BRIDGEND, WALES – Sometimes a name says it all. It certainly does in Wales, which is known within its borders and far beyond as “the land of song.” Small wonder, then that this land, which has given us the late, great Bonnie Tyler, takes its singing seriously. This is evident in the passionate following that Y Llais, the Welsh-language edition The Voice, has acquired since its debut last year.
There may be bigger national editions of The Voice franchise around the world, but certainly none more passionate. Providing a vibrant backdrop for this widely followed program, which aired this year on S4C, was a dynamic lighting design by director Andy Stagles, founder of Lighting Director Limited.
Working with producer Boom Cymru at Dragon Studios in Bridgend, South Wales, Stagles created a first-class lighting design for Y Llais. “I pride myself on getting the most out of the small budget – it requires me to think outside the box,” he said. “Before recording starts, I develop my lighting designs within the 3D virtual world. Production will send me each music track set to be performed, and I tailor each lighting look to the individual track – which can range from a rock number to a slow ballad. This way, we’ve been able to spend a couple of hours previsualizing each track and refining each look.”
Helping Stagles achieve this impressive staging, highly polished production and striking, theatrical visuals, was his lighting and video programmer, LD Bill Peachment who worked with a ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M Stadium console plus an extra wing that also triggered video content on their custom media server running MediaMaster.
“ChamSys is my go-to console,” comments Peachment. “I can build complex effects in a simple and logical way, especially with multi-element fixtures. The MagicQ software is robust and really lends itself to the fast-changing demands of TV production. Our main MQ250M console and the MagicQ Stadium Connect worked very well for tracking backup and allowed Andy and me to work together to control levels and follow spot outputs. Having the faders tied together means that, with multiple operators, we can focus on different areas while staying in the same ecosystem.
“This is especially true with the integration of MediaMaster, as the screen can now be treated as a fixture,” continued Peachment, “The MediaMaster LED Mapper, makes running content across multiple surfaces easy and quick to set up. You just drag and drop content on the site. The MagicQ Fast Effects Engine has also been a time saver, as it allows changes on the fly. Another thing is the new shuttering GUI, which has been an excellent addition. It makes shuttering controls easy to recall.”
Y Llais featured a set by designer David Marson that seamlessly wove physical set elements with a video screen on the rear. This allowed greater depth to be created on stage, which resulted in Better 3D outcomes on camera.
“Dave designs the set, and I visualize and light it before presenting the 3D models to the production team,” said Stagles. “You need to consider how the lighting looks on camera. If you’re in the studio, beam lights – for example – might not look as vivid as they would for a concert, because of the constraints of TV. Our eyes have a much higher contrast ratio than the cameras – so the difference between things that are bright, and dark is much more subtle when on camera, compared to being in the audience.
“For this reason, a lot of TV work is about control and balance,” he continued. “You also need to account for what the cameras can see, not just the audience. This is especially important for close-up shots: for example, the audience may not see someone’s face when they turn their head to the side – but the cameras can, so you need to choose your key light positions with care. TV lighting is a different discipline to theatre and live events, and when you’re lighting live performances with plenty of close-up shots, the stakes are high!”
Previs was the most helpful overall in this project, according to Stagles, who notes that the team uses WYSIWYG in combination with ChamSys control and MediaMaster (using NDI input) to previsualize each song and build a show cue stack, which Peachment then busks during the shoot.
“No timecode is used,” declared Stagles. “It is all cues called/button press on the beat. By using this virtual workflow beforehand, the team can experiment without the time pressure of having a full crew on staff. Also, this allows them time to revise the visuals and designs. On top of that, it helps with creative pitching to the production company by allowing them to see what can be achieved within the budget.”
Creating this product involves a lot of work. Stagles says that the crew puts in 10 to 12-hours on fit-up days to transform Dragon Studios’ empty stage into the setting for this musical competition. “But seeing the final result, and it all coming together…and seeing it so well-executed, a slick production that looks this good makes it all worth the effort,” he said. “It’s so exciting!”
About ChamSys
Based in the UK, ChamSys Ltd. was founded in 2003 by a group of designers and product developers seeking to create a lighting console that offered greater flexibility. The company’s MagicQ range has set an industry standard used in some of the most prominent concert, theatre, broadcast and club applications around the world. ChamSys was acquired in 2017 by Chauvet & Sons LLC, a leading global provider of professional luminaires, trusses, controllers and related equipment headquartered in the USA. For more information, visit www.chamsysusa.com