UK - A.C. Special Projects (ACSP) Ltd. returned as the headline sponsor for the 2012 National Railway Museum's (NRM) annual student lighting competition, Locos in a Different Light held in York, UK.
The competition, which is now in its fourth year, invites students who are studying lighting courses from institutions all over the UK to design, install and implement theatrical lighting schemes for the museum's many historic locomotive displays in their prestigious 'Great Hall'.
ACSP played an integral role in the event, supplying a range of leading entertainment technology equipment, as well as providing first line technical support and product training for students participating in the competition.
As well as their access to a huge range of entertainment technology brands, ACSP also have extensive experience supplying industry-standard technical facilities and lighting, audio, video and rigging solutions to the education and performance markets.
2012's event attracted six teams of students - 35 in total - from institutions including Rose Bruford College, York College, North Hertfordshire College and The University of Glamorgan.
After an initial briefing, the teams were given six and a half hours to meticulously plan their installations, learn their kit, install and programme their lighting designs.
As part of the briefing ACSP demonstrated a range of the very latest cutting edge technologies from Jands Vista, Chroma-Q, GLP, Robe and Zero 88 - all of which were supplied by ACSP from their extensive portfolio of brands.
ACSP staff were on hand throughout the day to help students realise their designs and give any technical or product support as necessary.
Sam Squires, a student from Rose Bruford explains how ACSP helped his team to familiarise themselves with a Jands Vista lighting and media control console, "ACSP gave us an in-depth demonstration of the Vista before we got started, which helped us all get to grips with it...We loved the logic behind Vista and found it incredibly easy to use."
He adds that: "The support ACSP gave us throughout the day was great; from running through our initial design ideas, to helping us achieve the best results from the equipment we had."
The competition itself lasts for only two hours. In that time, students must install their kit and present their designs to a panel of judges made up of museum staff and lighting design professionals.
Each design was graded on a series of criteria including object interpretation, storytelling, object conservation, health & safety and energy efficiency.
This year's winning team were students from Rose Bruford's Creative Lighting Programme. As part of the prize each team member was awarded £50, as well as being invited back to the NRM to learn how to drive a steam locomotive in the museum's south yard.
After the competition was completed, the NRM opened its doors to the public as part of the Illuminating York Festival, allowing visitors to enjoy the students' magnificent designs - truly putting the locomotives 'in a different light'.
The event was co-organised by Edward Fagan, Helen Ashby and Rose Lindsay-Smith. Students from York College's Production Arts course crewed the event, while all generic lighting equipment was supplied by Amersham & Wycombe College. All heavy mains distribution, cabling and data was provided by Henley Theatre Services.
Edward Fagan comments, "I am extremely grateful for ACSP's sponsorship of Locos in a Different Light, without whose input it is very difficult to provide the volume and standard of equipment required... The provision of high end technologies and expert advice from ACSP makes the experience of this event, for the young people competing and the visitors; second to none."
