The new
Holiday on Ice “Believe” show takes the whole concept of ice musicals to a new
level of production and presentation, directed and choreographed by Olympic and
world Ice skating champion Christopher Dean to great acclaim.
Belgian
design practice Painting with Light has created the set, lighting and video designs
for this vibrant, colourful and dramatic spectacular which is a contemporary
take on Romeo and Juliet transformed for the ice. Two contrasting spheres of
existence – upper and lower –clash, contrast and unite in the quest for true
love.
Painting
with Light’s Luc Peumans imagined the set working alongside his talented team
of Paco Mispelters who created the lighting and Michael Al-Far who designed the
video.
“It was a
fantastic opportunity to show what Painting with Light can do as a full live
show production resource,” commented Luc, whose original ideas for the scenic were
chosen from a competitive pitch.
Luc and
Painting with Light have worked on previous Holiday on Ice productions for Dutch
producers Stage Entertainment Touring Productions, but until now, the set has always
been more straightforward.
Set
The story
is a new version of Romeo & Juliet – living in two separate worlds, the
Underworld and the Upperworld. This required a dynamic and contrast rich
approach with a lot of motion and numerous different levels to shape the story.
This time
it’s physically larger – 28 metres wide – and considerably more sophisticated,
comprising multiple layers, platforms and moving parts including two prominent stage
elevators, synthetic ice ramps plus a DJ booth that tracks out over the main
ice. Almost all of the set and it’s peripheries like the two giant fans and
water screen feature over the ice is clad in curve-able 9.3 mm LED video
panels supplied by CT.
Using
video as digital scenery enables the mood and action to change dynamically and
instantaneously throughout the set, a hypothesis that was at the essence of
Luc’s production design.
The
visual imagery and ambience of the upper and lower worlds can be created graphically
and in great detail to enhance the audience experience, and also on a large
scale so everyone can benefit, wherever they are sitting in the venue.
“Video coupled
with some classic theatrical scenic elements was the only option to achieve the
level of detail required and that allowed us to flip completely from one world
to another at the touch of a button” explained Luc, whose first drawings date
back to April 2015 after initial meetings with the producers and Christopher
Dean who wanted to explore the two worlds theme.
At the
first meeting Dean walked everyone through the story, scene by scene, and how
he envisioned the scenes in terms of lighting, video and sound! His very clear
vision and ability to communicate that so lucidly to the Painting with Light
team ensured a smooth work process could evolve.
The lower
world is dark, threatening, raw and mechanical, whereas the upper world is
light and filled with glitter, glamour and fun.
Above the
set, snaking around the roof is a network of inflatable scenic tubes – made by
Airworks – which make up pipes for the underworld scenes, adding to the overall
proto-industrial feel and extending the set 46 metres over the ice.
Also
flown above the ice are three giant 3 metre wide fans housed in LED illuminated
surrounds compete with 8 x inbuilt Martin Rush Beams for effects and video surface
on the under-belly and sides – which becomes filled with elaborate graphics.
One of
these scenic fans piece is fitted with a circular water curtain from Unlimited
FX, complete with integral LEDs that were specified by Painting with Light, which
looks fabulous highlighting the bursting and cascading water for a pole dancing
sequence inside the ‘cage’.
The set
and automation – including stage elevators and flying DJ console – was
fabricated by creative engineering specialist
WIcreations from Heist-op-den-Berg in Belgium.
Lighting
Paco
Mispelters’ starting point for the lighting design was the set, the story of the
two worlds and the need to work closely with the video content.
He constructed
the cues according to the storyboard using around 150 moving lights, mostly
Martin, delivered by Focus Holland and
positioned on a network of trusses installed in the roof of each gig.
Fixtures
included MAC Quantum Spot LED luminaires which he is very happy with, plus MAC
700 Washes and MAC Aura LED washes for the floor and side lighting. Some MAC
Auras are also built into the set – fabricated by WIcreations – at the top of
the stage elevators and these light performers standing on the various platforms.
Substantial
amounts of LED PARs are dotted around and utilised to light the platforms and
the set elements that are not covered in video.
Paco also
added plenty of atmospherics including Chauvet Geyser vertical smoke jets which
create a CO2 effect and Le
Maitre Spraymaster non-propane DMX controlled fire shooters, all running into
the grandMA2 console together with all the lighting.
For
continuity of lightsource, Martin MAC 3 Profiles were chosen as the five follow
spots, with handles mounted on the fixture and the operator in control of the
dimmer and iris functions with all the colour and on/off cues coming from the grandMA
2 which was programmed by Arjan Grootenhuis.
Video
Moving
and still images are a vital part of the show narrative and of imagining the different
worlds, and the physical design includes approximately 220 square metres of the 9.3 mm CTG9 bendable panels – chosen for
their amazing flexibility and robust finish.
Michael
spent around 5 months creating the content, a process that involved
commissioning a concept artist to sketch out the two worlds according to the
brief and mood-board, after which the content production process became fully
energised.
A 3D
modeller then translated the 2D sketches into 3D using Cinema 4D and as the
scenes started to take shape, Michael started texturing and lighting the
material. They arrived at the production rehearsals in Utrecht, where content
was animated, rendered, assembled and finalised on the timeline over several
weeks
The
biggest challenge was finding the balance between what was in their heads and
what actually worked on the gigantic LED wall explained Michael.
His
favourite moments of the show include when female principal Clarissa enters the
underworld, arriving in the Forbidden City, bringing – in her wake – colour and
happiness! Until then, the underworld was universally grim and dingy, but as
that barrier was breached it opened the opportunity of lighting this foreboding
mechanical world completely differently. “We added some silhouetted butterflies
and magenta and purple floral aspects giving me the great satisfaction of
seeing this world thrive under a more up-beat colour palette,” enthused
Michael.
All the
edited materials are stored and programmed by Painting with Light’s Katleen Selleslagh
in a Conlux Pandora’s dual media server supplied to the production by Painting
with Light, together with a wireless player with DMX link in the DJ booth. The show is triggered via SMPTE timecode and
now it’s on the road, is effectively ‘plug-and-play’ for the operating crew.
“One of
the great strengths of Painting with Light is that we all know one another
really well, so the creative dialogue between all the visual mediums comes
extremely naturally and is a fertile and productive process with a great flow
and understanding,” commented Luc who is delighted with the final results.
He
complimented Luc on being able to get inside his head and make his vision come to life, adding that
he was ”honoured” to have been able to work with Luc and the team and he hopes
their paths will cross again soon.
‘Believe’ is due to run
for two years. Currently it’s overlapping the hugely successful 2014 show,
‘Passion’ which was also designed by Painting with Light.
Photos : Morris MacMatzen
