"This was my fourth year as the lighting designer for the production and while each year we always try to do something a little different, this year presented a series of challenges," says Colina. "When I saw how wide and video-heavy the set would be, I knew competing with and complementing the video, while being able to hit all the areas needed, would be one of the main challenges. But then since the show would also be airing live worldwide in both a high-definition TV broadcast and a streaming web video, I would also need lots of wide beams with punch that I could count on when the cameras started rolling.
"This year, the set consisted of walls that were framed with LP screen material on all sides with a rounded back which shaped it into an oval. Our idea was to continue the set with the lighting, so we used three rounded main trusses over the top of the set to complete the oval shape and gives it a nice complementary dynamic look that worked on TV."
When putting the lighting design together, Colina focused on five primary lighting necessities; lighting for the medium shots and close-ups, lighting the band, back lighting, key lighting, and then lighting for TV and video. The automated luminaires chosen for the event had to be able to handle whatever he needed, and that was the primary reason he chose Vari*Lite luminaires.
"With an extremely wide set, a large amount of video, live music performances, and an actual awards ceremony all to be broadcast on TV, our automated lights had many responsibilities, and this is why we wanted Vari*Lite fixtures. Our programmer, Felix Peralta, relied heavily on the VL3500 Spots because of their extraordinary consistency with the shutters as well as their amazing zoom capabilities and overall lumen output. And I chose the VL500D 120V Wash fixtures because of their incredible colors which provide a big aperture that looks fantastic on camera."
(Jim Evans)
