MIAMI -- (For Immediate Release) – It was a celebration fit for a king . . .make that three of them. The Miami Heat welcomed their new trinity of superstars – LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh – with a glitzy bash that Fox Sports described as “a spectacle typically reserved for rock concerts and award shows.” With 13,000 cheering fans packed into American Airlines Arena (10,000 more stood outside), the trio, dressed in white Heat uniforms, made their entrance on stage, then strode down a runway, as music and special effects lighting heralded their arrival.
Everlast Productions, Inc. (Dania Beach, FL) created the rock star-style visual atmosphere for the event, using DMX moving lights from Elation Professional. Twenty-four Design Spot 1400s, twenty-four Design Wash 1400s, and twelve Design Spot 575s were positioned on stage and at the Front of House.
One reason why the Elation lights were chosen was because they could meet the variety of functions required at an event that was part concert, part pep rally and part speaking engagement as, after their flashy entry, the three newest Heat members sat down on stage and addressed the thrilled crowd.
“We were going for several goals – a conventional lighting look for even illumination throughout the stage and runway, impactful reaction and some flare,” said David McCranie, Vice President of Everlast Productions, who served as Lighting Designer with the help of Fred Lyuber, Lighting Assistant. The Elation lights, he said, were used to create spotlights, attention, focus and appeal, as well as serve as special effects to complement the scenery, which was also provided by Everlast.
The Design Spot 1400 is a powerful 1200-watt moving head spot effect with CMY-color-mixing that's loaded with features and effects, including two gobo wheels, an animation wheel, linear zoom, prism effects, an iris and a frost filter. The Design Spot 575 is a smaller 575-watt version that also contains a full range of professional features, while the Design Wash 1400 is a 1200-watt moving head color wash. All three fixtures come equipped with a built-in wireless DMX receiver, which proved especially useful at the Heat event, since it eliminated the hours of setup time that would have been required to run DMX cable.
With the welcome party coming just one night after James announced his decision to join the Heat, “time was of the essence,” said McCranie, “and the wireless DMX that's built into the lights was extremely helpful. Elation lights have impressive optics,” McCranie added, “and the output was perfect for the application.”
Eric Loader, director of sales for Elation Professional, said he was proud and excited that his company's lighting played a part in adding glitter and drama to an event unlike any other, not only in NBA, but all of sports history. “The output, features and performance of the lights worked perfectly for this very unique and momentous event,” Loader said. “But then we always knew Elation made lighting fit for a king -- or three!”
For more information, call Elation Professional toll-free at 866-245-6726 or visit www.elationlighting.com
Everlast Productions Inc. can be reached at 954-456-7167 or visit www.everlastproductions.com