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    Blog Series: Designer Profiles

    Congratulations to Oscar Dominguez’ Emmy-Winning Design for The Voice!

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    Congratulations are in order to lighting designer Oscar Dominguez of Darkfire Lighting Design and his lighting team for Season 3 of NBC’s The Voice for winning the 2013 Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series.  Oscar’s team for The Voice is comprised of lighting director Daniel K Boland, lighting director Samuel Barker, and media server operator Craig Housenick.  Major congratulations are in order for your beautiful work!

    Oscar Dominguez has been using Chauvet Professional fixtures to create his stunning designs for The Voice since Season 1 of the show’s history, starting with the COLORdash Batten Tri and the COLORado 1 Tri Tour.  Oscar and his team from Darkfire Lighting Design used COLORado and COLORdash to bring pure eclectic color and intensity to the performances given on The Voice while giving the audience a stellar experience both live in studio and at home in broadcast.

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    Oscar’s work in Season 2 of The Voice brought over 500 Chauvet Professional fixtures into the lighting rig:  over 350 COLORdash Batten Tri units, 60 COLORado 1 Quad Tour fixtures, 48 COLORado 1 Tri Tour units, and 44 pixel mapping Epix Bar fixtures helped Oscar and his team to create the vibrant designs that audiences across the world have come to expect from The Voice.

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    Season 3 of The Voice was another milestone for Chauvet Professional and The Voice, as Oscar’s lighting rig incorporated the first 86 Nexus 4X4 pixel display units.  Oscar and his Darkfire Lighting Design team designed some of the most spectacular broadcast lighting in recent history, gaining him the Creative Arts Emmy that his work, his team, and The Voice deserve.  Bravo from Chauvet Professional to you and your team, Oscar!

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    About Oscar Dominguez, from his About page at Darkfire Lighting Design:

    Oscar Dominguez, the founder and head designer of DARKFIRE INC, is the man behind the exciting visuals of NBC’s THE VOICE, THE BACHELOR and SHARK TANK. With over 20 years of experience lighting live and episodic television, he is one of an elite group capable of producing the large scale lighting spectacle that top-rated TV shows demand. Oscar was recently nominated for an Emmy for his work on THE VOICE LIVES Season 2 and with his team has created an impressive body of work.

    DARKFIRE works closely with producers, art directors and videographers to create a lighting plot, budget and equipment recommendations. New technology appears on the marketplace every week and DARKFIRE’s technicians check out its viability and compatibility with modern cameras. The expectations of the TV viewing public have never been higher and the range of traditional and LED based fixtures has never been wider. A generation raised on  excellence in concert lighting wants the same look and texture in their favorite weekly TV show. Fortunately modern camera technology has allowed designers like Oscar to re-create the looks that were previously only possible in live concerts.

    Lighting for television is a collaborative process; with the convergence of set, lighting and special effects, the business of design is becoming more specialized. DARKFIRE continues to take a leading role and with every show renews its mission to bring visual excitement to millions of television viewers. 

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    LEGEND 230SR Beams and MVP 12s on Welsh TV from Chauvet Professional

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    Excellent lighting design work coming from Wales by London/Cardiff/Los Angeles-based lighting designer Steffan Jones!

    Chauvet Professional’s Legend 230SR Beam fixtures and MVP 12 modular video panels were part of the lighting inventory for a series of programmes on Welsh language channel S4C Light Entertainment.  The series was recorded in a 10 day block at Studio 1 of the NEP Cymru (ITV Wales) facility at Culverhouse Cross, Cardiff, Wales.  The CHAUVET Professional fixtures were specified by Cardiff and London based Lighting Designer Steffan Jones, and supplied by UK lighting and visuals rental company HSL. Steffan designed lighting and video for the raft of programmes, many featuring live artists.

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    Excellent work, Steffan!  Check out Steffan Jones’ portfolio work!

    Cat West, Lighting Director for KASKADE, Rocks the Rig AND the STAR WARS Dress!

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    photo credit Mark Owens

    She’s amazingly intelligent, she’s sassy, and most importantly of all, she’s one of the top lighting programmers on the lighting market.  Internet, meet Cat West of Flash and Trash Works.  Cat and her amazing husband/business partner Joe Cabrera run perhaps THE best lighting programming and media server companies in the world today – Flash and Trash Works, Inc.

    Cat is seen below here rocking not only the amazing Cat West Star Wars dress, but moments before rocking the Nexus 4X4‘s you see in the photos (and a ton of Geyser RGBs you don’t see)!  Cat West, we here at the Chauvet Professional Blog salute you!

    cat-west-kaskade-atmosphere cat-west-kaskade-nexus4x4GO CAT, GO!

     

    Video Designer Profile: Nate Selvidio

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    Pitbull-NateSix questions with Video Designer Nate Selvidio, co-owner of Impulse Creative Group and Video Director for Pitbull U.S. Tour. Selvidio and Production Designer Justin Geiger of Impulse Creative Group used 263 CHAUVET Professional MVP Ta8 Curve and MVP 12 video panels for the tour’s 24 shows. Orlando-based Complete Production Resources production company supplied the gear.

    1. How did you get into this field?
    When I was in high school I started working in a TV station, next to studying lighting and video on my own. I also graduated from Full Sail University in Show Production and Touring, where I started I developing live-concert expertise. I have been a video designer for about three years and I enjoy what I do very much.

    Pitbull-blog-1-a2. What do you think is the next thing in the lighting industry?
    I think we will start seeing more moving LED units and automation with a lot of the LED panels. I also think video will be around and take away from the lighting.

    3. What is your favorite fixture?
    The CHAUVET Professional MVP modular video panels were great on the Pitbull U.S. Tour. They were so bright we had to turn down the output. As for the consoles I use with the panels, I like playing with the Hippotizer and the GrandMa.

    Pitbull-blog-2-a4. What has been a favorite design/project?
    The Hollywood Bowl performance as part of the Pitbull U.S. Tour was amazing. Jennifer Lopez came and surprised everyone, then Chris Brown showed up, then Mark Anthony and Enrique Iglesias! The crowds were ecstatic.

    Pitbull-blog-35. What was the biggest unforeseen obstacle that you’ve faced in one of your designs, and how did you overcome it?
    In any show, a challenge is changing video content and re-editing. For any changes you have to meet with the artist, get the audio team involved, export the video content — it’s not as easy as changing a light.

    6. Complete this sentence: A show without video is like… a roller coaster with no power.

    LD Profile: Dorthe Wiig Andersen

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    Dorthe-mugSix questions with Dorthe Wiig Andersen, lighting designer and first-year student at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

    1. How did you get into this field?
    I started quite early; when I was in the ninth grade we were assigned a project, which required practice in a field of our choice. I chose theater and I helped out for one show in my hometown, Sandfjord (Norway) and got introduced to lighting. I have been passionate about lighting ever since. Now I am studying lighting design specializing in theater lighting. I also worked full time for five years as a technician at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet in Oslo.

    Dorthe-blog-12. What do you think is the next big thing in the lighting industry?
    Considering the LED industry is developing so quickly, I am sure it will be something that will benefit us in a green and helpful way.

    3. Do you have a favorite fixture and why?
    I like the CHAUVET Professional Legend 230SR Beam. This moving yoke is intense, bright, compact and nice to use with fog. I also like CHAUVET Professional WELL 2.0 as decoration lights — no cables, you just have to place them where you want and turn them on.

    Dorthe-blog-24. What has been your favorite design/project? I enjoyed working for Wagner’s “Tannhäuser.”
    For this huge production I had the opportunity to work as chief for the lights, being very involved in the process. This proved to be a tremendous experience for me.


    Dorthe-blog-35. What was the biggest unforeseen obstacle that you’ve faced in one of your designs, and how did you overcome it?

    On one of the first productions I worked on I did everything myself, and the old desk I was using crashed after I had made all my cues. I had to work all night to first get to know the new desk, and then program all the cues all over again. This was when I was young and without that much experience, and I did not know the importance of securing a backup of the work I had done, which I always do now.

    6. Complete this sentence:
    A show without light is… a show without life.

    LD Profile: Matias Cardillo

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    matias-blogSix questions with Matias Cardillo, lighting designer of Panama who created the design for the Special Olympics in Panama, Daddy Yankee concert in Panama City, “Dancing with the Stars” show and more. 

    1. How did you get into this field?
    I started in Argentina 21 years ago, while I was working as a courier for a lighting company. I liked the industry so much, after one year I moved in the technical department. In Panama I have been practicing for about 10 years, working on concerts, festivals, corporate events and more.

    Show-12. What do you think is the next big thing in the lighting industry?
    I would like to see more LED fixtures that consume less electricity and require fewer cables to mount. Also I am interested in seeing more products that mix lighting with video.

    3. Do you have a favorite fixture (and why)?
    I love the COLORado line from CHAUVET Professional, especially the COLORado 2 Zoom IP and COLORado 2 Tour. These lights are very resistant, sturdy and reliable.

    Show-24. What has been your favorite design/project?
    One of my favorite projects has been the Special Olympics at the Rommel Fernández Stadium in Panama City. I did the design and programming, and used 60 COLORado 3p IP fixtures. I enjoyed working on this big project because the client was very cooperative and provided me with the tools I needed to use my imagination and bring to life my vision for this show. Another project I am fond of is a Daddy Yankee concert in Panama City where I specified CHAUVET Professional COLORado 3p IP and CHAUVET DJ LEDrain 64C fixtures. For the popular show “Mi Papa Es Mejor Que Tu Papa” that ran on TVN Panamá I used again COLORado 3p IP and LEDrain 64C fixtures, and CHAUVET DJ COLORstrip battens.

    Show-35. What has been the biggest unforeseen obstacle that you’ve faced in one of your designs, and how did you overcome it?
    Panama is a small country with fewer resources than a bigger country, like the U.S. This translates into smaller shows and not enough funds for a more elaborate show. The most difficult throughout the years has been delivering great designs with the existing resources.

    6. Complete this thought: A show without light is like … a day without the sun.

    LD profile: Sergiu Ardelean

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    Sergiu-mugSix questions with Sergiu Ardelean, Lighting Designer for the Romanian National Television Society.

    1. How did you get into this field?
    When I was little I was thinking of becoming a movie director. Born and raised with music around me, I often talked with my father, who is a composer, about how I’ll be directing movies and he will do the film score. Time passed and I got more and more passionate about image and photography. So at the end of high school I decided to study film and TV image. In the final year I got hired at the Romanian National Television Society as cameraman and moved on as lighting director as soon as I got my degree. Since then I did all kinds of shows, and I still remained connected to music as I enjoy working on entertainment, concerts, music shows, etc.

    Sergiu-12. What do you think is the next big thing in the lighting industry?
    I am still a tungsten fan, but LEDs have already begun the revolution. And with the possibility of selecting the dimming curves on them, and the fact that they are very close of rendering the full color spectrum at various color temperatures that is suitable for rendering good flesh tones on video, it is a big thing in progress. Still I won’t choose them for key lighting for now. But with low power consumption that enabled manufacturers to put LED fixtures on batteries and wireless DMX, continuing increase of output intensity, the road is open ahead. Of course until someone thinks of something else—like usable wireless electricity?

    Sergiu-63. Do you have a favorite fixture (and why)?
    My favorite fixture would be the CHAUVET Professional Nexus 4×4. It is versatile, powerful, good-looking and eye candy. Some could make a whole set only by using them [like the Nexus 4×4 arrays that were used for Bruno Mars’ performance during the Billboard Music Awards]. It could be light, it could be video, it could be everything you would like it to be. So, I am a fan!

    Sergiu-24. What has been your favorite design/project?
    I have done a lot of everything, from simple two-person talking shows to big entertainments setups and music festivals. Every single one of them was treated with the same attention, and every one of them was special because I faced different challenges that had to be addressed. Even if it is a season show with a standard plot, something eventually comes up. Of course I have some projects that I am proud of, like the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest from 2009, the International Music Festival Golden Stag also in 2009, Star Factory (a Romanian/ Moldavian coproduction, season 3) in 2012, and a project of three major shows celebrating the 55th anniversary of the Romanian National Television Society. I am still learning and await new challenges, so I always look forward to bigger, more complicated and more interesting shows.

    5. What was the biggest unforeseen obstacle that you’ve faced in one of your designs, and how did you overcome it?
    I always think that having a backup plan is show saving. I learned to light a show with everything that could spark a light. Not enough moving heads? We’ll use something else or whatever we can find, and use them in a creative way so the show still looks good. It works pretty well up to a point to use your imagination, put it to work and play around with scarce resources. Limited choice of fixtures made me develop an alternate thinking of how to light a show. This and the fact that I am surrounded by very well trained professionals, who under my assistance are planning very careful each detail, I have eliminated so far the “unforeseen” factor from my shows. I always make production trips on location because I like to know exactly what to expect about power, rigging points, etc. That unless the power fails and we have no backup due to limited budget (only happened once though…). On the other hand, when the producer says, “whatever you need,” well … No comment! I wish that to all of you!

    6. Complete this thought: A show without light is like…walking on the dark side of the moon—barren and dark…

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    LD profile: Jordan Chance

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    Six questions with Jordan Chance, lighting designer and owner of Luxe Productions design company. 

    1. How did you get into this field?
    Lighting is something that has been growing within our company and I’m privileged to learn from people within the industry who I really respect.  Lighting caught my interest when I saw how it can dramatically change a space.  I started to feel passionate about it when I noticed that you can take two basic ideas, implement one of them differently and end up with a bigger, more dramatic effect. After that discovery, I started to look for the best possible ways to setup in order to bring fresh ideas to rooms  and obtain the biggest effects.

    2. What do you think is the next big thing in the lighting industry?
    Obviously LED fixtures have changed the lighting industry for the better.  Now that there is so much versatility in effects, the big question is, how to maximize that effect.  I think battery operated fixtures with built-in wireless DMX are awesome and those features help with setup and tear down time.  It would be great to see powerful, LED gobo projector with a temperature control — this would allow for minimal power consumption and pinpointing the proper white to suit the event.

    3. What has been your favorite design/project?
    I love anything that hasn’t been done before.  If it seems ridiculous or really difficult, I am immediately interested. One of my favorite projects this year was lighting Martin Estate.

    4. What was the biggest unforeseen obstacle that you’ve faced in one of your designs, and how did you overcome it?
    We recently lit an event at a beautiful, spacious venue with tons of character. They have an amazing custom floor that we did not want to damage, so had to run DMX and power throughout the ceilings and walls to get our fixtures where they needed to be.  It required a scissor lift, took a lot of time, but when we finished, there weren’t any visible wires and it looked awesome.

    5. Complete this thought: A show without light is like…
    A show without lights is like no presents on Christmas day — disappointing.

    Educating a Brighter Future, Part 2

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    frank dankoMy Journey in Lighting
    written by guest blogger Frank Danko
    [ED: Mr. Danko’s journey began at an early age and in an earlier blog post. Here the journey continues.]

    back stageTheatre is everywhere.
    My passion for technical theatre continued through college where I studied theatre arts and worked freelance around New York. I ran lights and sound for weddings, mitzvahs, concerts, dance events, corporate events and theatrical productions. It was at this point I learned that I didn’t need to be in a theatre to be a technician. Events took place everywhere from parks, hotels, churches and right on the streets. One day I would be sitting behind the console in a hotel and the next day I would be setting up staging on the streets of NYC. Theatre was everywhere and I learned as many lessons on the job as I had sitting in the classroom.

    A career begins.
    I decided to pursue my passion for technical theatre because it seemed like a natural transition. I worked in a local theatre for several years, which lead to a position with our local IATSE production rental company who was providing gear for Broadway and Off-Broadway. After joining the organization, I came to find out that we were also providing lighting and audio at local schools. I was immediately interested in this side of the business because of how meaningful my educators were to my journey. I began meeting with teachers, directors and facilities managers to see how I could assist in their production needs. We developed a program where IATSE Technicians would go into schools to do workshops with students on lighting and audio. This program allowed me to help solidify the future of our industry by paving the way for students interested in pursuing a career in technical theatre.Ovation at booth

    The education continues.
    I am proud and fortunate to teach workshops in the New York area as often as possible and I sit on the board of the NYS Theatre Education Association. I represented CHAUVET Professional and showed the Ovation series at The Hemsley Lighting Programs 9th Annual Lighting Portfolio Review this past March at Lincoln Center. This program honors Gilbert Hemsley, a highly regarded designer who dedicated his life to mentoring and educating young talent in the lighting industry. The Hemsley Lighting Program offers master classes and portfolio reviews by the industry’s leading designers in an effort to foster and educate the future of our industry. I have been fortunate enough to attended USITT numerous times, Broadway Lighting Master Class and was pleased to join the CHAUVET Professional’s team at the 8th Annual Stage Lighting Super Saturday at LaGuardia School of the Performing Arts this past January.

    USITT studentsArt transforms people’s lives!
    Theatre is a collaborative art that cannot exist or grow without dedication from those who will follow in our footsteps. At the USITT Stage Expo, CHAUVET Professional helped to inspire young technicians who walked the floor as I once did. With this in mind, I encourage you to get involved with USITT, EdTA and your local organizations promoting theatre education. Join me in helping us to educate a brighter future. You might just learn something in the process.

    Inspired to learn more? Please feel free to contact me at [email protected].