HOW IT WORKS
People make great follow spot operators. They watch the show, anticipate a performer’s next move and follow it smoothly, precisely and accurately. The best spot ops have always bettered attempts to automate or computerise the process.
Spotrack has changed that...
Using a patented 3D tracking system, one operator in a convenient location can follow a performer with up to twenty moving lights. This is achieved by means of a mouse or touchscreen, on a camera-fed display which shows a view of the full stage and its surroundings.
Easier and safer, Spotrack opens up a whole new world of lighting possibilities...
Spotrack consists of one or two cameras, a computer and a DMX interface. One camera is positioned to give a full view of the stage and one to give a wider view of the surrounding space. The image is shown on a computer screen, allowing the spot operator to follow the performer with a mouse. DMX from the console is then fed into Spotrack, then out to the lights.
Spotrack can work with any type of moving light, although it works best with lights that can move quickly, so they can keep up!
Spotrack and the moving lights are calibrated so that Spotrack knows where they are relative to the stage. Each light is calibrated by focusing it to just two points, making the process quick and easy. There are no sensors, belt packs, transmitters or receivers to set up, calibrate or for performers to wear.
For each light, Spotrack has a control channel that governs whether it is being controlled by the lighting console or by Spotrack. For instance, an operator may use one light as a follow spot whilst the rest do something else! If there’s a need to follow more than one person at the same time or with more than twenty lights, the technology is modular, so another Spotrack system can be integrated!
When Spotrack is in control, the system works out where the spotlights should point to on the stage in relation to where the operator is pointing on the computer screen. In real time, Spotrack calculates the pan-tilt values to aim the lights under its control, constantly updating these values as the target moves.
This technology frees the spot operators to concentrate on what they do best - following! The operator can be positioned anywhere - including safely on the ground, whilst controlling lights on that impossible-to-get-to backlight bar.