Live Design's fourth annual 31 Days Of Plots features one production per day during the month of December 2021, highlighting a different lighting design, from across theatre, concert tours, corporate events, live for broadcast, and more, as we wind down 2021 and head toward the new year.
Day 10 of 31 Days of Plots 2021 focuses on Swedish lighting designer Jimmy Olausson of J.O Light Design, who designed the lighting for Avatar's "Going Hunting" tour, which will continue to the UK and Europe and the UK in January-March 2022, after having completed dates in the US.
"I wanted to challenge myself with this design for the band Avatar and the whole idea was to find structure in chaos," says the LD. "I programmed the show to gradually expand and evolve over the duration of the show and the reason doing this was because I wanted to keep the audience curiosity and focus during the whole set list. Starting the show with only four lights and ending it with the whole production (over 140 fixtures) going completely bonkers before ending in complete silence."
"The placement of the fixtures is thought through to accommodate all possible scenarios of the set list. The Chauvet R2 washes are there to always be able to light up the band and to be used for key moments and create depth on the stage. Speaking of depth, all the Chauvet EPIX strips are placed in a way so I can create illusions of depth, and create asymmetrical looks. A key song for this on the set is "Going Hunting." The R2 beams are placed on the floor and on a flown truss to create height on our set and are used to visualize audible hits, strokes and effects, or just to create the feeling of being eaten alive," Olausson says with a smile.
"Movement and colors are used sparingly because I want the audience to notice every slight change I make to keep the show more interesting, keeping it visually dynamic. So, for example, when the very red song starts, seeing the red color for the first time in the show is an experience itself," notes Olausson. "However, the further we get into the set, the more movements and colors are presented."
"I always want to tell a story with my lighting and I think that dynamics and timing is key in this. I want to keep it interesting and I want to surprise the audience again and again so they remember the experience of the show for a long time," Olausson concludes.
Photos: Visone Paris
Vectorworks tech: Andreas Bernström
Gear List:
96 Chauvet EPIX Strip Tour
12 Chauvet R2 Wash
16 Chauvet R2 Beams
12 Chauvet COLORado Q40 Panels
2 Chauvet Cloud9
6 Elation ZCL 360 Bar
1 Minuit Une Square
To see more 31 Days Of Plots, click here