Design Partners in Los Angeles has recently expanded its services to include pre-visualization renderings for large-scale theatrical and television productions that require entertainment lighting. This expansion was a natural development as the lighting department big shows has evolved to become a more crucial component of the production due to the explosion of new technology and the desire for high impact visuals. This makes pre-viz an essential time-saving tool for designers.
“A whole new dialog begins as we explore other ideas and options that were not obvious before. In many cases, these renderings have been used to show the network what could be done if the "breakage" was approved for the scenery, lighting, or media display that were beyond the initial budget,” says Greg Brunton, president of Design Partners. "It's a lab to use whatever software the designers need to get the job done."
For now the ShowViz Lite Lab is using Vision software from ESP in Las Vegas, but Brunton found that their fixture library was very concert oriented, and missing elements that TV designers use, specifically the Vari-Lite library. "We spent a couple of months vetting it, with corrections and additions, and it's now very television oriented. We just used it for four shows, including the new Disneyland park parade with lighting designed by Lee Rose," he notes.
Matt Ford, the LD for ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! has booked the facility as well. "They are staging something special on Hollywood Blvd and can only program duing the day so Matt will do do the pre-viz here," adds Brunton.