Specialz point in The Killers’ direction
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Long-time Killers LD, Steven Douglas explains the process, “Our set designer, Josh Zangen from Fireplay had already put in place a large water tower stage right that harked back to the original look of the small American town and we felt something was required to balance that look on stage left.”
“We talked about something that was reminiscent of old Las Vegas signage and casino awnings. Josh came back with the initial drawings of large lit arrows pointing at a downward angle; the band loved them.” The design was put out to Jon Perry of Perry Scenic who, in turn, subcontracted the project to Specialz.
Specialz MD, Dave Smith fills in the gaps, “We were sub-contracted by Perry Scenic to design and manufacture four lighting trays with conventional E27 GLS 40W bulbs and edge RGB LED lighting to the periphery of 2 scenic arrows measuring 19’ 4” / 6M and 16’ 5” / 5M respectively. With efficient transportation and ease of rigging in mind, we opted to split each arrow in two with each of the four sections having a six circuit mains Socapex input and an RGB LED input.”
The choice of light source was down to Douglas and Zangen. “Using conventional 40W GLS bulbs may seem a little old fashioned but it was a very deliberate retro choice,” comments Douglas. “Again, it all harks back to evoking an older, certain faux glamourous feel of old town Las Vegas; the light source from an almost forgotten era and then the edging with the RGB LEDs to giving them that slightly glitzy Vegas feel and the sleeker lines of the new casinos that have sprung up in the last decade or so.”
“We were pretty clear about what was needed to complete the brief,” continues Douglas. “We chatted with Specialz about different brands of products and the kinds of effects we wanted create with the lighting on the arrows. They had no problems delivering exactly want we wanted.” The result is two arrows of slightly different proportions, containing 257 bulbs and 158 respectively.
Designer Zangen’s vision was complete; a couple of set pieces that are a permanent fixture on stage throughout the show. “The arrows are an integral part of the set; the design is tied in with other pieces on the stage; for example, the side metalwork trim matches the keyboard stand that is downstage centre. We rig them from a small mother grid with inverted motors with thin steel cables to enable us to get the pointing angle of the arrows just right. They are utilised on and off throughout the whole show.”
(Jim Evans)
