Lighting designer James Schipper of Kinetic Lighting used 40 Nexus 4x4 panels to create a dynamic stage backdrop for the celebration's main entertainment event: a concert by the hip hop rapper Flo Rida backed up by DJ Blaze. The Nexus panels on stage not only matched the Grammy nominated People's Choice-winning star's performance; they also reflected the upbeat mood of the televised celebration.
Schipper arranged the Nexus panels 20 units each in two large truss framed squares where they were positioned around a collection of beam effects. Running across the middle of the upstage area, the panel display provided a high-impact backdrop for the Flo Rida and DJ Blaze performance.
"From the beginning, we felt the Nexus was a perfect fit for this show," said Schipper. "My direct client - Josh Mark (VP Special Events with FOX) loves technology and new toys. Plus, the event designer Damon Drescher of Angel City Designs has used the Nexus before and is crazy about all of the different looks it can create.
"The Nexus panels gave us vibrancy and colour on the stage, which was essential for keeping up with the overall atmosphere at this event," continued Schipper. "Angel City Designs did an amazing job as the creative production design and decor agency for the Kickoff Celebration. Everything about the event was big, glamorous and exciting."
Held at Hangar 8 at Santa Monica Airport, the Women's World Cup Kickoff Celebration featured a 22 projector video mapping projection from Sweetwater Video that presented transformative video art, including cheering stadium fans and world cup graphics created by Bart Kresa. The creative concept behind the entire design was to make visitors feel as if they were entering a special world as soon as they stepped onto the celebration site at the airport and then build on this feeling with events like the Flo Rida concert.
"Our stage design was consistent with this big event mood," continued Schipper. "Eric Barth, our programmer, created some very compelling looks on the Nexus panels that change with different scenes in Flo Rida's performance. Eric used some custom-built effects and the MA layout view to make for some very fast live selecting. We wanted to create a very intense background on the stage to reflect what Flo Rida and women's soccer are all about."
In addition to the 40 Nexus panels, Schipper used a collection of 80 COLORado 1-Quad Tour and 1-Tri Tour par-style LED fixtures for the Flo Rida concert.
(Jim Evans)
