SGM Lights Hit Italian TV Series

Uno di noi

, the new prime-time TV variety show broadcast on the Italian network RAI UNO and hosted by veteran pop idol Gianni Morandi, with Lorella Cuccarini and Paola Cortellesi, is the most-watched Saturday night program in Italy, with peaks of over 10 million viewers. It is also a major project for SGM lighting products

For the 15 episodes of the series being aired between September 28th 2002 and January 6th 2003, RAI (Italy’s state broadcaster) has put together a team that includes producer Duccio Forzano; set designer Gaetano Castelli, and director of photography Pino Quini.. Guest performers include top Italian and international artists: Craig David, Mark Knopfler, Tom Jones, Anastasia, Phil Collins, Franco Battiato, Piero Pelù, Lucio Dalla and Daniele Silvestri.

Uno di noi is staged in Cinecittà’s Studio 5, used in the past by legendary director Federico Fellini for many of his films. The studio, which holds over 1,000 spectators for each show, is 85m long and 35m wide, with a total area of approximately 3,000 sq. m., and is 14m high.

Pino Quini is one of RAI’s most esteemed directors of photography and was responsible for recent months’ top television transmissions, including La Bella e la Bestia, the 2002 San Remo song contest, and Pavarotti and Friends The light rig designed by Pino Quini for the production includes 350 motorized fixtures, of which no fewer than 264 are made by SGM. Equipment was supplied by Rome’s Arco Allestimenti.

The SGM fixtures were selected to meet the specific needs of a large live TV show, from the lamps with a color temperature of 3,200° K (such as the Victory II 250 scanners), enabling the numerous cameras to ensure precise color reproduction. Uno di noi is very fast-moving, with dance sequences and musical performances being staged in various areas of the studios and requiring very different types of lighting from the point of view of brightness, colors, effects, and movement.

The SGM gear used includes 82 Giotto Spot 400 moving head units; 42 Giotto Wash 400s, and 140 Victory II 250 scanners. 100 Victory II 250 are mounted on ten revolving panels fitted with mirrors on either side of the orchestra. 46 Giotto Spot 400s, eight Giotto Wash 400s and 40 Victory II 250s are flown from four truss rings above the main stage. Ten Giotto Spot 400s and 12 Giotto Wash 400s illuminate the huge (14m high) PVC backdrop. 26 Giotto Spot 400s and 22 Giotto Wash 400s are installed on two two truss bars running along the sides of the studio and on 6 more positioned symmetrically above the audience.