Supporting an A Cappella Group with Lighting and Video
You can’t build the visual elements of the show around the lead singer, because, well, there are five of them. You can’t move in and out on the band because, well, there isn’t one. Clearly the five singers that make up the a cappella group Pentatonix presents a challenge, one that was embraced by a creative team that included lighting and set designer Sooner Routhier and Robert Long; Moo Creative’s editor/senior graphic artist Andy Reuter; and choreographer Lindsey Blaufarb.
“This particular team just clicked instantly,” Routhier states. She says she’s never worked with an a cappella group before. “It was cool to be involved with something so rare.” Reuter echoes the sentiment: “It presented a lot of unique challenges we don’t typically run into,” he adds. “You don’t have the same dynamics as you have with a band, so we ended up with different ways to capture the audience.”
Routhier always does research on a new client, but this one called for more homework. “I knew we had to set the scene using a different approach, as there is no band gear on stage,” she says. She created five shadow boxes fitted with Roe Visual MC7 video screens on one side, and frosted Lexan on the other. Illuminating the inside are Martin MAC Viper profiles, while the boxes are outlined with thin video strips (Upstaging Sabers). “I wanted to be able to create different looks representing each individual member with high res video. We surrounded both surfaces with a ‘neon’ look to create different video textures.” For inspiration, she had to look no further than the group’s self-titled album cover, where each member is pictured bathed in a different color (gray, pink, blue, green, yellow). She stuck with just those colors for the entire show, which had its personal challenges, as in “My favorite color is red, and I couldn’t use it!” she laughs.
Big Visual Moments
The opening gag was one that took the most planning and rehearsal. The lights come up, and there appears to be one member behind each box, singing in silhouette. Only it’s not the singers, but video of them in their place. Unbeknownst to the audience, the actual singers are on a Gallagher lift, slowly coming up above their boxes, singing in the dark. The lights pop, and they are revealed. “On the first night, the band freaked out, because as they were singing their hearts out, and no one was looking at them!” Routhier laughs. “They could see the audience, but the audience had no clue that the band was actually eight feet above where they were looking.”
Another great use of video and lighting was when Kevin Olusola plays his cello and beatboxes simultaneously. Routhier explains: “We realized that, up to that point in the show there hadn’t been a big I-Mag moment.” Closeups of Olusola’s mouth were on some of the screens, while other screens displayed shots of him playing the cello along with full body shots, for a total of three inputs over five screens.
Toward the end, there was perhaps the biggest visual moment, with Kirstin Maldonado’s solo “Water.” When Reuter created a large drop starting on the top video screens and continuing to the boxes lined up behind the singer and then splashing, Routhier got the idea of augmenting it with a surge of white from Elation ACL 360i’s that was so effective it made one think the song had to be followed with a team of guys with mops. “We were most proud working that out,” Reuter says. “That captures the big dynamics, and Sooner did an amazing job of matching the lights to the video — it really boosted the content.”
Almost all content was created by Moo Creative. “They were very good about allowing us to do what was best for the show,” he says. Taking it out on the road and running the lighting board is Ian Haslauer. He says it’s an exciting time to be with the band as they experience a serious rising trajectory. “A couple of years ago, they had a single bus and trailer, and now they have five trucks and four buses — the group is really happening.”
Pentatonix World Tour
Crew
- Lighting Designer: Sooner Routhier
- Video Designer: Andy Reuter
- Lighting Director: Ian Haslauer*
- Set Designer: Robert Long
- Lighting Co: Christie Lites
- Video Co: Moo TV
- Set Co: Gallagher Staging
Gear
Lighting:
- 42 Martin MAC Viper Profiles
- 20 Martin MAC Quantum Washes
- 72 Elation ACL 360i fixtures
- 36 SGM Q7s
- 120 Upstaging Sabers (40 each 250; 500; 1000)
Video Setup:
Catalyst v5 media server with multiple live captures; HD cameras for I-Mage fed into a Ross Carbonite Switcher; Panasonic robotic cameras, ROE Visual MC7 panels for the cubes; GTEK InnoPix 5.9 for the top screens.
More Pentatonix 2016 tour photos by Ben Dickman at:
http://www.prolightingspace.com/photo/albums/pentatonix-spring-2016-gallery-shot-by-ben-dickman
CORRECTION:
This posting was updated with Ian Haslauer’s correct title, “Lighting Director.” PLSN regrets the error.
