Every Saturday evening, millions of TV viewers are glued to the screen for the hit program Stars on Ice, broadcast on the First Channel of Russian Television. It is a light-hearted and modern program with many stars from sports and show business (the theatre, cinema, and music) in Russia taking part and trying their luck at the most intrepid live performances. Stars on Ice was one of the most popular television shows in Russia last year.
As is clear from the response by public and critics alike, this show is interesting not only for the challenges faced by the contestants, but also for the great beauty of the TV sets and lighting effects. Clay Paky is present with its moving bodies both in the studio, where the presenter is with the guests, and on the ice where the shows are performed. The material was supplied by Doka, the Clay Paky distributor for all of Russia, which specializes in marketing professional lighting products.
Juri Krasilnicov, lighting director of the show says, “Shows on ice are a very well known genre for us. However, the massive presence of sets on the ice and the typical television requirements meant that we had a completely new job on our hands. At the end of the day, I can say that Stars on Ice was one of the richest and most complex projects I have ever worked on. We spent a huge amount of time adapting each situation for the best possible outcome, mediating the demands of the set with those of television. We very often changed the assortment of lights and it was not until we were on the home straight that we made this choice. It was a hard choice, but the best one we could make.”
Krasilnicov explains why the projectors were changed: “Almost all the problems were caused by the conformation of the skating rink. At first, we chose different moving body fixtures for the dynamic lighting; but against the white of the ice, where even the slightest nuances are seen, many of the effects were lacking expression. This took us by surprise and made us look for the best that the market could offer. We found our solution in Clay Paky’s Alpha Spot HPE 1200. They are really great projectors, ideal for working on ice, and they have many effects so I could create very interesting images—such as the effect of water and waves. The technical innovations in these products helped us completely revolutionize the concept of light design on ice.”