grandMAs go live for Comic Relief

30 April 2009

UK - Two grandMA full size consoles and four MA NSPs were specified by lighting designer Steve Nolan for the BBC's Let's Dance For Comic Relief live TV shows - the first time grandMA has been used on a fully live BBC entertainment show. The four shows were all shot in Studio 2 at Ealing Studios, West London, UK, and were an integral part of the high profile 2009 Comic Relief campaign.

Nolan states, "It's a fantastic console - and ideal for all the crossover work I do like this which involves the combination of a TV production with live entertainment onstage."

The grandMAs (the second one running in full tracking backup mode for the show) were programmed by Tim Routledge. He comments, "For a show like this when things are constantly changing and evolving right up till the time we go live on air, it's been essential to have the two consoles. This has allowed gaffer Simon Baker to work on tasks like updating the patch and other technical matters, while Steve and I have continued programming the show on the other."

The console was controlling a serious amount of lighting kit. The fixture count included 65 x Vari*Lite VL6Cs and 65 x VL5s, 12 x VL 000s, 8 x VL2000 Washes, 12 x VL1000s, 20 x Atomic strobes with colour scrollers, 257 x Pulsar ChromaStrips ensconced in various set panels, 50 Chroma-Q Color Block LED fixtures, 190 sections of Schnick-Schnack LED screen, 30 PixelPARs, 34 2-lite blinders and some ETC Source Fours. All of this, together with the consoles, was supplied by PRG.

Steve Nolan has also used grandMA on other recent projects including the 2009 BAFTAs at the Royal Opera House and the 2009 NME Awards at Brixton Academy, both also programmed by Routledge.

(Jim Evans)