MORIN-HEIGHTS, QUEBEC – Spring officially starts in late March, but in most of the northern hemisphere, it isn’t until April that the first tantalizing tastes of this hopeful season appear. But winter does not go quietly. It remains, rearing its head from time to time, creating what Shakespeare called “the uncertain glory of an April Day.”
Louis-Xavier Bonneau and the team at Onedot reflected this glorious mix in the lighting design for Pentapic, an annual music and sport event held every April at the base of the Sommet Morin-Heights ski resort, 83 kilometers (54 miles) north of Montreal.
Winter is definitely present at the festival. It is, after all, held at a ski resort, and skiing is indeed part of the fun. But the exhilarating sense of spring is also in the air. Bonneau and the team at Onedot celebrate and reflect both sensations in light through their artful mixing of colors.
“We used a rich palette of cool tones to reflect the winter atmosphere surrounding the base of the ski mountain,” explained Bonneau. “Warmer colors were then introduced to evoke the arrival of spring and create a sense of seasonal transition. Yellow also played a key role throughout the design, as it was the primary color of the event.”
Contributing to this color narrative were 12 high-output CHAUVET Professional Rogue Outcast 2 Beam fixtures supplied by FX Production. Going beyond their considerable color rendering capabilities, the Rogue units, which were rigged vertically on two towers, played a pivotal role in adding “personality” to the festival lighting so it could better pump up excitement, while reflecting the music of the various performing artists.
“To create dynamic and versatile looks that could adapt to the wide variety of artists performing throughout the event, we incorporated two distinct lighting effects in our design,” said Bonneau. “”We had the powerful Rogue Outcast 2 Beams positioned on each side of the stage to deliver intense visual punches and high-energy moments. Then, for contrast, we had a luminous box installed on the roof of the container for softer lighting patterns and more atmospheric when needed.
“The Rogue fixtures proved to be extremely effective for the production,” he continued. “Their powerful output, IP-rated construction, and overall reliability made them perfectly suited for the outdoor environment. They gave us everything we needed to create impactful, high-energy looks while allowing the team to operate with confidence despite the weather.”
As Bonneau noted, despite the seasonal transition, winter was most definitely still present at the festive. This created a challenging environment. Snow created logistical difficulties throughout the production. At times, equipment got stuck in the snow enroute to the stage.
Then, there was also the need to protect the performers themselves. The Onedot team used a shipping container as a DJ booth to offer added protection, and carefully monitored the use of smoke and haze.
In the end, however, winter’s threats were successfully met, leaving fans free to enjoy its invigorating benefits, while also sampling beautiful traces of spring…exactly the combination that makes April so special!
