Clay Paky, a proffessional lighting systems company, recently illuminated the opening
ceremony of the America’s Cup (AC) World Series in Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples.
The AC World Series consists of a series of match race regattas that bring the
competition to some of the most famous places in the world, including Naples, Venice
and San Francisco.

The ceremony took the form of a spectacular party and played host to a series of
live music and dance acts. Filmaster Event, a production company, Event was
responsible for the success of the ceremonies at the Olympics in Turin, the launch of
the new Fiat 500, the bicentenary of Mexico’s independence, 20 years of
Turkmenistan, the Commonwealth Games, the Mediterranean Games and the UEFA
European Football Championship.

“We had to illuminate and enhance the presentation of the sailing teams on stage,
which was preceded by a very impressive theatrical performance. One peculiar
feature of the stage was the absence of roofing to allow 3D projections. We
therefore had to light the stage adequately and minimize all visible structures
according to the 3D mapping carried out by Clonwerk,” said Emiliano Morgia, the
contracted lighting designer.

“I had to mount the front lights 35 metres from the stage. I therefore had to choose
suitable moving heads, able to cover the distance without losing too much
brightness. I chose 50 Clay Paky Alpha Profile 1500s, both for their high luminous
efficiency, and because I wanted to “frame’ the scene as much as possible. I used
the framing system features to pick out the areas to be lit perfectly and mark out
the stage accurately from the rest of the Piazza.”

The lighting equipment, which was provided by Agora, also included 24 Alpha Beam
1500s and 14 Alpha Beam 700s, which were used to create effects that were
particularly useful for emphasizing the important moments of the evening. The Piazza
and the audience were illuminated with washlights.

“It was particularly hard to illuminate the entire Piazza and not just the stage itself.
The concept was to cover 360°. I wanted everyone to feel immersed in a “sea of
light”, since the event was all about the sea,” Morgia concluded.