More than 100 Robe moving lights made a serious impact as part of Tom Kenny’s
lighting design for the 2014 Teen Choice Awards (TCA). The show, produced by
Bob Bain, Greg Sils and Paul Flattery was staged at the Shrine Auditorium,
adjacent to the University of Southern California campus in Los Angeles,
California, in the US.
The prominent event honoured the best teen movies, music, fashion, and web
stars, and attracted many rising young stars and celebrities. The presenters
included Modern Family’s Sarah Hyland and Teen Wolf’s Tyler Posey,
and more than 164 million votes were cast by young fans through various social
media channels. The show was broadcast live on the FOX Television Network.
This is the fourth TCA that has been lit by Kenny and his team and again he
worked closely with set designer Steve Bass and video designer Eli Kinney to
make the show lively, action-packed and a bit edgy.
Kenny used 60 x Robe Pointes, 24 x LEDWash 1200s and 12 x LEDWash 600s –
all from Robe’s ROBIN series. He was also the first LD in the US to use Robe’s
new, bright moving light which will be launched worldwide in September. He
used 49 of these special new fixtures in the rig.
The Pointes were positioned on the stage floor and in the roof trusses, and
used for a wide selection of looks and effects and as an integral element of the
main “lighting picture’.
The Pointes had to hold their own against a large video-based set design and
hundreds of other lighting fixtures, all supplied by VER, Los Angeles.
The fantastic original Moorish revival art deco features of the auditorium –
designed by G. Albert Lansburgh and dating back to 1926 when the current
building was opened – were highlighted with Robe LEDWash 1200s, including
the dramatic roof centrepiece complete with an ornate chandelier.
LEDWash 600s were also used to wash up various pieces of drapery installed
around the stage.
Kenny worked alongside his regular programmer Michael Appel who used a
grandMA2 console, and lighting gaffer Bryan Klunder.
One of the biggest challenges for the production team this year was the last
minute venue change after Pauley Pavilion, the original location, was closed due
to flooding.
With a little over a week to go, the entire stage, set, lighting and video had to
be re-designed to fit into the Shrine Auditorium, once home to the Academy
Awards. However, despite this additional pressure, the show looked
spectacular, and the technical production has been hailed as one of the best to
date.
Show-stopping live performances by Demi Lovato, Cher Lloyd, Magic, Rixton,
Becky G and Jason Derulo, plus a star-studded line up of awards presenters and
guest appearances all helped make it another memorable Teen Choice Awards.
