T4 On The Beach gets the 'Tungsten' treatment
No moving lights, no LEDs, not a coloured gel in sight. So what's going on with the lighting for T4 on the Beach this year?
LD Gurdip Mahal tells us why he wanted to ring the changes for 2011.
"I wanted to get as much light as possible into the TV cameras. This is a daytime show and even the brightest moving lights don't register that much. In contrast Tungsten is so bright and directional that I felt it would have more impact for the live audience and the viewers at home. The absence of any colour in the lighting provided a punchy brightness which contracted with the colourful video screens and T4 logos on the main stage."
This year Gurdip wanted to create continuity across both stages. In previous years the main stage had a softer 'poppy' look while the B stage took up a harder 'rocky' look. This time round both stages were given a rock styling. Gurdip admitted to watching old footage of AC/DC and Iron Maiden shows from the late 1970s as part of his inspiration for this radical retro design.
On the main stage this look was achieved with around 300 Silver Long Nose Par cans from ELP. 80 of which decorated a giant arch at the front of the stage. Super-wide lens bulbs were fitted to these Par Cans to spread the maximum amount of light possible into the audience. "I specifically chose Silver cans as they would reflect more light and provide a mirror effect of the sea and beach scenery." Explains Gurdip.
The most striking aspect of the main stage lighting design were the three vertical blocks of open faced Dino lights which kicked out massive amounts of light and heat. Each Dino comprised 24 Par bulbs and each bulb had its own dimmer control so the LD could run Pixel Mad software through the Dinos. Each bulb could then behave just like screen pixel and co-ordinate with the giant video screens on the stage.
A vast amount of dimming was required and so ELP supplied 10 of their latest of AVO ART 2000 48 way dimmer racks.
The B stage was given a similar Tungsten only look. The design was made up of 70 x Source 4 Pars and 44 x Sunstrip Active DMX lights.
The LD explains "With their straight lens and wide viewing angle, the Source 4 Pars provide a highly visible light for the audience and TV cameras no matter where they are in front of the stage. And the Sunstrips allowed us to run various horizontal and vertical chasing effects from the Full Boar desk."
Gurdip continues "With 33 acts performing on just one afternoon and very little time for rehearsals, my strategy was to design a library of looks so that we had the freedom to interpret the repertoire of each act. We had no idea what they would be playing in advance of the show so my team of support LD Mike Sutcliffe (B Stage) and board operators Svend Pederson (A Stage) and Ross Williams (B Stage) were able to create the appropriate visual accompaniment. It's times like this when you need your best people around. These guys and the ELP crew were fantastic"
A ten man ELP crew battled the elements to rig both stages. Torrential downpours, sandstorms and even seaweed washing up backstage during high tides were just minor inconveniences for a highly experienced team headed up by crew chief Mark Gardiner. "The sand really does get everywhere!" exclaims Mark. "…so we have to be extra careful with the gear and take precautions. For example, as a backup both lighting desks (Road Hog – main stage / Full Boar – B stage) were fully networked by ELP network specialist Shaun Burnett. Both stage shows were loaded onto each desk. So effectively if one desk went down the other desk could take over".
The rest of the ELP team included:
- Paul Tibbles – main stage Dimmers
- Colin Jones – B Stage Dimmers
- Greg Fitzgerald – Electrician
- John Murray – Electrician
- Joe Tully – Electrician
- James Caldicotte –rigger
- Natasha Vinogradova – Rigger
- Glyn Owen – Rigger