31 Days Of Plots: Chris Runnells & Dennis Size —Super Bowl LVI Pregame Events

Live Design's fifth annual 31 Days Of Plots features one production per day during the month of December 2022, highlighting a different lighting design, from across theatre, concert tours, corporate events, live for broadcast, and more, as we wind down 2022 and head toward the new year.

On Sunday, February 13, 2022 one of the most watched events on television —Super Bowl LVI—was seen by 112.3 million people on the various networks of NBC Universal.  Although a bit less than the 118.2 million who watched the last Super Bowl NBC Sports covered in 2018; viewership was up 16% from last year's game. The broadcast coverage of both NBC events was lit by the Lighting Design Group.

A massive undertaking of this magnitude doesn't happen with one or two people. After Size designed all the lighting for the various stages, and Hibbard planned out the rigging and fixture package, a highly skilled team of designers, gaffers, programmers and electricians were brought in to create LDG's lighting Dream Team. It truly "takes a village" ... and a host of IATSE Local 33 electricians.

Read the full story here: Lighting The Super Bowl Broadcast Stages And Studios

Below are the light plots and stage elevations from several of the major broadcast stages/"studios" that were major show anchor positions. Casey Duke served as head draftsperson for the plots, which include 3D modeling.

Be sure to click the images, there are multiple plots to see:

PLATES 1 and 1A depict the lighting design for the 2 studios overlooking the playing field inside the SoFi Stadium ... the MAIN STAGE and the adjacent CLICKER Studio -- where the execution of the lighting design was supervised by L.D. Geoff Amoral, Gaffer: Chris Hibbard, and Max Rose playing the Grand MA.

Dennis Size

 

 

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PLATE 3 was also at the LA CCONVENTION CENTER—in the West Hall, which was set up as a Media Center  (the home of "Radio Row").  LD Karim Badwan supervised this broadcast site.

Dennis Size

 

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PLATE 2 is the design for the stage at the entrance to the NFL Experience at the south entrance of the L.A. Convention Center.  At this broadcast 'studio', L.D. Dave Mann and his gaffer, Ryan Anderson had to wear earplugs—the decibel level of this "mini-theme park" was so loud.

Dennis Size  NFL Experience

 

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PLATE 6 is the drawing for the broadcast stage at the Santa Monica Pier—stretching out into the Pacific Ocean—and 15 miles from the SoFi Stadium...where L.D. Justyn Davis fought a difficult morning battle with the sun.

Pier Stage Dennis Size

 

 

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PLATE 1B shows the structure and lighting design of the stadium broadcast booth for the Telemundo Network coverage—built right into seating section 211.

TMDO Dennis Size

 

 

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TMDO Dennis Size

 

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PLATE 7 is the Tailgate Stage, situated in the "owners" parking lot way outside the stadium.  In between lighting celebrity broadcast interviews at this studio, LD Jeff Ravitz read excerpts from his book ("Lighting For Televised Live Events") to gaffer/programmer Thomas Schneider. 

The Tailgate Broadcast Stage
The Tailgate Broadcast Stage (Dennis Size)

 

 

 

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PLATES 4, 4A, 5, 5A, and 5B are the designs for the busiest of the broadcast studios...the Lakeside stages with the SoFi Stadium in the background.  Shows were broadcast from these 2 stages (and the adjacent ENG stand-up positions) for the entire week -- often from early in the morning through late into the evening.  The hardest working L.D. in television, Mike Grabowski, lit these stages (repeatedly) with Teddy Sosna programming, and Marty Langley and Jesse Kelston gaffing.

At night, Lake Stage #1 was taken over for Olympic coverage with Steve Brill guiding his associate designer/programme Billy Albertelli, and gaffer Brian Renoni.

Dennis Size Lakeside Stage

 

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There were many other locations both inside and outside the stadium where  Alex Kyle-Dipietropaolo, Andrew Oosterbrook (on-field LDs), Paul Lohr (Anchor Booth LD), gaffer Greg Capp and Dennis Size himself made "the magic" happen. The most illuminating fun however, was had by LD John Reynolds and his trusty gaffer Leon Virgo, who rode all around L.A. in their Piper grip truck lighting with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rutledge Wood (and a dinosaur) on their "SoCal Adventures".

Live Design's coverage of tthe Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show is sponsored by All Access.

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