New Windsor, New York—Production Resource Group, LLC, (PRG) was pleased to support lighting designer Matt Ford when he lit the live finale of NBC's Celebrity Apprentice this past weekend. PRG provided VX Lighting with the complete lighting package, including the PRG VirtuosoTM DX2 console for control during the live television event at New York City's American Museum of Natural History.
Ford used the PRG Bad BoyTM luminaire to highlight Donald Trump's entrance to the boardroom where he chose his next Celebrity Apprentice. The Bad Boy was part of a large lighting system that included 41 PRG VL6C+TM luminaires. Trump made his final decision at the end of both live and taped presentations finally 'hiring' Joan Rivers as the newest Celebrity Apprentice.
The final boardroom was set up in the museum's IMAX theatre with Trump entering from the back of the house. Explains Ford, "I put the Bad Boy at the back of the house in a doorway because Donald Trump made his entrance through the audience as opposed entering from the stage. I needed a very strong, bright source that could really silhouette him. I think that without the Bad Boy it would have been underwhelming."
Ford also noted, "With other lights I couldn't go as wide on the zoom and it wouldn't have been nearly as bright. Having the intensity and the wide beam spread of the Bad Boy really made it the perfect choice. It worked great and it was completely reliable."
PRG's Bad Boy Luminaire has quickly become a trusted and go-to choice for many live television events. Fixtures were used on the recent Grammy Awards and will be part of numerous upcoming productions, including the much anticipated Eurovision Song Contest broadcasts. The Bad Boy stands out, producing a powerful 48,000 lumens with a zoom range of 8:1 (7° to 56°) and full-field 0 to 100% dimming. It also features precision movement and control over color and gobo changing with accurate slow-speed control as well as fast bumps. In addition to accurately matched colors, other Bad Boy features include optical clarity and smooth, fluid control of focus, zoom, dimming and imaging-thanks to high quality lenses and servo motors.
Ford worked closely with PRG on the lighting needs as last minute changes were made for the finale. "PRG was great and very responsive," Ford said. "It was a very difficult setup since the entire lighting rig had to be a ground support system. The IMAX theatre did not have any rigging points or any place to hang motors. We had to make some last minute changes once we saw the set in relation to the lighting truss. We weren't in a situation where we could do a lot of overtime, so it was critical that the gaffer get what he needed, when he needed it. What was nice was that PRG really rolled with the changes that we had to make on the fly, and they came through quickly with the last-minute orders."
For more information on PRG, please visit www.prg.com.
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