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Latest 'Step Up' dance movie lit up by Surrey company (with video)

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SURREY — A local company helped light up dance moves in the latest “Step Up” movie.

A high-tech KLR10 unit developed and built by Parasol Systems was used in key scenes for “Step Up: All In,” which opens in theatres today (Friday) as the fifth movie in the series.

“The movie is a big showcase for us, absolutely,” said Hermann Fruhm, CEO of Parasol.

“It’s an exciting time for us,” added Fruhm, who lives in Coquitlam and co-founded the company in 2006 with Randy Krochak. "We're still a small company, but we're the little engine that could."

One of the company’s three lighting units, the relatively small STAR600, is built at its year-old headquarters, located in the Port Kells area of Surrey. The two larger units, including the one used in “Step Up,” are built at a plant in Dallas, Texas.

Three of Parasol’s STAR600 units will soon be shipped to China for use in a dance club there.

“This technology is designed for big concerts, tours, nightclubs, movies — anything that requires special lighting,” Fruhm told the Now on a tour of the company’s warehouse Thursday.

Parasol-developed lighting systems utilize self-propelling and wirelessly controlled vehicles that travel along pre-determined guideways. In basic terms, the technology moves already-moving lights, and Fruhm is confident the technology will “revolutionize” the lighting industry.

“My whole way of thinking is this almost requires a new way of thinking by lighting designers,” said Fruhm, who recently returned from a trip to Japan to showcase the company’s largest unit, the ACS (Automated Cart System).

The company’s KLR10 unit is featured in the finale dance sequence in the latest “Step Up” movie, and also in trailers for the film (scroll down to view the trailer).

Brian Pearson, the movie’s director of photography, recently raved about the flexibility and dynamic nature of the lighting unit.

“Parasol’s KLR10 was really the show-stopper on the (movie), surpassing my best expectations in terms of performance, reliability and flexibility,” Pearson testified. “From the moment I saw it, I just knew it had a place in our big dance finale sequence.”

Parasol’s lighting units are demonstrated on the company’s Youtube channel.

 



Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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