LD Peter Greenbaum (Illumination By Design), the lighting director for the Today Show, used 12 Nexus 4x4 panels to accent Bareilles' dynamic Toyota Concert Series performance on the popular morning programme. Greenbaum lined the upstage area behind the platinum-selling recording star's piano with two banks of three Nexus panels to create a focal point behind her as she performed. He also lined two upright truss supports with the three Nexus units to frame the stage.
"As a set element, the Nexus panels look great on stage and highlight the area we want to focus on," said Greenbaum. "We've been using them consistently throughout our summer concerts, and they're excellent for the camera. We offer the producers a choice of four different packages. I worked with Drew DeCorleto from WorldStage to put together each package, and the Nexus is in most of them. "
Since the Toyota Concert Series is held outdoors at the Today plaza in Rockefeller Centre between 48th and 49th Streets, any fixture used on the set must be able to stand out against ambient light, even on the brightest mornings. In this respect, said Greenbaum, the Nexus panels performed superbly; their intense output made them readily visible to the live audience and TV viewers on the sunny summer's day when Bareilles performed.
Greenbaum used the panels as bright white set pieces. He also relied on them to help fill in sections of the stage with a variety of vivid colours. "We can create a bunch of varied looks with the Nexus," he said.
"My programmers Brian Davis and Mike Gugliotti love to work with them. When we did the Fall Out Boy concert for the Today Show, all we had was Nexus panels. I love the way they look as a design feature. The Nexus is a great tool for creating scenes on the stage for the camera, which really creates magic when you have an inspired performance from an artist like Sara Bareilles."
(Jim Evans)
