When The London Studios – home of ITV – began looking for new lighting control desks to replace the aging systems in their three studios, they knew they had a challenge on their hands. Television lighting directors and board operators are difficult to please, and only accept desks which fit their style.
Mick Cocker, sales director of Lighting Logic, brought a range of different desks for the operators to try out, leaving the desks at the studios for a few weeks while they were assessed. Last year, after some four years of searching, the operators decided on an ETC Congo and Congo jr for each of their three studios, plus another Congo jr with fader wing for each studio floor.
Project engineer at ITV Steve Usher says: “In the TV lighting world, operators are only interested in the lighting, and not the technology. The old desks needed increasingly frequent repairs, and it was becoming harder to get spares. We looked at lots of different options, but it was difficult to find one which all the operators were confident about using. We were looking for a desk which was sophisticated, capable and flexible.”
To change the desks over, the studios needed to be taken out of use for a few days – and with the studios as busy as they are, finding a slot was difficult. Continues Steve: “The previous desks worked on DMX, so we needed to completely recable for Ethernet. In front of the operator in each control room is a Congo; out of sight under the desk is a Congo jr operating synchonised backup all the time. Should the Congo fail, the Congo jr can be lifted out of its hiding place and set to work immediately.”
John Pocock, a freelance lighting operator who worked for ITV for 30 years, explains how the operators decided on Congo: “We wanted a modern version of what we had already – something which would be easy to pick up and work with. In TV, we need to get hold of things quickly – so lots of direct selects are good ¬– and we wanted a desk on which we could quickly learn the basic functions, and pick up more at our leisure. The Congo was perfect, with a familiar programming syntax, and extremely efficient to work with.
“ETC provided two days of training, which was excellent, but the test was when we first came to use the desk for a show. The support from ETC has been excellent, and I’ve also made good use of their online user forums. I’m particularly impressed with the way other users and ETC staff – including the product developers – jump in to help whenever you post a question. I’ve never known such good support.”
John, who also lights amateur dramatic productions, was so impressed with the Congo jr that he went and bought one for himself, to use for his freelance work.
Mick Cocker says: “We’re really pleased to be installing lighting control systems at ITV. After years of searching for just the right desks, ETC fitted perfectly. All the installations have gone perfectly, thanks to efficient working between ourselves and the technical guys at ITV and with the support of ETC, both on site and on the phone. So far, we’ve successfully installed desks in two studios, and are waiting for August, when the facilities are quiet, to do the third and final installation.”