselves on their markets for the quality of the commercial and marketing actions they have undertaken to promote our brand with professionalism and a sense of belonging."