Award winning lighting designer Jeff Ravitz of Visual Terrain has been nominated for the 2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lighting Design by the Pacific Southwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), for his design of the Salute To Teachers Awards 2006. The broadcast was presented by Cox Communications and NBC Channel 4 San Diego and was co-produced by the San Diego County Office of Education. The show’s lighting has already been honored with a 2006 Telly Award.
The annual awards program is a black tie affair produced at the San Diego Civic Theatre, and celebrates excellence in teaching for San Diego County. CNN’s Robin Meade and Dennis Morgigno of Channel 4 San Diego hosted the show.
Ravitz and his team, which includes associate designer Kristie Roldan and programmer Chris Hammond, used the extensive equipment inventory of the Civic, as well as a package of Vari*Lite automated fixtures supplied by Starlight Services.
“The producers wanted an Academy Award-style production, but with a price tag in line with their comparatively leaner budget,” Ravitz comments. “We were able to get the maximum bang for the buck, and still cover all the bases of a show that included live entertainment, hosts, presenters, and winners, plus a full audience that had to be treated with a huge award show approach.”
Ravitz recently concluded shooting three PBS pledge specials featuring Willie Nelson, Irish choral group, Anúna, and motivational guru Dr. Wayne Dyer, as well as broadcasts for Michael Bublé, Fall Out Boy, and Nellie Furtado. He is a six-time Emmy nominee and has been honored with statues for one Primetime and two NATAS awards. The Pacific Southwest Emmys ceremony takes place in La Costa, CA on June 16.
