Follow-Me DELT∆ Powers Landmark ABOUT YOU Fashion Show

Follow-Me DELT∆ made its first full-scale live deployment at the recent ABOUT YOU fashion show, where the tracking system enabled precise key lighting across an 80-metre runway inside Berlin's historic Tempelhof Airport.

Working for the design team at Light Art Studios GmbH, tracking specialist Christian Glatthor of Rocketchris deployed the Follow-Me DELT∆ system to meet the production's demanding technical requirements. Staged inside the iconic 1930s airport terminal, the event required accurate performer tracking across a lengthy catwalk while preserving the venue's industrial aesthetic and working within strict structural limitations.

With no overhead rigging points available and tight floor load restrictions in place, the lighting team positioned fixtures on the floor, balconies and existing truss structures, with some operating at angles of up to 60 degrees. The production also required simultaneous tracking of multiple models moving across the runway, creating a level of complexity that would have been difficult to achieve using conventional followspot systems.

Keylight Operator Ole Güllich and Lighting Designer Raphael Grebenstein, who served as Co-Lead Designers for Light Art Studios GmbH, established the creative vision for the show from the outset.

"The overall goal was to keep most of the airport aesthetics; that was the main theme of the show," Güllich explained. "We wanted to go rather minimalistic, no big rigs over the catwalk. But we also had to ensure good key light across the whole runway."

Explaining the tracking challenge, Güllich added: "We would not have been able to handle this with a normal follow spot system. You have four models at the same time on the runway, all in different positions, and you have to watch four positions simultaneously to hand off to the next fixture group. That wouldn’t be possible with any other system."

The decision to deploy Follow-Me DELT∆ was made early in the planning process. Rocketchris installed four DELT∆ systems with four Operator Boxes, connecting 52 spot fixtures and 48 wash lights, while cameras were mounted along the full length of the 80-metre truss.

A key element of the deployment was the new DELT∆ Operator Box, which automatically switched camera views as performers moved along the runway, allowing each operator to focus solely on their assigned target while reducing the number of displays required.

"Normally on a runway this wide, you're constantly compensating, switching views, second-guessing positions," said Glatthor. "With the Follow-Me DELT∆ Operator Box, that just… disappeared. It gets so much easier!"

Four Robe iForte LTX fixtures were calibrated using DELT∆'s Beam Map feature to maintain consistent beam size, sharpness and a constant 600 lux across the entire runway.

"Beam mapping sounds like a big thing, but in reality it was very manageable," he explained. "We had our key points, did the checks, and within about half an hour it was done. After that, it just works without adding complexity for the operator."

The production also utilised DELT∆'s Zone and Action functionality to automatically manage fixture assignment and intensity across JB-Lighting P12 spots, Robe iForte LTX fixtures and X5 wash lights as models moved through different areas of the runway. Crossfades and fixture handovers were handled automatically, reducing operator workload throughout the show.

"This removes a whole layer of manual coordination," said Glatthor. "You're no longer busy fixing technical stuff, so you can actually focus on what the lighting should look like."

The Tempelhof production represented the first live deployment of Follow-Me DELT∆ in a real-world production environment and the first time Rocketchris had introduced the platform on a live show.

"I've never before experienced a successor system that works just as well as its predecessor right out of the gate," he said. "With our first production using DELT∆, which required us to utilise the system at every level, the experience was exactly what we had expected: a lot of fun, and a huge relief for everyone."

According to the company, close collaboration between Rocketchris and Follow-Me's development team ahead of the production enabled additional functionality, including automatic camera switching within the Operator Box, to be implemented in time for the project.

"We are very proud to see Follow-Me DELT∆ received so positively," Berends concluded. "This ABOUT YOU Tempelhof fashion show stands as a strong real-world example of the DELT∆ capabilities, and how complex lighting setups like these can become more manageable without compromising creative control."

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