The first six-part series, produced by independent company Gallowgate, has just finished and proved a prime time Saturday night hit for ITV. Lighting designer was Tom Kinane, with whom HSL has worked on many previous projects. The programme was directed by Nikki Parsons and recorded at Pinewood Studios' S-Stage. HSL's project manager was Sean McGlone.
McGlone comments, "It's always good to work with Tom. His shows are imaginative and interestingly lit, he chooses his lighting instruments judiciously and gets the very best out of all them."
The set was designed by Dominic Tolfts. It was very wide with a series of gently curved lycra fins which also served as light-boxes around the side-wing areas, complete with majestically sweeping side stars left and right, and a large 'playing area' in the middle. Various props and stage trucks were pushed on and off stage through a central rear opening, back-stopped with a structure of sun-strips and a Space Flower for white-out moments.
The moving lights supplied by HSL were a mix of Vari*Lite 1000 and 3000 spots and washes which were used for set dressing, colouring and texturing and floor washing. More Vari*Lites, including 2500 Spots from Automated Lighting were positioned on the floor and used for standard beam eye-candy work.
HSL supplied 32 PixelPARs which were used to up-light the fins each side and 20 i-Pix BB4s, which were rigged on to side booms each side, for cross stage side 'swipes', again very theatrical in style and positioning.
They also supplied some of the many i-Pix Satellites that Kinane used extensively dotted around the set.
Joining Kinane in the control room were Max Conwell, moving light operator, who used his Chamsys MagicQ console and James Ashdown from Automated Lighting, who controlled all the LED sources and generics from his ETC Congo desk.
(Jim Evans)
