Officially,
NAMM 2017 ended on Sunday January 22, but for digital music trailblazer Roland,
the show is still in high gear. Known almost as much for its advance
tech-driven marketing as it is for its groundbreaking products, the company is
keeping the excitement of its NAMM launches and celebrity stage appearances
alive with an extensive social media campaign, featuring powerful 360 VR
streaming that recreates the feeling of being at the show.
A key
contributor to the realism of the post-show video, as well as the engaging look
of Roland’s sprawling, multi-faceted NAMM exhibit, has been the thoughtful,
well-balanced lighting design created by Justin Preston of Three-Phase
Productions, using a collection of Rogue, STRIKE and COLORado fixtures from
CHAUVET Professional.
Roland
divided its large NAMM space into a number of sections, including a main stage
where artists like Gregg Bissonette, Omar Hakim and Scott Tibbs performed, as
well as separate areas for its Boss line, electronic drums, digital keyboards
and aerophone – plus a high tech “Cloud Room.” Preston adroitly used his
collection of fixtures to navigate the intricate demands of lighting these
areas for live visitors and an online video audience.
Balancing
color and output throughout the exhibit area was critical to helping Preston
achieve looks that worked well live and on video. He created movement and a
concert ambiance for performances on Roland’s exhibition stage to engage the
NAMM show audience, but at the same time kept his design within parameters that
would later translate well on video. For colors, he selected hues that made it
easy for visitors to appreciate the products on display, but at the same time
would be rendered true on camera.
Preston
singled out several of the fixtures in his rig for contributing to both the
live and video look he was after. “The COLORado 1 Solo’s features really
allowed me to control flare for the camera; plus it had really great color. A
number of people came up to me and commented on how nice the amber was,” he
said. “The R2 washes made great colors, to the point where I felt totally
comfortable using them as front light for camera.”
A total
of 54 CHAUVET Professional fixtures were used in Preston’s Roland rig. These
included seven Rogue R2 Washes and two STRIKE 4 multi-formatted warm white
fixtures, as well as 16 COLORado 1 Solo and 29 COLORado Batten 72 Tour units.
(PVP S5 LED video panels supplied by TST were also used in the Roland exhibit.)
The
Rogue, COLORado 1 Solo and STRIKE 4 fixtures were used on Roland’s main stage
to create an intense concert atmosphere. Preston flew five of his Rogue R2
Washes on upstage truss and two on FOH truss. He also flew 12 COLORado 1
Solos, six apiece on upstage and downstage truss, and positioned the remaining
four on 6’ stage booms. The two STRIKE 4 fixtures were hung on downstage truss.
“We used
the FOH Rogues for picking out soloists and people making announcements on
stage,” said Preston. “Our upstage Rogues created backlight, movement and
effects. The COLORado 1 Solos worked great as eye candy. The STRIKE 4s were
used for audience blinders; people loved their warm white light.”
In
addition to acknowledging the performance of his fixtures, Preston credits his
team with helping him created an impressively balanced lighting design. “Will
Chandler and Ginevra Lombardo split the job of ALD and did amazing work, and
Garrett Kelly did a great job managing the equipment,” he said. “We’re honored and
grateful to Roland for taking us on. They raise the bar in technology, and they
expect a level of excellence in their lighting. Every time I look at the NAMM
360 VR on YouTube, I take satisfaction in knowing that’s what we delivered.
