Robe rig for Miss Universe

22 June 2012

Slovakia - The 2012 Miss Universe Slovak Republic was staged at the National Tennis Centre in Bratislava, and saw an aesthetic departure from previous years with a stripped back, streamlined, high-tech look onstage with multiple LED walls and panels and a shrinking perfective set.

Martin Kubánka was once again the lighting designer - his fourteenth year of Miss Universe SK! The lighting equipment included a substantial Robe moving light rig - supplied by Q-99, Slovakia's leading technical production and rental operation.

Kubánka was given an open brief as to how to light the show. He used Daniel Šichman's raw, stripped back set as the visual starting point, complimenting it's clear linear cuts and shapes with a futuristic styled lighting rig to match.

The set and all the high brightness LED elements also had an impact on how the show was lit. Bright lightsources were needed to deal with the LED, and so Robe Robin MMX Spots and Robin 600 Beams were central to the rig.

On top of the general looks, there were the specific requirements of any beauty pageant, including to light the girls in flattering skin tones and with no shadows on their faces for the cameras. As always in a colour temperature sensitive environment like this, the CRI of the fixtures was crucial - another area where Robe scores really well.

The Robe fixture count included 10 Robin MMX Spots, 24 Robin Beam 600s, 20 Robin Beam 300s, 17 x ColorSpot 1200E AT and eight ColorWash 1200E ATs.

The challenges included lighting first and foremost for live TV and also for a capacity audience of 3,500 people.

In addition to the contestants, there was live entertainment from an award winning line up of bands including Chinaski from the Czech Republic and Slovakia's popular Desmod and No Name, all of which needed their own distinctive lighting.

Twenty-four year old Lubica Štepánová was crowned Miss Universe Slovak Republic 2012 and will go on to represent her country in the final in December.

(Jim Evans)