All Robe for Scala & Kolacny Brothers posted: 14/06/2016
Kristof van Mensel is one of a new wave of highly original LDs from Benelux, and currently part of innovative design and programming collective, TCF bvba (The Creative Factory). He's involved in a myriad of exciting lighting and visual projects that embrace multiple performance genres from hardstyle dance to choral!
The eleven 20th anniversary concerts staged by Scala & Kolacny Brothers at the Stadsfeesthall in Aarschot, where their whole concept which is now world famous started was a great opportunity for him to utilize nearly 150 Robe fixtures to deliver these memorable and visually compelling sold-out performances, playing to 750 people a time.
The award winning women's choir is conducted by Stijn Kolacny and accompanied by Steven Kolacny on piano. Their material is an eclectic mix of special arrangements from well-known artists like Coldplay, Metallica, Radiohead, U2, Nirvana and many others, interspersed with their own material. As you might expect, it veers from classical to rock to full-on techno; from raw and intense to delicate and ephemeral in the same breath!
The 20th anniversary shows featured around 70 members of Scala and also had a narrative, running through Scala's timeline and highlights from the last 20 years. They are constantly touring worldwide, and Kristof has been the lighting and visuals designer and operator for the last four.
The biggest challenge was shoe-horning the amount of production needed to deliver the show of this stature into the venue, which offered a 20 metre wide stage, but with no more than 5 metres of headroom and almost no wing and backstage space. It was also optimised to fit as many seats as possible with the demand for tickets sky high!
The lighting rig included 9 x Robe BMFL Blades, 40 x LEDBeam 100s, 38 x CycFX 8s, 22 x 600E Spots, 24 x CityFlex 48s and 12 x LEDWash 600s.
A row of 20 x CycFX 8s along the back were rigged to low profile truss. These were above a 20 metre wide 10 mm pitch LED screen which formed the backdrop and integrated seamlessly with the lighting.
He wanted a big wash at the back to cover the whole stage, and with the output and effects, the CycFX 8s were perfect explains Kristof. Being only 10 cm deep, they made an extremely neat linear statement, virtually flush with the truss. The other 18 were positioned along the front of the stage, positioned unobtrusively in the footlights positions. Together they gave a fabulous even wash coverage which was nice and tight and easy to focus .
The 12 x LEDWash 600s were hung around the sides and front of the stage on scaffolding and used for illuminating the audience during the song Evigheden , where members of the choir stand out amidst them. He also used them for strobing and a few other surprise funky effects!
The nine BMFL Blades were on the advanced truss which was tight to the roof above the front rows of audience. Ideal for general washes and specials, It's pretty awesome being able to do everything on just 9 lights, stated Kristof.
The LEDBeam 100s were scattered all along the back truss which was actually two ground supported trusses side by side, one facilitating lighting and the other the LED screen.
The LEDBeams are great for long, low spaces like this where you can really increase the sense of depth by using them judiciously. Being reliable, light and small, you can squeeze a lot into a small space!
The 600E Spots were also chosen for their small and neat dimensions, and rigged along the top and bottom rails of the back truss, creating breakups onto the floor, hard-edged beamy looks and and slow movement effects.
TCF also created content for the show which was stored on an AI media server triggered by Kristof via his ChamSys MQ console with Playback and Execute wings.
All the equipment was supplied by Belgian rental company L & L Stage Service based in Herentals.
Stijn Kolacny underlines the importance of the lighting and Kristof's role as both designer and operator, Our live shows overturn many people's conventional expectations of a choir and the lighting and visuals are an essential element of that experience .
Stijn personally likes the Robe LEDWashes in particular and the way they can change colours extremely slowly and subtly, helping to create a real magical environment for the more delicate pieces of music .
Kristof has been a Robe user for several years and was one of the first LDs in Benelux to beta test the prototype BMFL Spots - in the Pussy Lounge arena at Tomorrowland 2014 - just ahead of their launch.
I like the diversity of Robe's ranges, and the fact that there are multiple choices of fixtures, so you can keep going to Robe whatever the style and genre of show you're lighting, he observes, adding that he thinks the manufacturer is also good at keeping a few jumps ahead of the competition!
Scala and Kolacny Brothers have used Robe lights on their touring rigs and riders for a very long time - way before Kristof was involved and are probably one of Robe's longest-running touring artists!
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
All Robe for Scala & Kolacny Brothers posted: 14/06/2016 
