The D4 is controlling 76 Vari*Lite 3000 Spots, 32 Vari*Lite 3000 Washes, 8 Vari*Lite 1000 AS fixtures, 34 Vari*Lite 4s, 50 Atomic strobes and scrollers, 50 Molefeys, eight MX1000 Syncrolights, 12 MX3000 Syncrolights, 120 Color Kinetics ColorBlast 12 truss toners and a series of LED strips illuminating the four bars inbuilt into the stage set.
The shape of the lighting rig is based on over a kilometre of curved trussing custom made by LA-based Show Rig which mirrors the geometry of the stage below. It was designed around six moving screens which fly in and out to different positions constantly throughout the show, which is a high octane fusion of live performance, lighting and video. The lights are dotted all across the overhead trusses and are recessed into the stage set and floor.
Whitehouse and his colleague Bryan Leitch of the UK-based lighting design practice Visual Light were invited to design the show after Timberlake saw their work on Coldplay's 2005 world tour. JT artistically directs his own show in addition to starring in it, and specifically wanted lighting that was theatrical in essence. He was impressed by Visual Light's innovative, fresh and positive approach to aesthetics and stage presentation.
Whitehouse's lighting is dynamic, raw and contrasty - very much matching the style and pace of the show. Whitehouse and the video department - a combination of playback visuals created by Geodezik and a live IMAG mix cut by Steve Fatone - have also worked very closely on constructing a visual coherence for the show.
Whitehouse has always been a keen Avo user. He was also one of the first people to start using the D4 series soon after its launch, and comments, "It's the perfect console for the job, it does everything I need."
(Jim Evans)
