Events United lights fundraiser with Chauvet
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Turns out they did much more than that. In the weeks following the initial lockdown, Studio Lab has gone on to fill a variety of important roles in the community, including that of a fundraising tool. A variety of charitable groups have raised much-needed money during the pandemic by holding online benefit auctions at the Studio Lab facility in Derry, NH.
The latest of these is the Humane Society for Greater Nashua, which raised $105,000 in June through an auction livestreamed and produced by the Events United team at Studio Lab. Running slightly over one hour on Facebook and YouTube, the programme featured musical entertainment and appearances by adoptable animals in addition to the auction.
Pulling the diverse elements of the programme together and providing camera-friendly visuals was a collection of Chauvet Professional Maverick, COLORado and STRIKE fixtures as well as 60 F2 Video panels.
“We have done a few of these virtual auctions now, and it’s been an amazing experience, getting to work with these organisations and seeing the things they do,” said Jon Martell, production design manager at Events United, who worked closely with event producer Donald Van Slyke and lighting designer Ryan Lane on the show. “It’s also been a learning experience doing these events. We have to ensure that we convey the charity’s branding message and at the same time keep the show engaging for livestream viewers so they watch longer, which makes the fundraising more successful.”
Using the video wall as an engagement tool was key to helping the design team meet this goal. The three-panel high by 20-panel wide wall, which was built on a F-Series ground support system, occupied a prominent upstage space along the middle of the 32’ wide by 20’ deep stage.
“The video wall adds a dynamic element to the stage design,” said Martell. “This is especially true when you are doing a fundraiser and you use the wall to show updates on the amount of money pledged. It gives people a sense of moving toward a goal. We also used the wall to share other information and for branding the charity. It’s really easy for people to take in a wall visually, even when they’re looking at the auction on a small screen.”
Dramatic changes in lighting, whether it was blasts from the four STRIKE 4 units in the rig, or colour shifts from the six COLORado Solo Batten and six COLORado Cyc fixtures, also played a role in conveying emotion and excitement during the show.
“The Humane Society had chosen to brand their event with a graphic that included a lot of subtle purple colours,” said Martell. “One of our goals when working with clients is to tailor the event to them and match the look and feel to their vision. The colour rendering capabilities of our lighting and video equipment allowed us create immersive environments that wowed viewers while also keeping a consistent theme at the event, from the very first invitation to the final ‘thankyous’ at the end.”
Also adding color and depth to the stage were the rig’s 24 Maverick MK2 Spot fixtures. Positioned 10 upstage, 10 midstage, and four downstage, the 440W moving LED fixtures were used to create specials at pivotal moments, highlight different areas of the stage for presentations. They were also relied on to create a sense of depth with patterns from their two rotating gobo wheels.
Doug Barry, president and CEO of the Humane Society for Greater Nashua, called Events United’s production of the auction “the best event I have experienced in all of my years in non-profit management”.
(Jim Evans)
