Dancing On Ice Live
LD: Mark Cunniffe
Forty Six of the new i-Pix Satellite LED fixtures are being utilized to great effect on the massively popular Dancing On Ice Live UK arena tour.
The fixtures were specified by lighting designer Mark Cunniffe and lighting
director/programmer Svend Pedersen, and are being supplied by the show's
main lighting contractor, Neg Earth.
Twenty-six non lensed Satellites are toning the trusses above the ice, configured as a circle in the middle with 8 straight runs radiating outwards (a bit like a sun and its rays). The Satellites are positioned around the circle and at a slightly diagonal angle in the ends of the trusses, shooting light all the way along.
The other 20 units are rigged onto 6 custom tank traps (or 'trees') and secreted behind the set, positioned behind the judges panel.
Pedersen comments, "The Satellites are a massive and strategic element of the whole lighting scheme".
The set, designed by Hattie Spice, was a relatively late addition to the touring show, and features a series of interlocking stretched hexagonal shapes. It’s constructed from an opaque plastic material which takes the light beautifully. "As soon as I saw it, I knew immediately what fixtures lights would work best on it" says Pedersen.
One of the beauties of the Satellites is the compact size, and the fact that they can be neatly tucked into small spaces. Pedersen - who has also used them on several TV productions since their launch in late 2006 - loves the smooth colour mixing and the sheer range of colours.
The set Satellites are being run in 6-channel mode, giving control over the pulse modulation. This can be tweaked to enable the units to behave like a high resolution device using less control channels. This tweak has proved a popular function for TV and live situations where channel counts are high.
Dancing on Ice Live’s IMAG mix (directed by Paul Eggerton) is projected onto 3 large screens above the set at the judges panel end of the ice and is a major part of the show. With the set frequently in shot, potential camera flickering issues were quickly and cleanly dealt with by using Satellites.
Pedersen concludes, "Satellites are great - I've used them ever since
their launch, and I will continue to do so .... There's really no other unit
to beat it in terms of intensity, dynamics, tourability and fabulous effects".
23rd April 2007.
Photos © Louise Stickland
