Lighting designer Paul Normandale and Lite Alternative took the helm this year, controlling an impressive ship. Scissor Sisters, Groove Armada and Razorlight were just a few of the acts to take to the stage. And hanging above them were some of Martin's latest models, including the MAC TW1 and two new LED fixtures - Stagebar 54 and the light curtain, LC 2140.
Normandale was the lighting designer for the entire event and put together a striking design for the three stages. His major challenge was to create a design that would look good live, but would also be clean enough for broadcast, as the whole weekend was televised in HD quality.
Another challenge was ensuring the stage design was flexible enough for the many guest LDs to create their own diverse look and feel. Over the course of the weekend, an array of LDs stamped their mark on the musical merriment by lighting different acts with their own signatures.
Matt Arthur was the main operator on stage two, which featured Martin's new LED fixtures; LC 2140 and the Stagebar 54. "The LC units are incredibly lightweight and bright - overpowering the moving heads at times. Even during the middle of the day the screens were really bright. I had to back it off by the end of the day because my retinas were hurting," says Arthur.
There was also a strong branded presence for the BBC this year. During breaks, customised gobos in the MAC 700's and 2000s filled the space with various logos, while the Maxedia also pixel mapped and scrolled images and logos through the LC panels and Stagebars.
The main stage was packed with MAC 2000s, 700s and 250s, it also included the recently released tungsten wash, the MAC TW1. Glen Johnson from Lite Alternative, who was the main lighting designer on stage one, got a chance to work the TW1s for the first time. "The MAC TW1s were fantastic, I really enjoyed using them. I've waited a long time for a tungsten moving light. The colours were great, and I was able to match the TW1 with any colour in the rig."
(Jim Evans)
