Robe moving lights have been installed in the main theatre and club venues aboard Mein Schiff 3, the latest state-of-the-art cruise liner to be delivered from the STX Finland shipyard in Turku to German-based operator TUI Cruises.
Lighting for the two areas has been designed and specified by Chris Moylan of Berlin-based Optikalusion, who designs touring shows and assorted live and special events. He is currently designing lighting, video and automation for TUI Cruises’ new shows and consulting on equipping the key entertainment locations on their new vessels. He collaborated closely with TUI Cruises’ head of technical, Torsten Hirche, to come up with a dynamic lighting rig that could meet all the various demands on Mein Schiff 3.
In the 1,000-capacity theatre, the core of the lighting rig is 47 Robe ROBIN DLF Washes, which are rigged above the stage and used as the main wash fixtures front and back lighting. They are joined by 16 ROBIN LEDWash 800 fixtures, some used for side lighting and some positioned on the stage deck where the requirement is for a small, neat and bright unit.
The Abtanzbar nightclub is fitted with 36 ROBIN LEDBeams in a matrix shape over the dance floor, which looks “very cool” according to Moylan.
Mein Schiff 3 – and her identical sister ship Mein Schiff 4, to be delivered in 2015 – feature energy-efficient power plants and solutions that reduce emissions by 30%, setting standards for the cruise liner industry. It made sense to continue this carbon-conscious approach with the lighting.
Moylan chose the DLFs for their good zoom range (5.5 – 60 degrees), the barn-doors for shuttering and because the RGBW LED module makes it an ideal fixture for lighting costumes.
The LEDWash 800s were also chosen for the RGBW LED module and the quality of light this produces, including “proper” whites, and also because the fixtures are small and powerful.
The LEDBeam 100s offer tiny size and weight, speed, an intense narrow beam, great colours and cost-effectiveness. Also, because the club ceiling is low, a small fixture was essential.
Control for both venues is via grandMA2 running over ArtNet.
Moylan was also involved in the re-design and re-lighting the two previous Mein Schiffs. This resulted in 14 LEDWash 600s being installed for front lighting in the main theatre on Mein Schiff 2 and 14 LEDWash 300s on Mein Schiff 1 which he says have withstood life on the high seas very well. It was after the re-lighting of these two ships that he was asked to be involved much earlier in lighting MS3’s primary entertainment areas.
Moylan has utilised various Robe products in his work for some time. He likes LEDWash range very much and comments that Robe was the first manufacturer to “get it right” with an LED wash fixture. He thinks the Pointes are “incredible” and are his “favourite” multi-purpose effect light at the moment for TV and live shows. “Robe always keep coming up with interesting innovations,” he says.
