The 2016 annual high school graduation
ceremony for the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) –an online public
community school– was staged at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio,
where around 12,000 people watched more than 1,300 students graduate.
Lighting the event was Zachary
Durban, who used 80 x Robe BMFL WashBeams and 28 Pointes supplied by Cincinnati
area based Loud and Clear which delivered the event’s technical production.
Zach regularly works with Loud and
Clear as an LD and programmer, bringing his vast experience working on
rock shows, theatre productions and corporates to a crossover event like ECOT.
Shane Fisher, production and sales manager from Loud and Clear pitched an
initial concept for the ECOT event, which he and Zach jointly developed into
the production design for the show.
Loud and Clear produced the show
for the first time last year, so this year Shane decided that the most
practical and spectacular way of moving forward was to make it in-the-round.
For movement, ingress, egress and the general flow of the event as well as involving
the audience much more it seemed like a logical move.
They imagined a ‘sunburst’ style
look for the trussing above the stage, so 12 trusses radiating out from a
central point in the celling were all toned,
creating an architectural feature in the center of the venue.
This design involved some very
long throw distances for any moving lights down to the stage below and out into
the audience, so Zach and Shane thought this would also be an ideal opportunity
to try the 80 x BMFL WashBeams.
One Pointe was positioned on the
inside of these 12 sunburst trusses and used for toning the metalwork, while
the other 14 were positioned on the stage with some on the arena floor. These
were all used for aerial effects and as eye / camera candy effects.
The BMFLs had three primary tasks.
They were used to wash the stage and the audience and also to texture both
areas on demand.
Loud and Clear’s head of lighting,
Shawn Bernstein had also been looking at the BMFL specs and this seemed like an
ideal show for them.
Eighty to a hundred feet throws
had to be covered, and they were also required to zoom out and light entire
sections of the arena in deep colors like Congo blue “The BMFL series specs
seemed to be a perfect solution,” commented Zach.
It was also during an extremely
busy period for Loud and Clear with all their gear tied up on various projects
and they would have had to cross hire anyway. (The BMFLs came from Beame
Lighting in Pennsylvania).
Zach really enjoyed integrating
the WashBeams into the design. The very high output fixture with a good
selection of features, a 5 – 54 degree zoom, three distinctive and different
variable frosts, full framing shutters and six gobos in the slots “ticked
all my boxes for this show.”
As for the Pointes, he said “they
are THE most versatile beam fixture on the market and can double as Spots /
Profiles on many scenarios. They are my favorite air-effects light.
Lighting in the round with
multiple camera angles required some skill and thought to ensure that people
and objects were lit evenly from all sides, and the BMFLs helped with their
very flat, even light path.
When it came to lighting specific
areas with minimal spill, the shutters worked for pin-pointing trophies,
podiums and other props utilized during speeches and presentations.
The framing with wide rotation on
each blade and the whole system worked ideally on a stage with multiple edges said
Zach adding, “It’s nice when a graduation can have a bit of pizzazz. It’s a
special day for all involved.”
Working alongside Zach and Shane on
the lighting crew were Chris Sutton (master electrician) and technicians Daniel
Baxter and Andy Hillman, with head rigger Gary Radomenski.
Zach, a freelance LD based in
Ohio, first started using Robe a few years ago while on a European tour with guitar
legend Steve Vai, and he now uses Pointes whenever possible, a trend he now
hopes to follow up with BMFLs.
He is particularly interested in how
Robe is using LED technology right now. “A lot of consideration goes in the
internal mechanics of Robe’s products, and they are built for the road. I think
they are reading the market well and producing products that both designers and
technicians appreciate.”
Photos : Kacy Standohar
