Moving light History Help

[Brian]

OK, with a bit of a scan or 8 later I've put 8 pdf files onto some web space here.

[Yevrag]

http://www.plsn.com/cgi/issue/viewissue.cg...7&id=1100207499

This is a pretty good if 2 dimensional article about the early days. It gives credit to Vari-lite but also mentions the Richardson's "Panaspot", Chameleon's "Telescan", Graf's "Cyklops" and even Izenour's moving freznels.

 

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_..._36/ai_85879431

This is an interview with Jim Bornhorst that also sheds some light ( ;)) on the subject. The only ancillary that should be added to this is that Jack Calmes, (actress Morgan Fairchild's first husband :D ) one of Showco's three founders (along with Rusty Brutsche and Jack Maxon) parted ways with the other two just prior to the Vari-lite's debut. Sometime in the early 80s, he threatened or possibly initiated litigation against the company saying that the Vari-lite's development was hidden from him because Brutche and Maxons knew Calmes was parting ways and didn't want to share intellectual property rights. I don't know if it ever went to court or if they settled. In hindsight, considering the success of the product and regardless of what kind of settlement he may or may not have gotten, my guess is he's probably not pleased. ;)

 

http://www.keepmedia.com/ShowItemDetails.d...464&extID=10026

This is less informative about the early days but it does give credit to Bornhorst and Showco for developing the first "modern day" moving luminaire.

 

Hope this helps.

m

;)

[londonjim]

Er no..............I think you'll find that Vari*Lite have a patent on certain aspects of data control for moving luminaires, or at least they had. I read the patent in Manchester Central Library, so it must have been ten years ago. In fact, here is the link for Jim Bornhorst's 1983 patent

 

Its nothing to do with the VL1, but the VL5 has a patent on the radial colour changing, grabbing a brochure from PRG/VLPS will tell you that.