THESSALONIKI, GREECE - "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see," wrote the French impressionist Edgar Degas who went on to revolutionize how dancers are portrayed in painting. This aspiration is shared by creatives in every field, who hope to lead their audience to new ways of seeing things.
Lighting designer and programmer Konstantinos Ntovas had something like this in mind when he lit a 2.5-hour show by award winning singer Petros Iakovidis at Club Vogue, one of the largest nightclubs in Greece. Ntovas wasn’t relying solely on the lights he controlled with his ChamSys MagicQ Stadium Connect to change perceptions. He also called upon the profound power of dark space.
Using a variety of off-center light angles and creating distinct fields of bright and dark spaces around his sometimes-silhouetted client, the Greek designer created an engaging narrative that opened new perspectives to fans.
“In general, I really like putting the singer in black space between light beams,” said Ntovas.
“In that way, I can create an extraterrestrial look in an infinite environment. These scenes will transport viewers, creating a different experience than what they find in usual shows. My goal is to transform the singer’s songs into pictures that the viewer will never forget, filling them with unique colors but mostly keeping them simple.
In our job, creating simple but prepossessing atmospheres in a show can really be a challenge,” continued Ntovas. “However, this is one of the satisfactions that this job provides -- and this is what I am trying to achieve in every show. The songs of Petros Iakovidis allow me to depict exactly that impression, simple but exceptional and unforgettable for the viewer looks.”
Ntovas ran the lightshow, which was preprogrammed with 3D software, on his ChamSys MagicQ Stadium Connect. (Different operators-controlled video and lasers.) He credits his feature-rich programming interface with simplifying the running of his intricate show.
“Firstly, I would like to comment that every ChamSys console, not only the Stadium Connect, but all the others as well that I have used helps programmers do what they want to do in a very fast way,” he said. “To me, that is what makes ChamSys a game changer, because I do not have to waste my time doing things that in other consoles are necessary to do.
“Regarding the Stadium Connect, the new interface that responds to the various functions is extremely helpful,” continued Ntovas. “The encoder playbacks on the top are very helpful, because I can record, secondary activities there without it taking too much space like I would need to do if using an entire extra wing. Last, but certainly not least, the motorized faders and their functionalities are remarkable, allowing me to do things like keep the memory of the levels I put things in. In my shows, I use a lot of pages with a lot of different cues, so the faders are a lifesaver for me.”
Ntovas also credits his colleagues with helping him make the show go smoothly. “Tsagkari Mery, our set designer helped me depict my lighting ideas,” he said. “Themis Tsitsanis, the laser designer, created the lasers that reflected my vision. Noardos Sound provided all the technical equipment we needed to make this show possible. Video operator Nikos Salagiannis, laser operator: Thodoris Kehagias, the production organization of Petros Iakovidis, Spyros Potamopoulos, and the management of Club Voguealso all helped make this a great experience.”
With his creative team behind him and the ChamSys MagicQ Stadium connect freeing him from much of the detail work, Ntovas was able to focus more energy on the creative side of his show, helping him open even more new windows of perception for his audience.
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