LISBON, Portugal – Lighting designer Mário Bastos used a moving light rig including 50 Robe ROBIN 600 moving lights for the latest 10-week series of Idolos (Pop Idol), broadcast live on SIC on Sunday nights in Portugal. Bastos was both lighting designer and DoP for the 10-week series, which was produced by Freemantle Media. Robe's Portuguese distributors, NAN Audiovisual, supplied the gear.
The 30 ROBIN Spot 600s and 20 ROBIN Wash 600s were all positioned on an overhead rig in the Estudios Valentim de Carvalho and used for a variety of tasks, from producing big beamy "camera candy" looks to highlighting the action onstage and illuminating the set.
Bastos has worked with Freemantle Media for some years, but this is the first time he has used Robe moving lights on an Idolos show, and also the second opportunity he's had to put the new ROBIN 600s through their paces. The first was for the Idols castings, staged at the Troia Conference Centre.
"We needed fixtures with a great output, a good zoom, smooth color mixing and a host of features – and the ROBIN's proved they were perfect for the job," he said, noting that the light output from the compact fixtures was greater than that of the average 700 unit.
He has used 1200 Series ColorSpot and ColorWashes on several previous TV shows and events. "I have never had a problem with a Robe fixture," he said, "and that's really important, especially in a TV environment, where lights are often run for hours without a break."
Mario Rui programmed and ran the lighting for Idolos using an Avolites Diamond 4 console.
Bastos credited support from NAN's sales manager, Luis Vidigal, and CEO, Correia Neves, who, together with executive producer,Vasco Barão, arranged for the Robe gear to be supplied to the show.
"We are very proud that NAN and Robe could be technical partners in the latest production of Idolos – it's one of the highest profile and most popular TV shows in the country, and it meant a huge amount that the producers and a leading lighting designer like Mario – have so much trust," said Vidigal.
For more information, please visit www.robe.cz.
