DWR returns to Clash of the Choirs
Published: MEA
SOUTH AFRICA: Blond Productions once again designed the lighting for the most recent series of Clash of the Choirs SA, with the equipment supplied by DWR Distribution. This arrangement has been in place since the show’s first season in 2013.
For the most recent series of the talent contest, that pits seven choirs each led by a celebrity choirmaster again each other, Mauritz Neethling served as lighting director, while Heinrich Ströh assisted as operator and system technician during design and setup, taking over as lighting director during the show. The lighting was programmed using an MA Lighting grandMA2 console. Explaining the choice of console, Mr Neethling said ‘the MA allowed us to do a lot of programming in a short period of time’.
Deployed were 25 of Robe’s Robin CycFX4 LED moving lights, 36 Robin 100 LEDBeams and 24 Robin 300 LEDWash moving heads, as well as Robe 700E AT Spot, Mini Pointes, Robin 600 Beams and Robin MMX Spots at 12 apiece. The setup also included a variety of Source Fours, 2Ks and 1Ks in addition to 48 Bright Cue LED Wash.
The lighting team was challenged with creating a consistent ambience with colour in the background and at the sides whilst ensuring visibility of the choirs that consisted of 20 members onstage. The Robin MMX and Robe 700E AT Spots created pattern effects over the stairs that were on the stage, while Mr Neethling utilised the Mini Pointes to punch through the open white.
Broadcast on DSTV’s Mzansi Channel, the set was designed by Dream Sets. Although it was designed for ease in assembling and taking apart each week, the set for this series was considerably larger than in previous years, having relocated to the sixth floor of Global Access Studios. ‘Dream Sets cleverly created an arena type set which really enhanced the visibility of the choir,’ noted Mr Neethling.
‘Our main difficulty was the height of the grid,’ he continued. ‘It’s an 8m high gantry and the set was about 5m high with some areas as high 7m.’ This meant that some of the fixtures couldn’t be hung from the grid, which the lighting designer remedied with beams on the stage that lit from bottom to top. ‘I also like playing the beams into the JIB position as it makes for nice revealing shots on camera,’ Mr Neethling added.