NEW YORK — Vibrant Design LD Christopher Landy provided the design for six “MTV Unplugged” shows that debuted on the Web at www.unplugged.mtv.com. Along with All Time Low, pictured here, Landy lit Adele, Silversun Pickups, Paramore, Katy Perry and Vampire Weekend. The “MTV Unplugged” shows were executive produced and directed by Matthew Mills of Space Station Media, which has also produced a variety of other Web projects, TV shows and feature films. The “MTV Unplugged” series was shot at NEP Studios in New York with a two-day turnaround.
“It’s been interesting to work on a series shot for the Web,” Landy said, adding that “Web programming is a growing trend. At least one song from each show comes into rotation on MTV and MTV2, and now Palladia HD has picked up the series in full HD.”
Mills and art director Scott Kawczynski did the production design for the shows, creating “something of a speakeasy vibe that harkened back to the older ‘Unpluggeds,’” he said. The designers took a more streamlined approach to the décor, however, “because we needed to be able to take sets down and whisk them away in a heartbeat.”
“Chris knows how to work something up in an unparalleled way,” said Mills. “When we first turned on the lights he took our breath away. And he’s shown us 10 different looks, which were all great. Chris has been able to take our simplified set and make it look much more complex with a variety of lighting techniques. He was able to change the lighting from song to song so it’s moody for one track and bright and vibrant in another.”
Landy supported the “simple and elegant look” of Mills’ and Kawczynski’s set with a complement of LEDs. “We kept it simple, too, starting with 18 LEDs and adding six more. It’s always surprising what you can do on a show of that size.”
Landy’s lighting rig was comprised of 36 ETC Source Four lekos; 12 PAR 64 1K MFLs; 12 1K T3 striplights; 12 1K single-cell cyc lights; 24 Colorblast 12s; and an ETC Express 250.
Mills, who has teamed with Landy several times before, says the lighting designer “is always my first call. You just tell Chris what you need, and he makes it happen. He’s able to do more things with less money than most people do with big budgets. He’s an intuitive, artistic guy who can run with little direction. And he always assembles a small but dedicated crew.”
Matthew Piercy served as associate lighting designer on the series with Gerard McCarthy and CC Cooperstock as gaffers. Remote Digital Media, where Sandy Bondorowsky is technical supervisor, furnished the engineering and camera gear.
For more information, please visit www.vibrantdesign.tv.
