Chicago River glows With Chauvet Professional
- Details
“Some people wondered why I would want movers on a static focus,” said Dear, the owner of Chicago-based Dear Productions. “However, I learned from past experience that in a project like this, you may need to change things quickly. When that happens, there may not be the time to make your adjustments with static fixtures. Sure enough, on the night of this fundraiser we got a call from the Coast Guard telling us that we had to reposition our lights because of the glare on the water, so we tipped our Rogues up 10°.”
That adjustment made, Dear went on to transform the night vista on the Chicago River with his 42 Rogue R2 Washes, which were supplied by JR Lighting Design, Inc. He arranged the 285-watt RGBW moving fixtures in banks of eight and positioned them as close as possible to the corner points of the two iconic drawbridges.
“Since this was a temporary installation (7:15pm - 11pm), it wasn’t always possible to put our fixtures exactly where we needed them,” said Dear. “On the north side of the Clark Street Bridge we had to go a level higher than we wanted to because of the restaurant below. We just couldn’t get access to the waterfront level there. But the Rogues are extremely bright, so we got the coverage we were after, and since their colours are so saturated, our lighting really popped against the night sky.”
To coordinate the surrounding area with the illuminated bridges, Dear lit trees on the north side of the river, as well as a City Winery on the south side, with pinks and purples using COLORado wash fixtures. He also turned the finish line pink with light from his ellipsoidals.
“Colour was important to conveying the spirit of this event,” said Dear. “We wanted to keep the mix of colours consistent, limiting ourselves to a specific shade of pink, and not distract attention with too many contrasts going on. The COLORado 1 Solos and COLORado 2 Solos that we used in the areas away from the bridges produced some very rich colours. We were able to create an immersive atmosphere with these lights without going overboard with special effects or too many contrasting colours.”
(Jim Evans)
