The project is the first US installation for Robert Juliat’s motorised Victor followspots with RJNET electronics.
Jim Caudle, technician for the San Francisco Ballet stated that when the Opera was remodelled and seismically upgraded in 1996, they purchased 172 profiles. The Opera bought a few HMI Profiles and the Ballet added two more, and Victor followspots are the most recent purchase. The building is shared by both Opera and Ballet, which have consecutive seasons. There are permanent followspot positions for both companies and the Victors remain in place for both seasons.
During the commissioning of the spots, an issue was discovered with the RJNET. The technical staff stated that Robert Juliat provided exceptional support during the process of diagnosing and correcting the problem and took every measure possible to ensure that the Opera and Ballet performances were never interrupted or compromised. They also supplied a complete spare followspot to keep on hand and sent a technician to San Francisco to upgrade the systems.
The lamphouse of RJ Victor followspots contains hot restrike ignition; high-performance double condenser optical system; 100% closing iris with backplate follower in a removable cassette; 100% closing mechanical dimmer; ‘A’ size gobo holder; six-way colour changer system equipped with removable filter frames; frost filter frame on flip lever; IR filter frame on flip lever; and 3m follow spot cable equipped with Harting 16x16A + E.
Robert Juliat lights are used by customers who include Cirque du Soleil, Celine Dion, New York’s Lincoln Center, LA’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Bruce Springsteen, Disney Theme Parks, Carnegie Hall, The San Francisco Opera and Ballet, The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Comedie Francaise, The Sydney Opera House, and theatres, schools and public venues around the world.
