With its own unique take on life, the Logo Channel’s NewNowNext (NNN) Awards celebrate the most fantastic aspects of pop culture in music, television, film, web, fashion, and just about everything in between. Produced in Hollywood, CA, inside the historic Henry Fonda Theater, the annual awards ceremony is lively, fun and energetic. When LD Tom Kenny was asked to oversee the lighting design he leapt at the opportunity to create the perfect complementary lighting rig full of VARI-LITE luminaires, including the new VL3015LT Spot from Philips Vari-Lite.
“I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to use the new VL3015LT Spot on the NNN Awards,” began Kenny. “For the show we needed a bright, fun and classy look so amongst my usual VARI-LITE fixtures, I also designed 12 of the VL3015LT Spots into the plot. While we were initially excited about their high intensity and beautiful color palette, the zoom capabilities and the crisp gobo projections really gave the design a unique sharpness with big beam action.”
While creating his ideal rig for the televised event, Kenny knew that he would be using a few staples that have been a part of his lighting designs for a few years now so he turned to Authorized VARI-LITE Dealer VER and in addition to the 12 VL3015LT Spots, he placed 20 VL3500 Wash and 12 VLX Wash luminaires into the lighting plot.
He continued, “The thing that separates VARI-LITE from other fixtures is their color. No one can match the color of a VARI-LITE luminaire and I love the beautiful color of the VL3500 Wash. I primarily do all TV work now and I use the VLX Wash so often that I have my own setting specifically for them. I was actually one of the first designers to use the VLX for TV and I haven’t stopped using them since. The VLX Wash gives you a perfect tungsten for camera plus all the wonderful colors of LED. They are both fantastic lights.”
As he now had his staple workhorse lights, it was then that Kenny got the surprise addition to his rig when Philips Vari-Lite Regional Sales Manager Ray Whitton contacted him about using the new VL3015LT Spot luminaire.
“Ray knows that I like trying out new stuff so he contacted me about the VL3015LT Spot and asked if I might like to try them out and we used them in a lot of different scenarios. While they were mainly used for lighting the band, we also used them as a back key light and for lighting the draperies surrounding the set. Since the Henry Fonda Theater is a smaller venue, we were operating them at about half of their normal power because they are so bright and powerful. We trimmed them at 22 feet and they worked very well. You can tell that a lot of time went into the R&D of the VL3015LT Spot because even in an intimate setting such as this, the color and optics were phenomenal. I really believe this light could be used in any Broadway theatre because you can have the beams as normal, but then one light could easily wash the entire stage. It has beautiful dichroics and the color palette is the best I have seen. The VL3015LT Spot is a wonderful light.”
Using the highly reliable 1500W Osram double-ended short arc lamp to produce 41,487 lumens of output, the VL3015LT Spot features 10:1 zoom optics, CYM color mixing, variable CTO wheel, two five-position color wheels, three gobo/effects wheels, a beam size iris, and separate dimmer and ultra-fast strobe mechanisms. While a standard palette of gobos, effects and colors are provided with the fixture, custom gobos, effects, and colors are also available. Additionally, the VL3015LT Spot contains an independent rotating and indexing 3-facet prism as well as an independent frost glass. The zoom range of 6° to 60° allows for use in a multitude of applications from stadiums, arenas and theatres as Kenny experienced on the NNN Awards.
He concluded, “On a TV show you never really get to play with all the resources of a light, but because this production is a dramatic and colorful show I was able to get a good glimpse of what the VL3015LT Spot can do. With the power of the lamp I’m really looking forward to using them in an arena setting where I can fly them at a 100 foot trim, but the true beauty of the VL3015LT is that I was able to dial it back and make it work wonderfully for the intimate setting of the NNN Awards as well. Even when using the lamp at half power, it was still able to produce beautiful colors, crisp gobo focuses and all the intricacies that the smaller lamps typically do. Our lighting directors Craig Housenick and Bryan Klunder were impressed with its speed and ability to shoot a really long distance while maintaining all its qualities at the end result, and I feel the VL3015LT Spot really helped me achieve all my ambitions in the design while also adding a freshness and sharpness with mega lumens attached.”
As a leading designer and manufacturer of premiere automated lighting systems, Philips Vari-Lite provides equipment and services to the entertainment industry, serving such markets as concert touring, theatre, television, film, cruise lines, houses-of-worship, and corporate events. VARI-LITE automated lighting systems are available through a worldwide network of independent professional dealers. www.vari-lite.com.