Bandit backs Join the Journey gathering
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Bandit Lites was honoured to donate the lighting for the sophisticated soiree, which culminated with a private event at the Knoxville Convention Centre. On campus, LED Light cubes gave each individual college programme a modern and fresh look to highlight aspects of the school along the concourse, from nursing students with lifelike babies to law students holding court with judges and juries selected from the audience.
Additional lighting was provided for a small reception honouring Peyton Manning, with an elegant, traditional stage wash and up lighting from Freedom pars. The Hall of Famer and UT Communications graduate made remarks to the school’s biggest donors in addition to receiving an award of distinction. For the celebratory dinner, Beth Gladden, the Head of Special Events for the university trusted Bandit’s director of philanthropy and production designer, Allison Burchett, with creating a unique look for the space.
Building on Gladden’s original idea of video panels in the ceiling, Burchett recommended illuminating Spandex shapes with different colours and patterns. “Once we got the structure in the air, she just said, ‘Yes! That’s what I’m talking about!’ And I knew we had hit the mark,” said Burchett. “We had an opening look as the Pride of the Southland band marched in playing Rocky Top, with enough light for everyone to be able to find their seat.”
Bandit hung 52 motors to cover two distinct elements with the first groups’ trusses holding Bandit’s exclusive GRNLite Moving Washes and VL 3000 Spots providing backlight for the 24ft diameter circular stage, along with general front light, backlight and textured looks. The second group was used to fly three truss structures that held the Spandex which was lit by GRNLite Moving Washes and VL 3000 Spots to accentuate the stage in addition to streaking the ceiling with color washes and gobos.
“The Spandex grid flew directly below and was hung with eight 30’x30’ Spandex panels, two 20’x30’ Triangle Spandex and various other small Spandex Triangles,” said Bandit general manager Giff Swart. “It was a challenge to try and cover this much surface area within the low trim height of the room, but the excellent zoom of the Vari*Lite 3000 Spots and saturated punch of the GRNLite Moving wash really did the trick!”
After the main celebration and dinner, Bandit Lites also provided lighting for the “After-Glow” tent on the plaza, with GLP X4 Atoms lighting the stage where Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors performed. Chauvet Min E 10WW LED Lekos illuminated the lounge and tables along with a spectacular eight-foot-tall ‘Power-T’ made up of flowers suspended from the apex of the tent.
Outside, Knoxville’s iconic Sun Sphere was washed in the University of Tennessee’s official orange and white colours using sixteen Bandit supplied Iluminarc Ilumipanels.
(Jim Evans)
