Spain - Brigada Tech is a new Spanish TV series presented by Luján Argüelles, directed by Eva Castillejo, and lit by Manuel Ricoy. The format sees ‘digital mentors’ and popular ‘Social Media influencers’ assisting people with limited access to the information superhighway in tackling assorted digital challenges that can benefit their day-to-day living.
Each episode was recorded at a different location around Spain, including Avilés (Asturias), Laguna de Duero (Valladolid), Tudela (Navarra), Canas de Morrazo (Galicia), Altea (Alicante), Torrelavega (Cantabria) and Puertollano (Castilla la Mancha) – facilitating a pop-up studio segment, for which Manuel was DoP and LD.
He chose a selection of Robe moving light products – 12 x Fortes, eight MegaPointes, 12 x Pointes, 16 x LEDBeam 150s and 12 x LEDBeam 350s – which were supplied by Valladolid-based rental company Use Sonido S.L who purchased them from Robe’s Spanish distributor, Earpro&EES.
The lights helped produce the streamlined aesthetic that everyone wanted for this studio aspect of the production, for which Manuel combined techniques and the disciplines from concert touring and television lighting to produce a great-looking show each time in a variety of venues, typically theatres and cultural centres. It was effectively a ‘studio tour’ project.
He worked closely with set designer Joaquín López, as his design helped shape how the show was lit. It was the first time they had worked together and proved a very positive process commented Manuel. This coupled with director Eva Castillejo’s vision and the various venues all defined this new show’s production lighting design.
When working in the different venues, 80% of the luminaires were hung using the available house LX bars, with additional flown production trusses or truss ‘totems’ rigged on the deck to complete the design.
Seven of the 12 x Fortes were rigged on the house LX bars to cover the stage entrances and exits, sofa positions – specifically for the cameras positioned at the foot of the stage and at the front of the audience.
The remaining five were on an additional truss flown in front of the set, utilised as fill in for the middle part of the sofas, for completing the general lighting looks and to make up presets for when the presenter and guests were in standing positions.
The MegaPointes were placed on the first LX bar and the Pointes on vertical truss sections in front offstage positions each side of the set. Both Pointes and MegaPointes completed the camera shots with beams, adding depth to the picture. They were also used to create ‘motion presets’ to accent presentations, guest entrances / exits and the series outro.
The LEDBeam 150s were placed on assorted LX bars over the stage, used to bring flourishes of colour to the set and effects that further boosted its three dimensionality which could be highlighted and made to appear more futuristic at the touch of a button, matching Brigada Tech’s content and concept.
Manuel has worked with Robe products for several years and says, “Having been able to compare them with other luminaires and brands, Robe offers more quality fixtures than others. I have always favoured Robe for my designs because the results are consistently good and reliable.”
While Manuel concentrated on lighting Brigada Tech for the cameras and photography direction, programming was completed by gaffer / console technician Óscar Marchena Herrero and Jesús Estaban Pelayo who was also a console technician.
The biggest challenges were adapting the recording of each programme to the space in which it was being staged, but “thanks to a fantastic lighting team and the creativity and flexibility that the Robe products brought to the table it was all doable,” concluded Manuel.
