The grand event is a parade featuring the Russian State Honuor Guard, as well as leading Russian and foreign military music bands, an important intercultural event that attracts a huge TV and Internet audience. Among the musical military units participating in 2011 were bands from Great Britain, China, Jordan, Norway, Pakistan and Mexico among other countries.
Two leading Russian rental companies were engaged to light the festival, Lightmaster and Pro Light Service, each of whom supplied a cadre of Martin fixtures. Two lighting designers were employed as well - one from each company. Representing Lightmaster was William Hamadache of France who served as lighting designer-in-chief for the festival. Sergey Vorontsov, lighting designer at Pro Light Service, was responsible for the stage and tribune illumination.
"Sergey was 'hand in glove' with the French designer," project manager at Pro Light Service, Alexander Kolotilov, comments. "First he attended several try outs, watched the show and recorded the scene sequence. After that he created a lighting scenario that was a logical extension of the main theme." The lighting designers controlled the event from separate consoles yet acted simultaneously in close connection with TV operators.
The Spasskaya Tower event was simple from a technical point of view but extensive nonetheless. Lightmaster delivered 66 MAC 2000 Washes, 40 of which were installed between the tribunes and used to project original effects when the military units marched on Red Square. The parade lighting also emphasized the colours of the various nations involved. Additionally, 16 MAC 2000 Washes were placed in front of St. Basil's Cathedral and 10 fixtures behind the tribunes.
Spasskaya Tower is also a major television broadcast therefore both LDs took into account the requirements of TV directors when choosing lighting equipment. The main stage required bright, high-quality lighting in the morning and powerful MAC 2000 Washes stepped in to effectively meet the challenge. When the official ceremony was over the fixtures continued their work at a special celebration concert.
In the evening, during the main event, 82 MAC 2000 Washes, eight MAC III Profiles and eight MAC III Performances installed behind the tribunes on trusses and fixed on special Layher towers were used for back light with some providing front light onto the opposite tribunes. Industry-veteran MAC 600 wash lights from Pro Light Service were also employed to provide lighting effects on a separate stage where the master of ceremony announced the participants.
(Jim Evans)
