"For the new version of the show the producers wanted a spectacular, immense arena feel," notes lighting director William McLachlan. "Scenically the space is so large, it covers a huge footprint. So we needed a substantial rig just to cover the area let alone create a signature look."
In crafting the signature look, McLachlan and lighting designer Oscar Dominguez wanted to "use video as a way to move, breathe colour and bring intensity across the rig. We wanted to use the rig to explore and design the space and treat the light plot like a canvas. So the grandMA was a natural choice to turn the changes in the rig into colours on a canvas and create a really different feel of movement and colour."
McLachlan and Dominguez worked hard to give each event in the competition its own environment. "Scenically they were all so different," McLachlan observes. "We really had an opportunity to carve out a large surrounding look, animate it and bring it to life." They also wanted to use lighting to accentuate the participants' wins and losses. "The show is just enormous, it's really hard to imagine," notes master programmer Benny Kirkham. "With about 1,500 LED fixtures, it's like a very big rock 'n roll concert. Look in any corner of the building and you see 200-250 lights."
(Jim Evans)
