The nine-week Legends of Pop series was recorded at STV's studios in Slovak Republic capital Bratislava. It culminated in the presentation of songs from one of the most famous bands from the Czech/Slovak region, Elán, whose 40-year career went 'meteoric' back in the 1970s.
The format of the show each week highlighted the work of one legendary artist or band. Seven of their most popular landmark songs were reinterpreted by today's top stars, and the original artist would then close the programme with two of their greatest hits. It has been a massive success and has celebrated a wide selection of music and styles.
Martin Kubanka is among Slovakia's leading television lighting designers and he specified the 10 Robe MMXs, as they had just arrived into Q-99s rental stock - which includes hundreds of Robe fixtures.
Kubanka made extensive use of the MMX's 8.5 - 46.5 degree zoom range and its iris features in addition to the gobos which he used sparingly and in a more theatrical style, particularly for the looks in which the LED surfaces were less prominent.
Other Robe fixtures on the rig included 14 Colorwash 1200E ATs - six on the floor and eight in the air on the overhead trusses, all used as effects lights. Twenty Robin 600 Beams in the roof made punchy down lights, and another 12 on each of three left and right set columns combined to provide some very striking cross stage beams, providing a highly visible contrast to the LED panels.
For the closing scenes with Elán onstage, ten ColorSpot 575E ATs and four LEDBlinder 96s were also used for additional lighting.
Kubanka wove a selection of conventionals into the rig, together with LED lightsources and white lights, all of which - along with the Robes - were controlled and run by him through a grandMA2 full size console.
Another grandMA2 full size ran four MA media servers, which fed video content to all the LED surfaces, operated (on an alternating basis) by Marek Krasnan and Michael Brna from Q-99's video department.
(Jim Evans)
