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Mitsumasa Hayashi – Lights more Leading Ladies with Robe

Mitsumasa Hayashi is a leading Japanese lighting designer who works internationally on a diversity of shows for numerous music artists and high profile events.

Known for his precision, attention to detail and inventive approach, his professional lighting industry career started in 1975 when he was involved in the foundation of the Shikoku Stage & Television Lighting Corporation.  In 1986 he moved to Tokyo and established his own office and lighting design practice, following his passion for imaginative lighting and the desire to expand the worldwide scope of his design work. In 2007 he founded STUFISH Japan (now called Live Art) to work more creatively and closely with the late architect of entertainment, Mark Fisher. He also heads his own production company, Mula Corporation.

He is now busy lighting a plethora of projects including concerts, tours and live events / spectaculars.

Hayashi chooses the lighting fixtures for a show based on the merits and impact each has as a creative tool in relation to the project, the objects or people he wants to light … he does not pick a luminaire because it’s trending technology, there has to be a solid practical and appropriate reason for a unit being on his lighting spec.

He memorably used 46 x Robe Pointes to light 25 farewell concerts by the ‘Queen of Taiwanese Music’ Jody Chiang in late 2015. The lights were rigged on arched trusses and sculpted into elegant and eye-catching curves which became a ‘signature’ look for these highly acclaimed shows, enjoyed live by over 250,000 people.

Hayashi spent a lot of time evaluating which fixtures to use to create these now famous curves before deciding on Pointes. “It was the frost function on the Pointe that was the decider … this enabled me to have a classier and more refined curved line of lights,” he explained.

Robe’s BMFL WashBeam is another fixture he is currently using – an ‘EV’ (extended version) with a second gobo on-board instead of the animation wheel. Hayashi explains, “I had a very good first impression of the WashBeam, as it has a characteristic ‘hotspot’ which I feel gives depth to the fixture’s beam quality. But since I didn’t need the animation wheel, I had it replaced with the second gobo wheel. I was satisfied with this expanded version - WashBeam EV. Thus, I added these fixtures to my inventory’’.

Recent Hayashi shows to feature BMFL WashBeam EVs include a large one off for popular Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actress Faye Wong in Shanghai.

Sixty-nine BMFL WashBeam EVs and 40 x Pointes played a major visual role in this show which had striking video elements in use constantly throughout, including a rear screen and some curved screens onstage that moved.

Hayashi used the BMFL WashBeam EVs extensively in some songs and Pointes as highlighting fixtures in others. 

WashBeam EVs and Pointes were rigged on overhead concentric circular trusses. Pointes were rigged on his own 12 metre diameter Parasol ACS40 (Autonomous Carrier System) rotator which added further dynamics to the visuals. BMFL WashBeam EVs were also used for top lighting on the artist, for highlighting the front stage area and for sidelights.

“The fixtures’ output quality, even at lower intensity, allowed me to obtain the balance I wanted between lighting and video and as a result, both worked together very harmoniously.”  

His design for the current major tour by Japanese singer, composer, lyricist and pianist Yumi Matsutoya (Yuming) - who has sold over 42 million records and commands a massive fan base throughout Asia – also includes BMFL WashBeam EVs. Lighting for this has been programmed by Mike ‘Oz’ Owen, equipment is supplied by the Mula Corporation and the tour continues throughout 2017.

 

Photo Credit: Mula Corporation

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