With a pay-per-view broadcast to 35 countries and an in house audience of over 70,000, WrestleMania is serious sports entertainment. Produced by WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), the yearly show has become the pinnacle event in sports entertainment.
Long time production designer for WWE is Jason Robinson who taps into his years of experience to light WWE events year long. Robinson works with WWE executive producer Kevin Dunn on design and themes for WrestleMania events with this year's look less thematic and more from the world of high tech.
Playing a major role in this year's set design were Martin Professional LC and EC Series LED video panels, used as digital cycloramas on stage, lining the front of the stage, and along a catwalk leading to the ring in the middle of the Georgia Dome. The sheer number of Martin LED panels involved made it the largest single Martin LED panel event ever.
The most prominent use of the panels was a 180ft long by 65ft tall video wall backdrop that arched 180 degrees in a true cyclorama curve. The huge video screen was positioned on an entrance stage at one end of the arena where the various heroes of the ring received a grand theatrical introduction.
Graphical processing of the LED screen imagery took place via P3-100 System Controllers that allow for full control over the video signal before the image is displayed on screen.
The Georgia Dome is a vast space to fill with colour and light and it takes a large amount of automated luminaires to do it. A substantial part of Jason's automated lighting package was nearly 500 Martin MAC moving heads that he used to light the building, columns, ring and audience.
Two large concentric truss circles loaded with MAC 2000 Wash XBs gave a vertical look to the arena space with custom MAC 300 LED wash lights providing the toning colour. Robinson also mounted MAC 2000 Wash XBs on handrails around the arena and had Martin MAC 301 Washes along with Atomic strobes mounted on the crab truss.
"Upstaging did a great job and was able to get me all the panels I needed. Everything went fantastic with no problems to speak of," Robinson concludes.
(Jim Evans)
