Emmy-award winning designer Jeff Ravitz, principal partner with Visual Terrain, Inc., designed the lighting for the television videotaping of Megaton 2005, a celebration of Reggaeton music. The concert was shot in high definition at LA’s Great Western Forum on November 25, 2005. The sold-out show, said to be the biggest event ever to showcase Reggaeton music–which blends Jamaican reggae with Latin American beats–featured superstars of the genre, Tego Calderon, Don Omar, Hector “El Father”, and female Reggaeton legend Ivy Queen.
“The lighting and the shoot were extremely challenging on a number of counts,” explains Ravitz. “The Megaton shows are comprised of an unrehearsed series of acts. The performers are accompanied by only a DJ, or in some cases, two DJs. Although the lyrics and delivery are truly complicated and meticulously prepared by the artists, there is still an off-the-cuff quality about it. A stage full of dancers can come and go at any time, and often the songs just seem to end when you least expect it. Our mission was to give ourselves the tools to create instant visual excitement with the lighting, while still carefully adhering to the principles of good broadcast lighting, which include balance, exposure and composition.”
Visions Lighting provided the system and, as Ravitz comments, “was totally can-do at all times.” Steve Lieberman was programmer and operator. The Spanish Broadcasting System produced the shoot and will release the DVD in early 2006.
Visual Terrain is a diversified firm offering lighting design, theatre consulting, and production design and management services for the architectural and entertainment markets.