"When setting up this type of lighting design you really have to be aware of your position and fixture choices," began Grill. "While the physical set-up of the stadium and the realities of lighting an outdoor event will dictate these choices to some extent, you really have to make sure you choose the right manufacturer's fixture for each position and purpose. I have worked with Vari-Lite luminaires for a number of years and know their equipment very well as a go-to for these types of applications."
Having worked with the event producers previously on other large scale events, this was the first time Grill had worked on the Central American and Caribbean Games. At the Estadio Luis 'Pirata' Fuente, he would have to not only overcome the enormous throw distances that ranged from 400-500 feet, but he would also have to find a way to do it while creatively layering light over the projection.
He continued, "The initial production design starts with the emotion of the creative. From there you look at the stadium to figure out how that emotion can be achieved with the resources you have and the physical layout of the venue. As part of the ceremonies there are several different segments of the show and the event producers wanted to incorporate a large amount of projection into the show. The main challenge was then how do we use projection as a cyc element with performers in front it, and light the performers from 450ft away without eradicating the projections."
As he got to work choosing the best instruments for the design, he knew his spot fixtures would have to be both powerful and full of performance capabilities. When he was invited to a demo in New York City of the VL4000 Spot luminaire, Grill was immediately impressed and wanted the fixtures in his rig.
"For my wash fixtures, I wanted to go with the VL3500 Wash and Wash FX luminaires because from these distances they are my go-to wash light," continued Grill. "Our outer tower rigs consisted only of the 150 VL3500 Wash and 96 of the VL4000 spot luminaires because they are both so powerful. Additionally 50 VL3500 Wash FX units were spaced on the ground to give us their great aerial patterns. I love the large and chunky beams of the VL3500 Wash and Wash FX plus they hold up outdoors very well, have a great zoom, and put out a lot of beautiful light."
Grill concluded, "Heading into those moments right before the start of each show, I was confident that all the Vari-Lite luminaires would perform exactly as needed, but with the VL4000 Spot being a newer fixture there was a small bit of wonder. While it was the animation wheel that initially peaked my interest, I still needed traditional spot fixture elements such as shutters, gobos, and colour mixing. With the VL4000 Spot, I got it all. It really delivered everything I needed plus several other exciting options as well."
(Jim Evans)
