On October 21, 2015, history caught up with itself for fans of the Back to the Future film series, and a collection of Chauvet fixtures was used to help a large gathering of British fans mark the occasion.
In 1989’s Back to the Future II, the time travelling Doc sets the destination time in the plutonium powered DeLorean DMC-12 sports car to October 21, 2015, thus transporting Marty McFly and his girlfriend Jennifer into the future to save the past. To mark this date of mythical cult status, Vision SL was commissioned by Tattooed Bakers to help create a life-sized DeLorean cake for a ‘Back to the Future Day’ celebration.
Vision SL brought this edible automobile to life with help from two Geyser RGB foggers that simulated plumes of smoke emanating from the cake-car’s exhaust. To add extra realism to color the DeLorean, Vision SL also used four COLORado Deco Quad 1 Tour fixtures as front headlamps, two MegaStrobe FX12s for rear brake indicators and two COLORband PiX IP linear washes for bumper lights.
“While the cake itself was something incredible to behold, it was our task to inject the car with a certain vivacity,” commented Vision SL’s Tom Wilkes. “We turned to our extensive selection of CHAUVET fixtures to bring the iconic DeLorean to life, giving it the wow factor it deserved.”
With two Geyser RGB foggers installed at the rear exhausts, the steady white smoke plumes billowing from the back of the car harked back to scenes in the film where the car is jettisoned back into the future – or indeed into the past. “We needed something that could fire up quickly and give a strong burst of smoke with fast dissipation,” said Wilkes. “The Geysers worked perfectly!”
Two MegaStrobe FX12s were used to replicate the DeLorean’s distinct ’80s looking rear brake lights. As Wilkes explained, the FX12s also offered an additional modification: “The FX12s were not the perfect size to accurately replicate the rear brake lights, but thanks to the pixel mappable LEDs, we were able to reproduce a grid of light with individual control.“
Wilkes explained how the COLORdash and COLORband PiX fixtures were used to add color to the display care. “COLORdashes gave such intense light and brilliant colors, so they allowed us to replicate the DeLorean’s headlamps in a very eye-catching fashion,” he said. “We used the COLORband PiX to create a powerful wash for the front and rear of the car. The built-in automatic programmes ensured ease of operation, and, thanks to their water and dust proof construction, we didn’t have to worry about any cake getting into the lights!”
Although fans may still be waiting for the Back to the Future sequel that never comes, appetites have been – in the meantime, at least – satisfied with this Chauvet-infused DeLorean cake. “The reaction to the DeLorean was overwhelming,” concluded Wilkes. “Thanks to the Chauvet fixtures we really pulled off an impossible task: bringing the DeLorean back to life.”
