An
impressive array of Clay Paky fixtures recently took center stage, or rather
nine stages, on the unique new interactive talent show, “Keep Your Light
Shining”, which claims, “You should never hide your talent in the dark”. The
show debuted on German Pro7 television with lighting designer Jerry Appelt
using lighting as one of the main components of this clever show.
The program
showcases talented young contestants who take turns singing a song in brief
intervals. It uses dramatic lighting to emphasize the importance of each
singer\’s brief chance to impress the viewing audience. With only 15-20 seconds
to sing in the spotlight, they have to do their best to have an impact before
the light moves onto the next performer. At the end of the song, the audience
votes to eliminate one contestant. The rounds continue until the last two
face-off in a duet and a winner is declared.
The show is
a concept of Turkish-based Global Agency, one of the fastest growing content
distributors in the industry. Germany is the first country worldwide to air the
show.
With
lighting being such a key component of the show, Appelt chose mainly Clay Paky
fixtures, specifying a stunning array including 54 Alpha Spot HPE 1500, 24
Alpha Spot QWO 800, 12 Alpha Profile 800, 36 Alpha Beams, 88 Sharpys and 48
A.leda B-EYE fixtures. Lighting was supplied by MLS Magic Light + Sound in
Germany.
Appelt
explains, “The show has live voting for nine performances in nine shooting angles,
where the lighting is dictated by the votes, not rehearsed cues. This required
control from a game machine, which ran a MIDI signal through a grandMA system
to cue the lights. The lights absolutely must be responsive to their cues. It’s
actually a pretty complex set up.”
He
continues, “The Profile fixtures were used for cue lighting and overall we had
45 key lighting cues for the nine stages. The Clay Paky lights always find the
right position. For a show like this you have to use a light that you trust in
terms of reliability and I always trust Clay Paky for this. You also need a
powerful beam light so I prefer the Alpha Beam to achieve these looks.”
Crew credits
LD &
DoP, Jerry Appelt
Lighting
Director & Spot Caller, Markus Ruhnke
Desk
Operator Key lights, Dennis Muhl
Desk
Operator Show lighting, Sascha Matthes
Media Server
Operator, Sebastian Huwig
Gaffer,
Matthias Meyert
Crew Chief Lighting, Christoph Dahm
