Are you smarter than……a TV lighting director?

The kids are precocious, the adults are humiliated, but it's worth it for the chance to win a big cash prize and see a fantastic looking studio set.

‘Are You Smarter Than A Ten Year Old?’ produced by Two Four productions has proved a great success for Sky bringing in impressive viewing figures. Noel Edmonds (during peak time) and Dick and Dom (during weekdays) preside over a schoolroom quiz set where adults try to answer junior curriculum questions.

Smarter Design

The format is based on the hit US show ‘Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?’ which, according to LD Mark Kenyon, “looked a little grey for my liking”

Mark explains. “In the first series I was asked by production to make it look comparable with the US show. But as the UK show gained its own identity I’ve been able to introduce more colour and vibrancy which I feel is more in-keeping with light entertainment values.”

It was originally envisaged that presenters would chat to the audience and so the LD had to accommodate more generic lighting into his design. But this audience interaction didn’t really feature when they show went into production and so Mark has been able to divert creativity (and lighting budget) towards making the set more colourful with digital and LED systems.

Smarter Gear

ELP supplied all the moving and LED lights for the production, in addition to all the trussing for lighting and sound points. ELP’s stock provided:

• Over 50 Martin Mac heads including Mac 200E Spot, 200E Wash, 200E Performance, 700 Spot and Mac 500s.
• Over 70 High End automated luminaries including Studio Beams, Studio Colors and Studio Spots.
• Dozens of LED fixtures including Chromabanks, Chromafloods and Chromapars

But it was ELPs VL1000s which Mark singled out as being particularly beneficial on this set. “The VL1000TS model includes an automated, four-blade shutter mechanism that provides automated control of all shutter functions” remarks Mark. “It’s really worth having as you don’t have to mess around opening shutter doors and when you’ve got three shows to do in a day, any time savings are a big bonus…Besides, ELP gave me a great deal on the hire cost!”

Smarter Crew

ELP were also able to help production manager Laura Green make her lighting budget go further as crew chief Joe Sherno explains. “We were able to save production about a weeks worth of lighting hire fees by installing all the trussing, motors, cables and infrastructure in advance of the set builders. The set (designed by Simon Kimmel) was then constructed with us out of the way. Then, just a couple of days before the first shoot we went in again, lowered the overhead truss using Lodestar motor control systems and quickly rigged all the lighting form the floor”
LD Mark Kenyon and his crew got extra ‘brownie points’ from production by lighting the studio cyc from behind the set with Arri 5Ks mounted on stands. This was an improvement from the previous series where 20 Iris 4s, mounted on overhead truss, were in camera view. “Getting rid of them made the Programme Director Stuart McDonald happy as he had cleaner sight lines” says Mark

The Programme Director was also provided with direct input into lighting control during filming. He was given the ability to control three cues from the OB scanner during key moments of the quiz. “We gave him access to three ‘stings’ during game play” says Mark. “He could control the lighting effects when contestants gave a right answer, a wrong answer and during a ‘big decision moment’.”
Apart from these three cues, overall lighting control was shared between Dave Bishop who operated moving lights from his own Vector 3 desk and Julia Smith, who controlled generics via a Spark Top.

“Even though Dave and Julia were ultimately managing the lighting controls, by giving the Programme Director a degree of lighting autonomy it made our lives easier and him much happier” concludes Mark Kenyon
Smart move Mark!