Sean Burke Lighting Solutions - Vari-Lite

Lighting Design & Programming: Sean Burke
Lighting Solutions: Philips Vari-Lite
Direction: Jamie King
Lighting Supply: Upstaging
Picture Credits: Courtesy of Sean Burke
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As a dancer, actress, music
artist, producer, and fashion
designer, Jennifer Lopez
has sold over 55 million records
worldwide. With a celebrated
career spanning over 17 years,
she has taken on many challenges
in many different industries,
except for one. With the launch
of her 2012 World Tour, Lopez is
embarking on her first headlining
live tour and behind the scenes
lighting designer and programmer
Sean Burke has created an
energetic and dramatic lighting
design using VARI-LITE VL3500 Wash
FX and VL3000 Spot luminaires
provided by Upstaging.
“This is the first live tour for
Jennifer so director Jaime King
brought everyone into the
process very early,” began Burke.
“It was very interesting to watch
as he took the production from
a normal touring show to quite
an extravaganza in terms of the
dancers, choreography and all the
things that he brings to the table.
His take on the production went
from something pretty simple at
first into something dramatic in
the end, so we knew we would
need to match that drama with the
lighting.”
his design a bit differently as the
show became filled with dancers,
choreography, and small vignettes
that would be spread across the
large stage measuring 62’ wide x
48’ deep, filled with a backdrop
of powerful LED video screens.
Additionally, there is a 60’ catwalk
that has a 16’ x 16’ B-Stage at
the end used for scene changes
between the vignettes, so when
adding all this together, Burke
knew that the power of the video
walls and long throw distances
would be a significant challenge.
“There is a large amount of video
on this tour and you always go
back to the problem of matching
As the production meetings began,
Burke realized that he would
have to approach the layout of
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the intensity with the lights, and
how you try to marry the two. I
get involved in a lot of the video
content creation these days and I
have learned over the years that
you can make it very difficult for
yourself by trying to fight the
video wall. You have to find ways
to either come around the side of
it, the bottom of it, or come over
the top. You have to seriously
think about where you are going to
put the fixtures because you can’t
just hang them in the anywhere
anymore, but the main component
for success is that the fixtures have
to be powerful.”
Searching for the ideal lights for his
design, Burke turned to Authorized
VARI-LITE Dealer Upstaging who
provided him with 80 VL3500 Wash
FX and 74 VL3000 Spot luminaires.
Burke added, “I love dealing with
Upstaging because they are a
fantastic company with a great
crew and I really can’t say enough
about them. Lighting Crew Chief
Ken Burns has been a fantastic help
in putting the tour together. He
reacts very quickly to changes that
may need to be made and was very
instrumental in our success.”
As the tech rehearsals got
underway, Burke had his first
chance to see the lights in action.
Knowing that throw distances and
intensity would be key to making
the design fully come together,
that is exactly what the VARI-LITE
luminaires provided.
“The lighting workhorses for this
show are definitely the wash lights.
I have been using the VL3500 Wash
fixtures for a while now and I really
like them. To me, the fixtures are
extremely flexible and they are
doing something that really no
other light on the market can do.
It’s the perfect weapon to combat
high-powered video walls, but now
when you add in the FX unit you
get two bangs for your buck. Now
you have the ability to use gobo
patterns in addition to a really wide
wash that’s incredibly bright and
can zoom down into a pencil beam.
It’s an incredible fixture.”
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Not able to simply rely upon wash lights to make his design complete, Burke also
needed a powerful spot luminaire to act as its complement, and that’s how we used
the VL3000 Spot luminaires.
“The VL3000 Spots are great fixtures that are completely versatile. In terms of a spot
unit being big and bright, that can go from a narrow beam to a wide beam, with
consistent and smooth operation; the VL3000 Spot is a perfect complement to the
VL3500 Wash FX. Plus, it makes it easier on the crew when all the lights in the rig are
consistent. Given that the VL3500 Wash FX and VL3000 Spot do everything needed for
this show, there was no need to mix them up with other fixtures.”
Currently scheduled to close in the United Arab Emirates in November 2012, Burke
and the tour will cross many international borders with many surprises along the way.
But with his design powered by VARI-LITE luminaires, the performance of his rig is not
a concern at all.
Burke concluded, “In the end it all came together quite well. Every once in awhile
you come across a fixture that is a leap in technology and the VL3500 Wash FX is that
light. Choosing VARI-LITE luminaires really brought this lighting design together, and
to do the job that I had to do, the VL3500 Wash FX and VL3000 Spot luminaires work
perfect.”
As a leading designer and manufacturer of premiere automated lighting systems,
Philips Vari-Lite provides equipment and services to the entertainment industry,
serving such markets as concert touring, theatre, television, film, cruise lines,
houses-of-worship, and corporate events. VARI-LITE automated lighting systems are
available through a worldwide network of independent professional dealers. For more
information on Philips Vari-Lite lighting solutions, please visit www.vari-lite.com.
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