LONDON — It’s the band that provides the entertainment
during a live concert, but a show’s aesthetics are often as important as the
sounds. So when members of the British progressive rock band Lifesigns decided
to make a live show DVD, they called on Lighting Designer Chris Curran to make
them look as good as they sound, a feat he accomplished with the help of
HARMAN’s Martin Professional MAC Quantum Wash light and M6 controller.
Lifesigns’ two-night performance at the London rock venue
Under The Bridge in January was selected for the DVD to be filmed because of
its location, an LED screen at the back of the stage and the presence of
existing Martin fixtures. Curran, however, was eager to make the performance a
true experience for both attendees and fans, the latter of which crowd funded
the DVD’s production. So he got in touch with David Stewart, Key Account
Manager for Martin Professional UK, who sourced Curran with the M6 and 12
Quantum Washes for the shows.
“Under the Bridge had an array of Martin MAC 401s but I’m
not a huge fan of wash lights,” said Curran. “Stewart knew this but still
recommended the Quantum Washes. After two shows with them, I can officially say
I’m a massive fan!”
Curran, who generally prefers a tightly focused show, was
won over by the Quantum Wash’s three rings of light, beam twister and easy
manipulation of colors. He has become a big fan of the beam twister and colors
effects, which allow a lighting designer to quickly transition from a large to
narrow wash, giving each show a versatile and dynamic look. “It’s a whole new
world,” he said. “Even during the performance I caught myself thinking, “Wow,
that looks amazing!’”
Curran considers himself “old school” and prefers to light
the band rather than the audience. This made him especially appropriate for
working on a filmed performance. The directors set up eight action cameras
around the stage for quick cuts and close-ups, which required Curran to
comprehensively light the band members in a variety of ways to give the editors
plenty of options in post-production.
“The audience didn’t come to the show to see the house
lights, they came to see the band,” said Curran. “They should see the same show
that everyone else sees on the DVD. To me, you have to capture the dynamics of
the live show and not just the music. Luckily, I had a lot of control to do
this.”
He programmed the show at home with his own Martin M2GO
console using Martin Show Designer for visualization and then operated the show
lighting from the M6. He chose the M6 because of its 44 playbacks, allowing a
more hands-on approach that could be as reactive as Curran desired.
“With the help of the M6, I was able to provide a very
diverse array of effects and looks for the DVD,” he said. “I only wish I had
had more time with the Quantum Washes. I had an absolute field day and can’t
wait to use them again!”
As a world leader in the creation of dynamic lighting
solutions for the entertainment, architectural, and commercial sectors, Martin
lighting and video systems are renowned the world over. Martin also offers a
range of advanced lighting controllers and media servers, as well as a complete
line of smoke machines as a complement to intelligent lighting. Martin operates
the industry’s most complete and capable distributor network with local
partners in nearly 100 countries. Founded in 1987 and based in Aarhus, Denmark,
Martin is the lighting division of global infotainment and audio company HARMAN
International Industries. For more information please visit:www.martin.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment