"I had heard about the SL NITRO 510 prior to the show but had never actually gotten to use one," began Kenny. "One thing I love about this show is that it gives me the opportunity to collaborate with a number of very talented designers as the artists performing typically have their own creative team. Roy Bennett and Cory Fitzgerald are the team behind Bruno Mars and they both know that I am into using new lighting tools for fresh looks on the VMA's so they asked if we might be interested in using the SL NITRO 510 luminaires for their performance. With them both being such great designers I was immediately up for it and I knew Roy wanted to have a very specific look for Bruno. To help them create that look they chose the SL NITRO 510 luminaires and it turned out to be one of the most memorable performances of the show."
Bennett added, "Cory Fitzgerald and I have been designing together for Bruno Mars for over two years now and we typically like to try and bring the newest technologies to each production. I first saw the new SL NITRO 510 strobe luminaire during a visit to the Philips factory and the first aspect I really liked about it was the compact size and the way that multiple units can quickly link together. Then when you add in the extreme brightness with its incredibly smooth dimming, it's easy to see that the SL NITRO 510 is a fantastic new lighting tool."
As Bennett, Fitzgerald and Kenny got to work designing the VMA Bruno Mars performance, there were very precise lighting elements desired. Not only was Bennett looking for a new and creative lighting tool, he also needed it to fit in a pretty tight space.
He explained, "For this performance I wanted to have some interesting almost sculptural side lighting, but then I also wanted to have the ability to strobe. We needed something low-profile that we could build into Plexiglas step bottoms and I knew the SL NITRO 510 luminaires would work perfect. I first started using LED strobes while designing for Beyoncé, but the VMA Bruno Mars performance was my first opportunity to use the SL NITRO 510 luminaires in a full production environment. When we got onsite and powered the lights they were everything I thought they would be. Their performance was outstanding and we were very happy with how they helped bring the full performance to life."
Kenny added, "The MTV VMA's is a very important show for artists to showcase themselves as to what type of performer they are, and the SL NITRO 510 fit right in with the Bruno Mars performance. We always like to be the most unique awards show on air and we like to have the most unique products in the lighting rig. While I have used other LED strobes in the past what I really like about the SL NITRO 510 is the power source and how the cabling system seems much easier, plus with its different zones of control it becomes a multi-functional lighting tool which you just can't do with other strobes."
In conjunction with the Showline SL NITRO 510 LED's, the full lighting rig for the 2013 MTV VMA's truly showcased the breadth and power of Philips Entertainment with the inclusion of 200 VL3500 Wash FX, 80 VL3500 Wash, 24 VLX Wash, 80 VL3500 Spot, and 40 VL3000 Spot luminaires from Philips Vari-Lite.
(Jim Evans)
