Ad info:http:// www.plsn.<strong>com</strong>/instant-info NEWS Olympics Designers Share Their Insights BEIJING — The largest single automated lighting system ever assembled for a single event was at the Opening Ceremonies of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. The multimedia, three-dimensional display was created by director Zhang Yimou, and some 22,000 people took part in the gala, including 15,000 costumed performers. Lighting personnel began initial installation of the fixtures in March — five months before the event — with most of the 1,142 Martin MAC luminaires rigged in the roof of the stadium and several hundred lining the upper balcony. The main lighting supplier was China Central Television (CCTV) with several lighting sub-suppliers also contributing. Sha Xiao Lan: “After knowing I would be the chief LD of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games, I spent a lot of time conceiving the lighting design. The Olympics is not only for the Chinese people but for people all over the world, so we had to satisfy not only the Chinese but people from all countries. The problem is that people from different places have different tastes in aesthetics. To be specific, Westerners prefer elegant pastel colors; Chinese are fond of strong highlysaturated color, and this was the major part to be considered. “We did research on the Athens and Sydney Olympic Games and in order to emphasize the technological factor of the Beijing Olympics we decided to utilize the most advanced technologies and products to actualize the Opening and Closing Ceremony design. “You know that the Beijing Olympics gained nationwide support from the very beginning. However, the budget for the lighting design was less than that of the Doha Asian Games, yet many well-known manufacturers and suppliers promised they would do whatever they could to provide whatever we needed. I was deeply touched by their gratitude. “After we knew about the Bird’s Nest’s 14-meter high by 500-meter long brim, which is perfect for positioning fixtures, we adjusted our plan accordingly. “The Beijing Olympics is being transmitted in a high-resolution digital signal, so we needed the lighting fixtures to be highly uniform in color temperature. According to our plan, we needed more than 2,300 moving lights, which is unprecedented. Martin, Vari*Lite and many other well-known brands attended the bid and we had to choose the most suitable ones. Even as the head LD, I didn’t have the authority to decide which brand would be used in the Ceremony, though my opinion was important. “The Martin MAC 2000 Wash was eventually chosen because it’s the most stable fixture with the most uniform color wash I’ve ever known. We used about 1,200 MAC 2000 Washes in the Opening Ceremony, which is also unprecedented. No event has ever used so many units under the same brand before as far as I know. About 90 percent of the Washes were used to wash the performance area, the ceiling of the stadium and the audience. We also used 110 Washes to add backlighting for the audience. “Martin fixtures have the highest value for money and are quite stable with a low dysfunction rate. The nominal dysfunction rate is 2 percent according to the information from the manufacturer, but the actual dysfunction rate is lower than that. Plus the uniformity of color is perfect, which can not be reached using other fixtures. Besides the foresaid merits, I am very impressed by the MAC 2000 Wash’s speed and accuracy in movement and positioning. In the Opening Ceremony we used wash light to position, that’s rare, and the Martin fixtures’ performance is excellent; this is widely acknowledged by my colleagues. “These fixtures were indispensable in achieving the goal of satisfying everyone. Without these fixtures none of our ideas would have been possible. “Even when using the white color, we needed it to be tasteful. If you watched carefully enough you noticed that the white color in the Chinese Landscape Painting scene was PROJECTION LIGHTS & STAGING NEWS In all, 22,000 performers took part in the opening ceremonies in a show directed by Zhang Yimou. Steve Kellaway, digital lighting programmer, and Dennis Gardner, chief lighting programmer and digital lighting/video programmer, in front of the Bird’s Nest’s globe and membrane. different from the white color in the Movable Typography scene. In the Road of Silk scene we used the amber color to simulate the atmosphere of deserts and in the Rites and Music scene we used the royal golden hue to create an atmosphere of the Imperial Palace. During the Tai Chi and Zheng He Fleet scene we used highly saturated deep blue. I dare say without the Martin MAC 2000 Wash, none of the above would have been possible. The wash effect of the MAC 2000 was so perfectly uniform; light from the 1,200 units was just like light from one single unit. And the saturation of the MAC 2000 was fantastic as well. Remember when Lang Lang and the little girl began to play piano together? The colorful light was just like an impressionistic painting. “I believe through the Opening Ceremony we successfully showcased the lighting Olympics LD Sha Xiao Lan factored cultural preferences for lighting hues into his design. design ability of China. All factors including organization, back-stage, control, and lighting design are quite satisfying and we have gained the praise from the Western media.” Paul Collison: “Lighting for television on an event like this can be quite a challenge. The performance area is huge and when you add the audience in as a background you have almost a full square kilometer of surface area to light. Even though the show, at times, is orientated to one side, the cameras can be pointing in any direction. We are very aware that every area of the stadium is a part of the show. “The MAC 2000 XBs have been great. They are bright — really bright. They sit in perfectly well with the other 900-plus standard MAC 2000 Washes. We have used them out wide on the level three balcony position to get some extra kick in from the sides when the performances are orientated towards the VIP or on camera side. They also have a slightly longer throw to the center of the field from that position. “All of the Martin fixtures have performed well under trying conditions. High humidity and high temperatures are hard on lighting fixtures, not to mention the huge amount of dust that we encountered through the final stages of the construction of the Bird’s Nest. I’m sure these fixtures have seen more dust over the last four months than most vacuum cleaners see in a lifetime! Despite this the fixtures are still working well. We have a much lower fault rate with the Martin fixtures than any others in the system. Martin’s <strong>com</strong>mitment and support has been exceptional and certainly helped to continued on page 65 16 <strong>PLSN</strong> SEPTEMBER 2008
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