Ritscher, who credited Chauvet gear in general for its durability, reliability, bright output and ease of setup, specified eight COLORado 1-Tri Tour fixtures, 20 COLORado Batten 72 Tours and 12 SlimPAR 64 LED wash lights. He added that the COLORado Batten 72 Tours were also chosen for their RGBWA color mixing capabilities and the COLORado 1-Tri Tour for their control, power consumption and tri-LED technology.
All of the fixtures were attached to a truss design that evoked the feel of a sun with glowing beams inside a circle with four legs or — as Ritscher noted, perhaps an alien mother ship, a flower or even a crab.
“People and cameras don’t want to see dead space. and the goal was to fill up the area around the band so there is something going on in every shot,” Ritscher said. “The key factor for the audience was to make them feel like they were attending a show in a theater, while at the same time, ensuring every shot of the band had something cool moving in the background for the camera crews,” Ritscher said.
Creating an intimate setting for such a large-scale show, especially when trees and fencing served as the stage’s backdrop, proved to be a challenge. So was the need to incorporate video into the design process.
Ritscher worked with his business partner, Luccas Oliveira, to figure out installation logistics while freelance designers John Nichols and Peter Schmit assisted with the installation of fixtures.
The team had to stay within budget while creating an entire set solely from lighting equipment.
“We had to make sure we provided enough front light for the super light-hungry, high-definition cameras, as well as ensure the design would work with the super bright 40-foot video wall behind the band,” Ritscher said. “The solution was the gigantic lighting rig. It created an intimate setting for the audience in the front rows and also created a big visual for the people who were so far away that they were only able to see the video and stage. Everyone got a good show.”
Ritscher, who has been a lighting designer for eight years, started out as a software engineer and grew to love the challenges and level of creativity that came with design and programming.
“I really enjoy projects where we create a world that sets the mood for the whole event and people are surrounded by art.” Ritscher said. “I also, sometimes, really like having my office outside.”
For more information, please visit www.chauvetlighting.com.
