LOS ANGELES — PRG supplied both the lighting package and the screen automation for the recently presented 61st Primetime Emmy Awards at the Nokia Theatre. Production designer Steve Bass and lighting designer Bob Dickinson worked on a smoke-free design that reflected key elements of the television industry. “We wanted to have a look that was straightforward, crisp and—very importantly—we wanted to have a look that was smokeless,” Dickinson said. “We didn’t depend on shafts of light to create the visual environment.”
Dickinson instead worked with color as a primary tool for the evening, with different colors demarking the different genres being honored. He and Bass used VersaTUBEs to internally light scenic elements.
“We used screens and lighting to identify the television viewer with the area,” said Dickinson. “We assigned colors appropriately to different areas of production. It was a really interesting way to approach a show; to help visually communicate the evening to the viewer at home.”
Dickinson worked with lighting director/programmer Andy O’Reilly, who programmed the show on PRG’s new V676 console. “This is the third show that I have done with the V676 and it is working very, very well,” said Dickinson. “I had used the Virtuoso since its inception, on projects like the Academy Awards, the Olympics and the Grammy Awards and had come to trust it. The V676 has taken the Virtuoso characteristics and added a lot of features that the operators have been requesting. Without question, it is an ideal console for television work.”
O’Reilly agreed. “The V676 did great; it was rock-solid. We ran the show synchronized with our backup console in tracking backup, and it was flawless. The console felt really good, especially for a live televised event. It is extremely fast to make changes, which is just what television is all about. The V676 lets you make those changes and have them track through your show really, really quickly. Television is all about time so you need a console that is not only fast to use, but is fast to edit and the V676 is really built for that.”
The PRG Series 400 Power and Data Distribution System was used on the Emmy Awards, adding to the ease of using the overall system. "We got the system up quickly,” noted O’Reilly. “We were able to stay within those eight hour days and stay on budget.”
“PRG does most of my large projects and they were—as usual—completely professional. There were no hitches with their performance,” Dickinson said. His team, from his firm Full Flood, included lighting directors Jon Kusner and Travis Hagenbuch and associate lighting designer Dave Thibodeau.
PRG also provided the automation for the two large moving LED screens. Two 60 foot overhead tracks supported the two 3,000 lb. LED screens, allowing them to move back and forth. PRG’s new Mini Commander automation control console was also used. Mini Commander provides the same reliability and repeatability as the PRG’s Commander console, but in a smaller package. The Mini Commander’s full acceleration and deceleration feature managed the inertia of the screens. Simple control such as chain hoists would not have provided the same fluid movement and it would have been difficult to keep the screens still when brought to a ‘hard’ stop.
This year’s Emmy Awards broadcast was helmed by executive producer Don Mischer and director Glenn Weiss.
For more information on PRG, please visit www.prg.com.
