As in previous seasons, the motorised lights for the 2009-10 shows are provided by Renato Neri's Xenon, and consist almost entirely of Clay Paky lights: Alpha Spot HPE 1200s, Alpha Spot 575s, Alpha Wash 575s, Stage Color 1200s, Stage Profile Pluses, CP Color 400s and Alpha Beam 300 motorized ACL lights. The lighting was designed by the photography director Daniele Savi.
"I have worked a lot with a photographic approach," says Savi. "I have dimmed all the lights so that I can open the TV camera apertures more. This means I have less depth of field, and therefore a blurred background, which results in a double advantage: it concentrates attention on the star on the stage by isolating him/her from the backcloth and, at the same time, it creates a more uniform background giving a greater feeling of space."
He continues, "A more general advantage of dimming is that I can work with greater margins in both directions. For instance, I can turn the lights up full during the breaks and musical interludes, thus creating an intentionally overexposed effect that differentiates them from the more 'sketch-like' parts. The powerful Alpha Beam 300 lights are fundamental during this stage. Despite their 300 Watt power rating, they have incredible luminous efficiency and are able to create scene changes all on their own."
The set, designed by Enrico Dusi, made wide use of different materials - iron and wood on the screens and panels that formed the outline of a city, and a backdrop consisting of a black cloth covered with sparkling glitter to increase the depth of field. Meticulous testing of the effects of coloured light on the colours of the scenery was fundamental. In this way, the scene can be made to change colour and brightness, and the city to become clearer or fade under the shapes traced out by the LED strips according to the star on the stage.
Daniele Savi was helped in the lighting design by Compulite operator Gaetano Rando and the chief technician of Xenon, Doriano Romboni.
(Jim Evans)
